A Día de los Muertos altar installation created by the Sherman Heights Community Center and local artists Lidia Martinez and Francisco Soto, honouring athletes across various sports.
Mingei International Museum is hosting Community Spotlight: Sherman Heights Community Center from September 10 through November 9, 2026. The center of the installation is Día de los Muertos Ofrenda: Honoring Athletes, an altar built by local artists Lidia Martinez and Francisco Soto in collaboration with the Sherman Heights Community Center.
The ofrenda takes its cues from the floral arches and house-like structures found in cemeteries across Michoacán and Oaxaca, which serve as symbolic gateways to welcome the souls of loved ones back. This year, the tribute focuses on athletes from baseball, boxing, football, and soccer. It's a specific take on a broad tradition, centering on the figures who've made their mark in sports rather than a general family altar.
Sherman Heights Community Center has been celebrating Día de los Muertos on its own site for more than 28 years. Their annual programming includes community altars, craft workshops, festivities, neighborhood altars, and a candle-light procession. This installation brings a piece of that long-running community tradition into the museum, with Martinez and Soto handling the actual construction of the altar.
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The museum is at 1439 El Prado in Balboa Park, and admission is $5.00 to $8.00. Just a heads-up: the museum is closed on Mondays, so plan your visit around that. The installation runs through November 9, so you've got a good window to catch it.
