“Can you see me now?” That’s the message behind a special Houston exhibit honoring cyclists who never made it home.
HOUSTON — A special Día de los Muertos exhibit opening this weekend in Houston is honoring cyclists who lost their lives while riding on the city’s roads, transforming remembrance into a call for better bike safety.
Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts (MECA) has dedicated several altars to cyclists killed in traffic incidents, displaying them as part of their larger Día de los Muertos celebration. The exhibit, which features rows of vibrant altars honoring everyone from politicians to everyday Houstonians and even beloved pets, includes one particularly powerful room devoted entirely to cyclists who never made it home.
“Special installations dedicated to a particular ghost bike rider,” said artist Karla Cisneros, who curated the exhibit. Each altar was created “to represent them in a respectful way and to bring them back to life, which is what Día de Muertos is all about.”
MECA partnered with several local organizations, including Ghost Bikes, a group that memorializes cyclists killed in traffic accidents. Families were contacted and gave permission for their loved ones to be remembered in the exhibit.
“A representation of who rides in Houston and the stories are varied. They’re all tragic,” Cisneros said, noting the diversity of those being honored. She created one of the altars herself for a homeless man who was killed while on a bike trail.
Local artist Luis Gonzalez also contributed to the project, initially drawn to the idea as a way to raise awareness about bike safety. “My initial thoughts that was a great idea to bring some attention to something that need attention bike safety,” he said.
The project became deeply personal for Gonzalez when he learned that one of the cyclists he was honoring was his sister-in-law’s cousin. “The one person was the cousin of my sister in law became very person once I found that out,” he said.
Every artist approached their work with careful attention, planning the altars meticulously to ensure the stories and lives would be properly remembered.
The exhibit aims to send a powerful message to the community about road safety. “When they come into this room and see the passion they remember these people had families and every time they are on the road, there is a bike on the road I need to watch out for them,” Gonzalez said.
The Día de Muertos festival at MECA will be free and open to the public Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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