In intertwining the traditions of Dia do los Muertos with the mission of Ghost Bikes, the Ofrenda Blossoms for Ghost Bike project embraces and blends an historic Mexican tradition with a modern-day urban crisis.

The lives of eight cyclists who were killed on Houston roadways will be featured in this project in observance of the holiday. Eight local artists have been commissioned to create traditional Dia de Los Muertos Ofrendas dedicated to specific Ghost Bike Riders. In honoring bicyclists who have been killed, the Ofrendas dedicated to our Ghost Bikes cyclists will help the public get to know some of the real people that the white bikes represent.

The altars will be included as part of a special Ghost Bike exhibit at MECA’s annual Exhibition of Ofrendas. This Fall marks the 25th anniversary of MECA’s celebration of their Dia de Los Muertos Festival, a vibrant Latin American holiday that celebrates the memories of loved ones who have passed away.

The Ofrenda Exhibition will be on display and open to the public from mid-October to mid-November at MECA (Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts), located in Old Sixth Ward. Additionally, each of the actual eight ghost bike memorial locations will be decorated with artificial traditional flowers of Dia de los Muertos

Ghost Bike Riders

Bennis Noble Butcher 11-3-1916

Michael Demny 12-19-1996

Chelsea Norman 12-01-2013

Marjorie Corcoran 2-3-2017

David Leon Loya Jr. 3- 7-2019

Samiha Fatima Hossain 4-24-2019

Shane McKinney 10-11-2022

Rodney Adkins 1-8-2023

Participating Artists

Victor Ancheta

Julieta Cahue

Veronica Cabrera-Moreno

Karla Cisneros

José Fernandez

Louis Gonzalez

Anne Houang

Hannah Lowery

Contributors

Funding for this project has been underwritten in part by the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, and also in part by the Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts (MECA).

Other generous partners, collaborators and in-kind donations have been provided by: The Houston Ghost Bike Organization; Bike Houston; Service Corporation International; Blackwood Educational Land Institute; Bungalow Blooms; and The Orange Show.