The Dia de los Muertos art gallery has been going on for three years now and the show gives students an opportunity to learn about the Hispanic culture and honor a loved one who has passed.

“Dia de los Muertos” also known as the “Day of the Dead” is celebrated mainly in Mexico but it has become very popular in the U.S. and Canada.

The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and relatives who have passed.

The celebration occurs on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2 and it is not a Mexican version of Halloween.

Those who gather usually build altars or shrines for the person they have lost and they surround the altar with items the person loved, their favorite foods, and they tell stories of the deceased. The students at Rio used their creative skills to create memorabilia for a person they have lost by either drawing them, painting a portrait, creating an image using digital art, and even using tinfoil.

The ceramic department has also done there own spin on sculpting ceramic gods that protect their kiln from bad spirits.

All the artwork will be displayed in the art gallery located in the H-wing from Oct.30 through Nov.3 for everyone to see the pieces of art.