Sugar skulls and colorful alebrijes, or spirit animals, decorate the walls of the Oshkosh Public Library and help guide families towards learning more about the history behind Día de los Muertos. This Mexican holiday is a joyful way to remember and honor loved ones who have passed. Between November 1-2, families welcomed the spirits of the deceased with their favorite foods, music, and time together. On October 10, the OPL hosted an Alebrije and Sugar Skull Mask Making event in collaboration with the In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre in order to foster both awareness and celebration.

Marie Boleman works at the Oshkosh Public Library in the children’s department, where she organizes a variety of events for families in the community.

“I really enjoy putting together programs and displays that represent traditions that different people practice,” she said.

Since 1973, In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre has nurtured the puppetry community in Twin Cities, Minnesota. For this event, marketing and communications director Lizz Windnagle and theater artist Spencer Arevalo coordinated with library staff to bring an Alebrije and Sugar Skull Mask Making workshop to Oshkosh.

The OPL and the Puppet and Mask Theatre have connected before, but this is the first time they have worked together on an event.

“Marie actually invited us to come—she's the librarian here,” said Windnagle. “She used to live in Minneapolis and really liked the Puppet and Mask Theatre, so she has always wanted a reason to bring us in. Día de los Muertos seemed like a good fit.”

In preparation for this event, Windnagle had to reach out to different members of the community in order to get different materials and information.

“We had to get in touch with the library and museum to make sure that we would have enough materials and space for what we were planning,” they said.

During the two-hour workshop, kids and their parents crafted masks and ofrendas—altars that honor the returning deceased—which would be used the next day in a special performance at the Oshkosh Public Museum. Separate tables displayed sample masks for the guests to get inspiration.

Craft tables held materials varying from plain white paper and glue to rainbow sparkles and pipe cleaners. Most kids chose to make a mask of some sort out of paper mâché, as demonstrated by Arevalo beforehand, to sculpt and create various animals and shapes.

“I love seeing all the kids put their own spin on the project and come up with something that I never would have considered creating myself,” Windnagle said.

Boleman had an ofrenda set up in the children's center of the library for guests to use as an example if they wanted to make a paper version. On one table in the media room, Día de los Muertos books in Spanish and English were set up to teach the community about this special day.

Boleman worked with Windnagle in order to organize logistics and communicate about the true purpose of the event.

“Planning began earlier than it typically does with most programs because we were bringing in someone from farther away,” said Boleman.

Organizers at the Oshkosh Public Library and artists at In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre were motivated to host a Día de los Muertos event because of the way ICE has affected Hispanic people, especially in recent months.

“This year, I believed that it would be important to raise awareness about Día de los Muertos because of what's happening with ICE, particularly with Hispanic people being deported,” said Boleman.

Windnagle hoped to emphasize the value of sharing different cultural celebrations with those who may not be familiar with any outside of their own as it's important to be able to recognize and understand other cultures.

“I just wanted to raise awareness about those who have been taken by ICE and show members of the community, even if it is just a few people, that those who have been deported are humans too, and that they have celebrations that are not so different from ours,” she said. “For me, the goal was mainly just showing others the joys of traditions from around the world.”

by Amelia Parker

Published November 3, 2025

Oshkosh West Index Volume 122 Issue II

OPL offers celebratory event to educate, bridge cultural understanding