Consuelo Flores

Consuelo Flores began celebrating Dia de los Muertos in 1981 when she first learned of the celebration at Self Help Graphics. Not finding very much written in the United States on the subject at that time, she searched out books from Mexico written in Spanish and read them cover to cover to learn more. She also traveled to Oaxaca and different parts of Mexico to learn about the subject firsthand.

Since then she’s been a consultant for the film industry and has given presentations on the celebration at colleges & universities throughout the United States and Mexico including Cornell University, University of Southern California, Brown University, Rhode Island School of Design, Otis College of Art and Design, and La Universidad Autonima de Mexico.

As an artist, she has built altars at various cultural centers including Self Help Graphics, Olvera Street, and Tropico de Nopal. Consuelo is also a prolific writer of Day of the Dead themed work that she considers literary altars to her dead and has created Day of the Dead fashions each year since 1981. She will be presenting her latest design in Santa Ana for the inaugural Catrina Ball.

Consuelo holds a Master of Fine Arts in writing from Antioch University and is currently the Director of Member Education for SAG-AFTRA Los Angeles.