{"id":369,"date":"2012-11-30T14:24:06","date_gmt":"2012-11-30T21:24:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/digitalegre.com\/home\/?p=369"},"modified":"2012-12-02T00:20:57","modified_gmt":"2012-12-02T07:20:57","slug":"social-media-giving-life-to-beautiful-bones-day-of-the-dead-art-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/digitalegre.com\/home\/social-media-giving-life-to-beautiful-bones-day-of-the-dead-art-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Social media giving life to ‘Beautiful Bones’ Day of the Dead art project"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A few of the Catrinas at Joe Vinny and Bronson’s Cafe in El Paso during the Cyber Party.<\/p><\/div>\n

The artist\u2019s studio is in Las Cruces, his home is in El Paso, but thousands of dollars to support his dream of bringing elegant skeletons to life are coming in from near and far thanks to digital networking and the social fundraising site Kickstarter.com<\/a><\/p>\n

For eighteen months artist Wayne Hilton has sewn, beaded, glued and shaped the 15 exquisitely elaborate figurines at the heart of the Hermosos Huesos (Beautiful Bones) Project.<\/a> \u00a0Made of recycled materials, the Catrinas are a contemporary interpretation of the iconic image of \u201cLa Calavera Catrina\u201d by Mexican artist Jose Guadalupe Posada, who created more than 20,000 graphics, woodcuts and illustrations during his lifetime, yet died penniless in 1913. Posada\u2019s works are most frequently seen in Dia De Los Muertos or Day of the Dead celebrations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a metaphoric relationship between giving new life to somewhat \u2018dead\u2019 materials, and the fact that the core inspiration of the work comes from a celebration of the dead,\u201d Hilton said. He is hoping his work will “transcend borders – using creativity and cultural reference as a platform to foster relationships between the U.S. and Mexico.”<\/p>\n

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La Novia de Invierno (The Winter Bride)<\/p><\/div>\n

His vision is to build a uniquely ornate environment and cases for each of the figurines and make the entire\u00a0installation available for display at cultural and educational institutions and museums. The beauty and artistry of the figures – and one completed environment for \u201cLa Novia de Invierno\u201d (The Winter Bride) – are already making an impression. The Mexican Consulate is planning to host the premier of the Hermosos Huesos exhibit and include the work as part of its cultural affairs calendar in 2012.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0\u201cIn this area, people really resonate with the cultural aspect of the project,\u201d Hilton says. Yet even those not familiar with border culture are captivated by the Catrinas. \u201cFor people that don\u2019t have the cultural reference, the level of detail in the work is amazing to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Hilton, not wishing to follow Posada on the artist\u2019s path to poverty, needs financial support to complete the project in time for it\u2019s unveiling for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in November 2013 – one hundred years after Posada\u2019s death. The entire project \u00a0expense estimate is $45,000. That includes $15,000 for a laser cutter for the intricate detailing on the environments. The bulk of the costs are for materials and supplies as well as expenses for producing the book that is being developed as part of the project.<\/p>\n

Enter Kickstarter.com<\/a>, the social media fundraising website where artists, musicians, inventors and other visionaries post their projects and hope like-minded individuals find them worth backing.\u00a0 Kickstarter backers can pledge as little as a dollar, although most pledge more in order to receive rewards promised by the project owner. For example, people who back Hilton\u2019s \u00a0project for $45 will be rewarded with a Hermosos Huesos T-shirt. Supporters at a rate of $100 receive a commemorative print and other rewards. The more a backer pledges, the greater the rewards.<\/p>\n

However, Kickstarter backers are not charged and no rewards are given if the project does not meet its overall funding goal. The project receives no money at all from Kickstarter unless it meets or exceeds its goal.<\/p>\n

With just a few days left in his campaign and more than 50 percent funded with more than $22,000 pledged, Hilton is making a big final push to get the word out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am looking at this like those amazing marathon runners, or those Tour de France cyclists. You have that steady, progressive effort for the majority of the race, \u00a0then that full-out effort to get yourself across the finish line,\u201d Hilton says in an update on his Kickstarter page.<\/p>\n

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Catrinas in Washinton D.C.<\/p><\/div>\n

Hilton has been steadily networking both online and face-to-face to spread the word about the Hermosos Huesos project . He has traveled throughout the Southwest and even to Washington D.C. where he took several Catrinas on a photo shoot at national landmarks. A Facebook page \u2013 www.Facebook.com\/CatrinaToLife<\/a> – \u00a0updates supporters with the latest photos and news. He is on Twitter as @TheWayneHilton and chronicling the journey on instagr.am under #hermososhuesos<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday Hilton and several friends joined together for Cyber Party headquartered at Joe Vinny and Bronson\u2019s Bohemian Caf\u00e9 in central El Paso where laptops, tablets and smart phones were fired up and focused on updating rings of social networks to attract more backers and raise hundreds of dollars in a few hours. Participants chimed in from Boston and Mexico City as more backers were added to the tally board throughout the evening.<\/p>\n

(Several more events are planned for the final days of the campaign. See the list at the bottom of this post.)<\/p>\n

As he races to meet the goal by deadline, Hilton spoke with Digitalegre Blog<\/a> about what he learned from his first Kickstarter campaign and what he would do differently if he could go back to the start of his project.<\/p>\n

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Wayne Hilton<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI would\u2019ve tried to give myself a little more time to set up the social networking platforms and the networking platforms,\u201d Hilton says. \u201cBut \u201cI really didn\u2019t feel like I had the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hilton set the Kickstarter schedule based on the timing he needed to get the funding and complete the entire installation before November 2013. After the project launch, El Paso-based social media strategy company Digitalegre<\/a>\u00a0signed on to help Hilton promote it through digital channels.<\/p>\n

Another important key to the project, Hilton says, was figuring out the right kind of rewards to attract backers. He focused on ideas for \u201cthings that are worth having. Things that maintain the integrity of the project and things that are produce-able.\u201d<\/p>\n

Currently, Hermosos Huesos<\/a> is one of only a handful of Kickstarter.com projects in the El Paso\/Las Cruces area and it is the only one with major support. In an interesting coincidence, the only other local project to have be more than 30 percent funded is also influenced by border culture and death imagery. The Las Cruces band named Alma y La Tierra Muerta<\/a> is seeking $4,500 for recording and producing a vinyl album.<\/p>\n

You can search for projects by location at ThingsWeStart.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hermosos Huesos events:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Friday, 11\/30\u00a0 – Showing and presentation at the Rubin Center for the Visual Arts, UTEP, 6-8pm.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Saturday, 12\/1\u00a0 “State of the Arts” radio interview on KTEP, 11:30am radio 88.5…or livestream at\u00a0KTEP.org<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sunday, 12\/2\u00a0 POP Gallery Santa Fe, 2-5pm, reception and artist’s remarks, last public showing of the HERMOSOS HUESOS Project for 2012.<\/strong><\/p>\n