We can’t wait to welcome you to the closing celebration of “Ofelia Esparza: A Retrospective” this Saturday! 🌼 This free, public program brings together community members, artists, and longtime supporters of Esparza’s work for an afternoon honoring women as artists, educators, and culture bearers.

Event Schedule:
1:00–2:00 PM Panel Discussion: Cultural Bearers and Builders: Women Shaping Art and Community 

2:00–3:00 PM Live Poster Printing with @shg1970 of Ofelia Esparza’s “Diosa del Maiz” (pictured here)

2:00–3:00 PM Flower Tissue Making Stations 

3:00–4:00 PM Acoustic performance by @la_marisoul y Son California 

‼️ Please note: Seating for the panel discussion, flower-making, and musical performance is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

This event is free and open to the public. We kindly request your RSVP at the link in bio. See you soon! 💫 ...

Join us for a special closing celebration of “Ofelia Esparza: A Retrospective!” 🌼 This free, public program brings together community members, artists, and longtime supporters of Esparza’s work for an afternoon honoring women as artists, educators, and culture bearers. ✨

The afternoon will feature a panel conversation with Ofelia Esparza, Yreina Cervántez, and Betty Marín, moderated by art historian and exhibition co-curator Sybil Venegas. The intergenerational dialogue will explore how these women have built and sustained spaces for Chicana/Latina art and culture. (Please note: Seating for the panel discussion is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.)

Following the panel, visitors are invited to engage in live poster printing with Self Help Graphics & Art, participate in hands-on flower tissue-making activities, and enjoy an in-gallery acoustic performance by La Marisoul y Son California. 🎶

As this celebration will take place during Mother’s Day weekend, we invite you to bring your mothers, chosen family, and loved ones to celebrate creativity, care, and community together. 🧡

Free and open to the public. RSVP to join us at the link in bio!

📷: Diana Feil ...

Earlier this month, several pieces from VPAM’s permanent collection were highlighted in “Silenced Witness: Nagasaki in the eyes of a US combat artist,” a new documentary on @nhkworldjapan.

The film explores the life and work of American artist Ted Gilien, who began his career as a New Deal muralist through the Works Progress Administration and as a set-designer for films, including “Spartacus” (1960). In World War II, he served as a U.S. army sergeant in the South Pacific, and was among the first Americans to enter Nagasaki in 1945 after its atomic bombing by the U.S.

His postwar paintings, many of which remain unidentified or in private hands, reflect a visual evolution shaped by the experience of witnessing a devastated Japan. We are honored to hold 33 of his artworks within the VPAM permanent collection.

Check out “Silenced Witness” at the link in bio!

Image captions:
* Ted Gilien, [group of figures in a row], c. 1940-1950, Gift of Lawrence and Charlotte Sherman, Vincent Price Art Museum.
* Ted Gilien, [immigrant families], c. 1940-1950, Gift of Lawrence and Charlotte Sherman, Vincent Price Art Museum.
* Ted Gilien, [five seated figures - four women, one man], c. 1940-1950, Gift of Lawrence and Charlotte Sherman, Vincent Price Art Museum. ...