As a part of the SOMArts 2019 Día de los Muertos theme of “City of Souls” Alma wanted to acknowledge and celebrate the ways in which San Francisco has been a safe space for them as a queer Latinx. As aspects of San Francisco continue to change, they sought to celebrate and preserve the ways in which it continues to uplift and celebrate queer and Latinx communities. This installation was their attempt to design a space that reimagines home for a queer Latinx community.

The installation was an interior family room, an inspired replica of their Abuela Lola’s living room from their childhood. Lola’s space was filled with religious iconography, family portraits, and furniture folks knew better than to touch. Throughout the run of the show the walls were slowly covered with hand-drawn portraits. Many of the portraits were made while Alma sat with participants at the opening of the show, some scheduled time through the run of the show, and the remaining few frames got filled during the closing reception.