Italian artists plan free public art procession in Downtown Phoenix on Nov. 2

The ASU Art Museum is pleased to announce the arrival of visiting international artists Emilio Fantin and Giancarlo Norese. The artists are part of Lu Cafausu, an Italian collaborative art project by Emilio Fantin, Luigi Negro, Giancarlo Norese, Cesare Pietroiusti and Luigi Presicce.

The public is encouraged to attend “Celebration of the Living (who reflect upon death), 4th edition,” a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to honor loved ones who have passed away and re-envision the past, present and future by walking through the streets of downtown Phoenix. This is the fourth annual occurrence of this project and the first time that it is being held in the United States. The free event is a reconsideration of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) traditions through multi-cultural lenses.

The procession, to be led by the Bad Cactus Brass Band, will kick off on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2013 with a pre-procession reception beginning at 3:30 p.m., at the ASU Art Museum International Artist Residency Program at Combine Studios, 821 N. Third St., in downtown Phoenix. The procession starts promptly at 4:30 p.m. and will conclude at Saint Mary’s Basilica with a choir performance. The procession also connects at its conclusion with the Celebración Artística de las Américas (CALA) Alliance Festival at the intersection of First and Adams streets.

The event is produced by the artists and the ASU Art Museum, continuing a tradition of artist-led projects that includes “Feast on the Street” and the Desert Initiative.

The event will highlight numerous threads connecting past, present and future, including visual arts, historic preservation, new shade trees, modern dance and live music. Featured elements will include:

– Chicago artist Deborah Boardman will investigate traces from the past at the intersection of Third and Roosevelt streets
– One of the first public opportunities to view the newly restored DeSoto Building, at the intersection of Central Avenue and Roosevelt Street
– Original choreography and music interpreting a classic element of Kurosawa’s Dreams.
– Invited guests readers Merced Maldonado from Guadalupe, Ariz.; Canadian Shawn Van Sluys from the Musagetes Foundation, Arizona artist Marie Navarre and author Kristina Lee Podesva, from San Francisco, Calif., will read short passages from diverse cultural traditions and literature reflecting upon death

The procession will feature the work of ASU School of Film, Dance and Theatre students with choreography by faculty member Elizabeth Johnson and ASU School of Art students working with faculty member Gregory Sale. The pre-procession reception is organized by students from the ASU Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation.

Learn more about Lu Cafausu at lucafausu.tk and view additional details about the event at facebook.com/events/1457056714520021/

The ASU Art Museum International Artist Residency at Combine Studios is located in downtown Phoenix, at 821 N. Third St. For additional information please call the ASU Art Museum at 480.965.2787 or visit facebook.com/ASUAM.Combine. The ASU Art Museum International Artist Residency is generously supported in part by the Windgate Charitable Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The ASU Art Museum, named “the single most impressive venue for contemporary art in Arizona” by Art in America, is part of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University. The museum is located on the southeast corner of Mill Avenue and 10th Street in Tempe and admission is free. Hours are 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Tuesdays (during the academic year), 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and closed on Sundays and Mondays. Public hours for the International Artist Residency Gallery are Tuesday through Friday from 1–5 p.m. and by appointment. To learn more about the museum, call 480.965.2787or visit asuartmuseum.asu.edu or asuartmuseum.wordpress.com.

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Public Contact: 
Greg Esser
ASU Art Museum
480.965.2875
greg.esser@asu.edu
asuartmuseum.asu.edu

Media Contact:
Deborah Sussman Susser
Communications and Media
Herberger Institute
480.965.0478
deborah.susser@asu.edu