The Matrilineal Power: Ofelia Esparza and Family Walkthrough

Join us for The Matrilineal Power: Ofelia Esparza and Family Walkthrough on Saturday, December 13, 2025, from 1:00 – 3:00 PM at the Vincent Price Art Museum. As part of Ofelia Esparza: A Retrospective, this special walkthrough invites visitors into an intergenerational conversation led by Ofelia Esparza and her family. Together, they will reflect on the enduring traditions of altar-making that have shaped Esparza’s seven-decade career as a Chicana artist, altarista, and educator.

Centered on the theme of matrilineal power, the program will highlight how Esparza’s ofrendas serve as expressions of devotion, remembrance, creativity, and cultural celebration. This intimate walkthrough offers a rare opportunity to engage directly with the family that has carried forward a tradition of Day of the Dead and Mexican altar-making for more than eight generations.

Show Credits

Ofelia Esparza: A Retrospective is organized by the Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College. The exhibition is curated by Joseph Valencia and Sybil Venegas with Gloria Ortega.

The exhibition was made possible with lead support from the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Generous support provided by the Teiger Foundation.

Additional support is provided by the City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), and the Pasadena Art Alliance.

All exhibitions at the Vincent Price Art Museum are underwritten by the Vincent Price Art Museum Foundation and East Los Angeles College.

Header image: Detail of A las mujeres de mi alma (Bedroom Altar), an altar featured in Ofelia Esparza: A Retrospective, on view at the Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College, October 18, 2025–April 18, 2026. Photo by Paul Salveson.