By Jim Li, Oct 14, 2014
He was tall, about six feet, always elegantly dressed in a sophisticated black suit with a bowtie from the late 1990s. He looked active, confident and sometimes wore sunglasses.
However, he was dead and actually a paper skeleton.
"This is how I remember my grandpapa. He was my father, my friend and number one person in my life," said Angela Mora, a 21-year-old Boyle Heights native who was diagnosed with mental depression after her grandfather died three years ago.
Her best form of therapy was to construct paper skeletons on the Day of the Dead. It was a Mexican holiday on Nov. 1 when people commemorated family members and friends passed away.
"I was not able to go to school because I was in a dark place and very depressed," she said. "Sometimes, I tried to kill myself."
Every October since then, Mora locked herself in her room and spent the entire month making paper flowers, creating wreaths and constructing altars for the holiday.
"I even put Dodgers clothes on it (the skeleton) because he was a big fan," Mora said.
However, things changed this October. Following suggestions from her therapist, Mora became one of the volunteers for Self Help Graphics & Art, a nonprofit organization in Boyle Heights.
"People say they are proud of me and then I realize that I need to be proud of myself," she said, with a big smile.
According to Mora, Self Help hosted three workshops every Saturday for the celebration, with two at a recreation center in Boyle Heights and the last one at Grand Park in downtown. Participants came to try out traditional crafts of paper cutting, paper masks and skeletons.
"This is one of those things where the name speaks for itself: Self Help. We use arts to heal people and give them spiritual supports," said Dewey Tafoya, a silk-screen artist who has been volunteering at the organization for about 11 years.
Rooted in traditional Latino culture, he said, Self Help has offered thousands of free art events to families in and out of the community. It was also the first group to lead the Day of the Dead celebrations in early 1970s.
"Many times, families don't have income to come out to an expensive festival. This is something for everyone," said Esther Vasquez, an active participant who lived her life in Boyle Heights.
As a mother of six children, Vasquez brought her kids to the events since early October. Besides being a great chance to explore her community, she believed it was a precious life lesson for her kids.
"It is very important for every child to fulfill every aspect of their life; not only to be involved in sports and their education, but art is very important as well. It gives them a chance to express themselves," she said.
Tafoya agreed with Vasquez. He said the exchange of knowledge and creative passion between elder and younger generations is mutually beneficial because "the new generation is just so removed from handmade crafts."
With about 94 percent of Mexican immigrants, Boyle Heights was one of the few places in the city where Latino artists resided and preserved indigenous music and arts.
"We need to learn about the important role that heritage and tradition play in defining who we are," Tafoya said. "Self Help is building relationships across generations and communities."
Joel Garcia, operation manager at the organization who was in charge of planning future programs, said Self Help sought to broaden its identity to reflect the community's evolving demographics. He proposed an even grander idea.
"While preserving its artistic origins as a print-making and handcraft-production center, we also aim to branch into creative technologies such as digital design on phones and tablets," Garcia said.
After the studio renovation, he said, Self Help will hold the first workshop in digital graphic design.
Mora also had a plan for her future. The volunteer work helped her control the mental issue effectively. She will go back to school in January.
But before that, Mora decided to stay at Self Help and share her experiences to those who needed.
"This is what makes him proud," Mora said, with a big smile.