Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology News

The Kentucky Folklife Program in partnership with The Kentucky Museum and the Department of Society, Culture, Crime, and Justice Studies is proud to announce the return of our Día de los Muertos Community Ofrenda for the 2026 Fall Season!

We are thrilled, and very thankful to be able to display our community ofrenda for the fourth year in a row. Our 2026 Día de los Muertos Community Ofrenda will be on display here at The Kentucky Museum on WKU’s campus from Wednesday, September 30th through Saturday, October 31st, 2026.

During museum hours (Wednesday through Saturday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm CST) community members will be able to visit our interactive community ofrenda on display. An ofrenda (otherwise known as an altar or an offering) is a traditional space in which communities celebrating Día de los Muertos can add photos, art, and items of remembrance for loved ones and pets that have passed on.

Last year’s Ofrenda was filled with such beautiful memories from faculty, staff, and students across WKU’s campus, along with beautiful donations from individuals across Bowling Green. I am so excited to continue the tradition this year.

If you would like to loan an item(s) of commemoration for a loved one and/or pet to be displayed on the Ofrenda, please feel to fill out this Google Form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeBv86rmWc0ZvvnZo-03QdzIAto53yLHMiHKQhPAV_o9QbykQ/viewform?usp=publish-editor

If you are a professor at Western and interested in organizing a group of students to tour the ofrenda for a class period, or perhaps even participate in a fun Día de los Muertos themed activity, please fill out the “WKU Faculty Class Tour” form at the Kentucky Museum’s website to schedule a specific time and date, which can be found here: 

https://www.wku.edu/kentuckymuseum/education/wku_faculty_class_reservation_request.php

We are so excited for this special community celebration, and we look forward to seeing you there!

-KFP-

Established in 1989, the Kentucky Folklife Program (KFP) is the Commonwealth’s statewide public folklife program, with the mission to document, present, and conserve the diverse traditional cultures and heritage of Kentucky. In 2012, the KFP moved from Frankfort to the Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology at WKU.

For more information, contact KFP Folklife Specialist Camille Maria Acosta: camille.acosta@wku.edu or KFP director Brent Bjorkman:brent.bjorkman@wku.edu 

-WKU-

Western Kentucky University prides itself on positioning its students, faculty and staff for long term success. As a student-centered, applied research university, WKU helps students expand on classroom learning by integrating education with real-world applications in the communities we serve. Our hilltop campus is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which was recently named by Reader’s Digest as one of the nicest towns in America, just an hour’s drive from Nashville, Tennessee.

-KY Museum-  

Mission

The Kentucky Museum enhances the academic mission of Western Kentucky University and provides quality educational and cultural experiences for our campus and community.

Vision

The Kentucky Museum is a teaching museum with premier cultural collections utilized to complement, support, and challenge the academic experience. We also provide a gathering place for our campus and community to come to know and celebrate who they are as individuals and Kentuckians in the 21st century.

-WKU Department of Society, Culture, Crime, & Justice Studies-

Here, related social science disciplines unite to foster a deeper appreciation of complex issues affecting individuals, communities, and societies. Our department is dedicated to fostering student success through engaging degree programs and experiential learning that lead to meaningful careers. The discoveries and insights of our academic disciplines provide understanding of and solutions to the social, cultural, and biological causes and consequences of human behavior in the past and present. Explore our programs, engage with our applied research opportunities, and contribute to our mission of creating platforms of social engagement where all can flourish.