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California Masters of Tradition

Contact Information:

Contact Ms. Albarrán Romero directly for inquiries in Spanish at 415.824.6236. Contact Patricia Rodriguez (415.643-2775) or Claudia Landivar (415.824.7254) for inquiries in English.

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California Cultureplace

Herminia Albarrán Romero
Mexican Paper Arts

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  • Papel picado artist and altarista, Herminia Albarrán Romero.
  • "It is the same corner that we always use, a spiritual niche in our homes. Even if it's in a little corner of the room, if you put up a small table and place a saint, a candle, and a glass with water in it, that's a holy place. The water and the devotion that you give makes it spiritual." — Herminia Albarrán Romero
  • Herminia forms the petals of a paper rose.
  • Herminia fastens paper petals to the stem one by one.
  • Herminia's paper rose in full bloom. Herminia often incorporates her paper flowers into her altars.
  • A blanket of Herminia's paper marigolds, or cempazuchitl, the traditional pre-Columbian flower of the dead, used to adorn ofrendas on Dia de los Muertos.
  • A basket of Herminia's cempazuchitl.
  • In addition to her paper art, Herminia is also known as an altarista, a creator of altars. Here, an ofrenda (Dia de los Muertos altar) created by Herminia.
  • For Dia de los Muertos celebrations Herminia makes pan de muerto, loaves of bread often shaped into animal and human forms, to remember loved ones.
  • An image of the Virgen de Guadalupe, drawn by Herminia and covered with tissue paper, holds a prominent place on Herminia's living room wall.
  • The Virgen de Guadalupe
  • Detail of Herminia's Virgen de Guadalupe altar.
  • An image of the Virgen de Guadalupe surrounded by Herminia's papel picado fills the space between the bay windows of Herminia's living room. Like nature's snowflakes, no two papeles picados are alike.
  • The Virgen de Guadalupe.
  • Herminia's paper roses at the feet of her Virgen de Guadalupe altar.
  • A bouquet of Herminia's paper roses.
All photos taken by Chris Simon, © 2001

Herminia Albarrán Romero, a gifted papel  picado (paper-cutting) artist from the village of San Francisco in Tlatlaya, Mexico, began learning her skills as a child from her mother. Her family held a special position in the village as artists specializing in paper arts for Day of the Dead altars. As a young woman she honed these skills with study at Acatempa in Amatepel and amplified her personal knowledge of the various customs of folk art while working with the people of Mexico during her employment with Misiculturales. She has taught traditional clothing design and construction, papel picado, flores de papel, pan de muerto, ceramics, altars and associated decorations all her life. Today San Francisco, California benefits from Romero's artistry. Here she dedicates most of the year to preparing papel picado for her November altars, which are often commissioned by different museums and libraries, including the Oakland Museum, Palace of the Legion of Honor, and Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts.  Romero emphasizes that her altars demonstrate for the community that decorative paper art, which is inexpensive to complete, can be highly accessible and kept alive, but only through continual practice, demonstration, and outreach. Continuing to evolve artistically and expressively, Herminia has recently been working on a CD collection of original music in the traditional folkloric style of Mexico. This labor of love is a life-long dream of Herminia’s and draws on her original poetry and texts as well as her love of music and dance.

Colorful paper flowers, cut paper banners (papel picado), paper stars and streamers, and papier maché forms are all part of the traditional Mexican decorative arts utilized for holiday celebrations to adorn homes, altars, churches, and neighborhoods. Expertise in preparing these objects includes knowing the correct colors and motifs, as well as the appropriate place and manner of display. Papel picado, or cut paper, which forms the squares of bright colored tissue paper that hang as banners on many of Herminia’s altars and across her ceiling, requires careful folding and cutting. For an exhibit, Herminia once folded and cut 684 different papers individually without repeating a design, surprising even herself. The intricately designed paper cuttings and paper flowers are used in Mexico on special occasions such as quinceañera (coming out ceremony for 15-year-old girls), weddings, Cinco de Mayo, and especially Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).

Select Exhibits

Día de los Muertos Honor Altar at Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, San Francisco, CA, October-November 2005

Día de los Muertos Altar at New College of California, San Francisco, CA, October-November 2005

Día de los Muertos Altar at Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA, Fall 2004

Virgen de Guadalupe Celebration at Mission Dolores Basilica: Papel picado and large paper roses, San Francisco, CA, December 2003

Día de los Muertos Altar at Mission Dolores Basilica, San Francisco, CA, 2003

Día de los Muertos Altar and Papel Picado Decorations for the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, San Francisco, CA, 2003

Accomplishments

National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship Award, 2005

The National Endowment for the Arts National Fellowships Awards is a way of honoring American folk artists for their contributions to our national cultural mosaic. This is the highest national award given to folk artists.

ACTA Apprenticeship Program Master Artist, 2000 - 2001

Teaching Experience

Herminia has offered workshops, courses, apprenticeships and demonstrations in a variety of traditional arts since the 1980s. Subject matter includes, but is not limited to, Papel Picado, traditional and ceremonial foods, and the design and creation of traditional folkloric clothing.

Recent demonstrations and workshops include:

Day of the Dead: Making Pan de Muertos, Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, (held at a Mission District bakery), October 8, 2005

Day of the Dead Altar Making, Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, Gallery, October 15, 2005

Day of the Dead Altar Decoration, Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, Gallery, October 22, 2005

Macy’s Mexican Celebration: demonstration of paper flowers and papel picado at Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, San Francisco, 2004

University of California at Davis, demonstration and workshop of paper flowers,
Davis, CA, 2004

Professional Services Offered:

Exhibitions
Commissioned artwork
Artwork offered for sale
Demonstrations
Mentorships and Teaching
Cultural Consultancies
Educational presentations to schools or community organizations

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