Mexican Alebrijes Family Workshop in Our Haunted Ballroom

Jump into the spirit world of ‘Coco’ and play with paper and print to create your own Alebrije. This workshop has been designed for children and parents to have fun together this Halloween.

Alebrijes are brightly colored, fantastical folk art sculptures that combine elements of different real and mythical animals. Alebrijes are very important in modern Mexican culture. They symbolise creativity, imagination, and the triumph of art over nightmares. Many people also recognise them as the spirit guides in the Disney film ‘Coco’, which has popularised their association with Día de Muertos celebrations.

You’ll leave with your own Alebrijes animal head, made using a pre-cut wooden template and decorated with collage and print. Your spirit animal can adorn your wall all year round, protecting you from the dark and reminding you to have fun!Sam will share tools that you can use to quickly cut paper shapes to add to your Alebrije, including jumbo hole punches, paint pens and stencils.

All materials are provided, so simply bring your imagination and enjoy 1.5 hours of magical making in the beautiful setting of Saltdean Lido.Come along to Saltdean Lido this Halloween and get creative!

About the Artist: Sam is an Artist Educator, working across secondary and museum education alongside her studio practice. Having recently completed her Fine Art MA, she exhibits her work in galleries and exhibitions across the UK.

Her practice explores traditional textile banners, letterpress printing, collage and photomontage. She is particularly known for transforming old postage stamps, maps and broken clocks into imaginative artworks.

Sam is passionate about creating welcoming, creative and genuinely fun workshops. Recent workshops include collage and drawings sessions at Brighton City Airport, Palate, Hove Museum of Creativity, The Royal Pavilion and Brighton Fishing Museum.

Discover more of Sam’s work on Instagram: @arthobbs