Courtesy/TMA Art from Tyler Museum of Art’s Laura and Dan Boeckman Mexican Folk Art Collection will be on view at the museum this week as part of its salute to Dia de los Muertos. Courtesy TMA.

Young artists’ interpretations of Dia de los Muertos will fill the education classroom and lobby of Tyler Museum of Art this week.

To coincide with this exhibition of works by middle school students, the museum also is displaying selected pieces from Laura and Dan Boeckman Collection of Mexican Folk Art, said Jon Perry, the museum’s communication coordinator.

More than 300 middle school students have art in the annual show.

To observe Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) people in Mexico make small altars that pay homage to their loved ones who have passed away and continue as spirits in the after-life. The color altars often are decorated with flowers, candles, food, handmade skeletons and sugar skulls adorned with decorations.

The art will be on view through Nov. 6.

Perry said the exhibition is part of the museum’s commitment to showcase the region’s artistic diversity.

Schools that have students with art in the exhibition include Boulter, Dogan, Hogg and Moore from Tyler Independent School District, as well as All-Saints Episcopal School, Bishop T.K. Gorman Regional Catholic School, Brook Hill School, Chapel Hill Middle School, Cumberland Academy, Frankston Middle School, Holloway 6th Grade and Whitehouse Junior High.

The museum’s reception for the artists, from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, will include food and art activities related to the holiday, Perry said.

The Laura and Dan Boeckman Collection of Mexican Folk Art is one of the largest collections of its kind, according to the museum. The collection’s more than 1,500 pieces include works by early and contemporary Texas artists.

The pieces on display reflect the tradition and spirit of Dia de los Muertos.

Also on view at the museum are:

*“Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Tom Golden Collection,” an exhibition of more than 50 collages, photographs, drawings and objects spotlighting the couple’s career of doing massive environmental projects.

*“Devotion: The Impact of Amy & Vernon Faulconer on Our Collection,” an exhibit of art made possible through the contributions of the Faulconers, longtime museum supporters.

The museum is located at 1300 S. Mahon Ave., on the campus of Tyler Junior College campus.