“A jewel of a museum, tucked away in East LA, showing NEXT LEVEL artists with roots in LA.
There isn’t aNOTHER ONE quite like it.”
Catherine B., Sierra Madre
ON VIEW
OFELIA ESPARZA: A RETROSPECTIVE
EXHIBITION DATES: 10/18/2025 – 05/16/2026
Widely recognized as one of California’s most revered folk artists with a cultural impact spanning more than seven decades, Esparza helped bring the cherished traditions of Mexican altar-making and Día de los Muertos into the American mainstream, beginning in the 1970s, through her work with community arts center Self Help Graphics & Art in Boyle Heights.
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DEL ALMA: LATINA PORTRAITS FROM THE VINCENT PRICE ART MUSEUM @ The Music Center
EXHIBITION DATES: 04/13/2024 – 05/31/2026
Del Alma: Latina Portraits from the Vincent Price Art Museum presents an intergenerational group of portraits by Los Angeles-based Latina artists, who collectively explore portraiture and cultural identity through diverse forms of creative expression.
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Form and Function in the Ancient Americas
Our ongoing permanent exhibition
Form and Function in the Ancient Americas highlights the wide range of cultures represented in our Ancient American collection. Cultures from the Nayarit-Jalisco-Colima region of West Mexico (2000 – 1000 BCE) to the Chimú of Peru (900-1500 CE) are featured.
VIEW DETAILSUpcoming Events
April 18, 2026
Poetry Writing Workshop: The Words We Carry
April 25, 2026
“New Voices” opening reception
May 9, 2026
Ofelia Esparza Closing Celebration
Connect With VPAM
Did you know April is #NationalPoetryMonth? Join us on Saturday, April 18 from 1:00 PM – 3:00 for a poetry writing workshop inspired by the art and altar-making practice of Ofelia Esparza. Led by Los Angeles–based Chicana poet Gloria Enedina Alvarez (@gloriaenedinalvarez)—an intermedia artist, literary translator, curator, and creative writing educator—this workshop explores how poetry, like Esparza’s work, can serve as a space for memory, devotion, and storytelling rooted in family and community.
Free and open to the public. Writers of all experience levels are welcome! RSVP encouraged at the link in our bio.
#nationalpoetrymonth
In 1975, Ofelia Esparza met Sister Karen Boccalero, a Franciscan nun who founded Self Help Graphics (@shg1970) in East LA. Sister Karen invited Ofelia to make paper headdresses for a Dia de los Muertos street parade and she became a mentor, encouraging Ofelia’s art practice.
For nearly 30 years, until her passing in 1997, Sister Karen led Self Help Graphics and its community services. It is now recognized as one of the first arts organizations to publicly stage Dia de los Muertos festivities in the United States.
Ofelia created this altar to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Boccalero’s passing. The ofrenda’s many flowers each represent an artist who visited Boccalero’s home garden and found inspiration in her guidance.
See this altar, and Ofelia’s many artworks, as part of “Ofelia Esparza: A Retrospective,” on view through May 16, 2026. Wishing everyone a beautiful first day of spring tomorrow! 🌸🌱🌼
Thank you to everyone who joined us this past Saturday for a watercolor and crayon resists art-making workshop inspired by the art of Ofelia Esparza.
Teaching artist Cynthia Huerta (@lovewithjoyart) of Love with Joy Art Club led attendees through creating unique pieces, inspired by the works on view.
Stay tuned for more upcoming events in tandem with “Ofelia Esparza: A Retrospective,” on view through May 16, 2026.
Photos by VPAM staff, teaching artist Cynthia Huerta, and attendees.
¡Feliz cumpleaños a Ofelia Esparza!
Happy birthday to Ofelia Esparza!
Today, the artist turns 94. Ofelia’s decades-long career shows her lifelong commitment to creative experimentation. Visit “Ofelia Esparza: A Retrospective” to learn more about her evolution as an artist and cultural matriarch whose vision and influence have profoundly shaped the trajectory of American art and culture.
Pictured here is a joyful scene during the exhibition’s opening reception, which featured performances in tribute to Ofelia.
Photo by @dianafeil_photography.
DonatE
The Vincent Price Art Museum is a cherished educational and cultural resource for local residents, students, artists, and arts supporters. When you donate to the VPAM Foundation, our fundraising organization, you join a community of supporters who are passionate about sustaining a dynamic museum that is making a transformative impact in the arts.
IN THE NEWS
December 3, 2025
See Ofelia Esparza’s dazzling altars at VPAM
KCRW
November 5, 2025
For Ofelia Esparza, ‘It’s always been about community.’ Now East LA pays tribute to her legacy
Boyle Heights Beat
November 5, 2025
At 93 years old, LA artist who helped popularize Day of the Dead gets her first solo show
LAist
STAY VPAM INFORMED!
Our monthly newsletter is a great resource for all VPAM happenings including exhibitions, free programming and more.
All exhibitions are underwritten by the Vincent Price Art Museum Foundation and East Los Angeles College.
Cover Photo credit: Monica Orozco.