Everlasting Sunshine: Memories of Morgan Parton

Everlasting Sunshine: Memories of Morgan Parton

The Art

This collaborative ofrenda exhibit, displayed in the Detroit Institute of Arts' 13th Annual Ofrendas: Celebrating el Día de Muertos, was designed by me and two other artists, Margaret Bussineau and Ellen High. It is the first collaborative art project I've been part of. Ellen and Margaret had wanted to build an ofrenda, and they asked me to join them based on my friendship with Morgan and love for making art. We worked together to design the piece and to write the proposal for the DIA, and were thrilled to be accepted.

While we all took part in the overall design and elements of the ofrenda, we each played a particular part in the art making. I created the painting and added the punk rock pins and stickers based on Morgan's favorite bands. The pins were actually duplicates of the ones I had given Morgan as part of his Halloween present last year. I contributed the Halloween bucket, as well, which Morgan had given me last year. Margaret added all of the crocheted elements, such as the pan de muerto (bread of the dead), the pumpkins (he loved Halloween), donuts (he always brought donuts to the school), and even a latte for his favorite coffee cup. Ellen orchestrated the design of flowers, the ones on the floor made by students and the ones on the alter made by faculty. She also instructed faculty in the design of resin-based jello shots, and she created the easel for my painting. We added items sacred to Morgan's life, such as his favorite hats, relics from his Santa costume (he dressed up as Santa at our school), a rugby ball, and even his fantasy football scroll. Each of us brought something unique to the altar, and together we built not just an ofrenda, but a portrait of friendship and community in Morgan’s honor.

Our ofrenda has seven layers (including the floor and painting), which is a traditional structure, representing the soul's journey through the seven layers of the underworld before reaching the afterlife in Aztec mythology. 

Artists Margaret Bussineau, Ellen High, and Erin Melyssa Boggs

This year, the ofrendas were spread out across the different floors of the museum. Our ofrenda was on the first level, and in fact, in the Babylonian section near the entry to Kresge Court. I loved that I could stand before my very favorite piece of the museum, Mushhushshu-dragon, Symbol of the God Marduk, which was a part of the Wall of Ishtar (604-562 BCE) and see the ofrenda from there. I had made a painting inspired by this same work several years ago!

Mushhushshu-dragon, Symbol of the God Marduk

Left angle

Right angle

Artist Statement

Ofrendas display

Ofrendas flyer

Morgan Parton: A Friend for Life

Morgan was my first and most favorite friend at Clippert Multicultural Magnet Honors Academy. Though I only knew him for a short time, we were drawn together like magnets. He was a light even on the darkest day—kind, witty, and always ready with a sharp joke or warm smile. 

We often wandered into each other's classrooms just to talk, to check in, to share a moment of connection in the middle of the school day. One of the first things we bonded over was our shared love of punk rock, though, to be fair, Morgan embodied punk more than I ever could. He was punk because he was fearless. He was punk because he was a relentless advocate for his students. He was punk because he moved to Detroit for no other reason than to make a difference for the students who needed him the most, and because he loved this city's artistic, gritty, rebellious spirit.

Morgan loved the night. He loved music. He loved pushing me, his introverted friend, out of my comfort zone. We were delighted to be each other's Halloween goblins, and I filled his bucket not just with his favorite candy like candy corns, Haribo gummy bears, Mike and Ike's, and Laffy Taffys, but also with pins from his favorite punk rock bands. And he filled mine with just about everything he could find at Whole Foods, as well as a Misfits sticker, because that's who he was—someone who always went over the moon for his friends.

Halloween 2024

One night in December 2024, we shared our favorite haunts and bars, talking for hours. It was one of those rare, perfect nights, and we both knew we wanted to do this again. And again. I thought we had more time.

Morgan was kindness, generosity, and creativity. He was a light in the dark. He had so many exciting plans ahead. He had a deep passion for working with autistic students, and was adding a new teacher certification to specialize in that work. He was looking forward to buying a home. He was cool. And I miss him.

I only knew Morgan Parton for six short months, but I knew—I knew—he was friend for life.

Conclusion

It was an honor to know Morgan Parton, and an honor to celebrate him with an ofrenda at the DIA. I believe our ofrenda conveyed the vibrant and beautiful man Morgan was, and that this special exhibit reflected a bit of his light back to the world.