Michael Chavez is an art curator and artist living in Denver who is active in the Colorado art community curating exhibitions, serving on public art committees, and judging several exhibitions for Colorados cultural institutions. He found his inspiration for this mask from the Mexican holiday, Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), which honors friends and family members who have died. Today, people don wooden skull masks called calacas and dance in honor of their deceased relatives. The wooden skulls are also placed on altars that are dedicated to the dead.