Community Altar

This year, we humbly invite Annual Gathering participants to build a Community Altar together.

Community Altars are a sacred space for commemorating ancestors, cycles, and stories that came before us and will live on after us. Having a sacred space for remembrance has always felt like a beautiful complement to topics core to the Annual Gathering and to transforming our food system—kinship, interdependence, gratitude for the earth, food, and community as our life source.

Respecting the Origins of Community Altar-making

Building altars of remembrance has long been practiced around the world. In México, families and neighbors create an ofrenda to remember loved ones around Día de los Muertos, which has origins in Indigenous tradition melded with Catholic observances of All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Chicano artists and activists in East L.A. were chief among those to give more visibility to Día de los Muertos and community altar-making here in the United States.

In acts of collective remembrance and power, Black and Brown communities and other marginalized groups in the United States have galvanized to honor loved ones with community altars and monuments.

In many Indigenous, Buddhist, and African cultures, ancestral altars have always had a permanent space in homes, businesses, and other shared spaces, so that families can honor ancestors and loved ones every day.

What should I bring?

Items typically placed upon an altar include personal artifacts, found objects, photos, art, candles, food offerings, and flowers. We welcome all objects of significance.

The altar will be located in a quiet area, with a team member caring for the space. We ask that everyone collect their items at the end of the day.