OFELIA ESPARZA: A RETROSPECTIVE
10/18/2025 - 04/18/2026
Ofelia Esparza: A Retrospective celebrates the life and work of Chicana artist, altarista, and educator Ofelia Esparza, whose cultural impact on East Los Angeles and beyond spans more than seven decades. Widely recognized as one of California’s most revered folk artists, Esparza helped bring the 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. This exhibition recreates a selection of Esparza’s iconic altars, accompanied by a major survey of works spanning her career since the 1950s.
While Esparza is often celebrated for her altar-making, Ofelia Esparza: A Retrospective brings overdue attention to her wide-ranging artistic practice, which includes drawing, painting, and printmaking. Esparza’s artworks reflect her lifelong commitment to creative experimentation, and many of her works intersect with the social and political movements of her time, including the Chicano Movement, the United Farm Workers Movement, and broader struggles for social and environmental justice. Through original artworks, installations, and archival materials, this exhibition traces Esparza’s evolution as an artist and cultural matriarch whose vision and influence have profoundly shaped the trajectory of American art and culture.
[left] Ofelia Esparza, Arbol de Vida, 1994, Monotype, 22 in x 15 inches. Courtesy of the artist. Photo by Paul Salveson. [right] Ofelia Esparza, Moon Maiden, Birth of Corn, 1996, Watercolor, 20 in x 14 ¾ inches. Courtesy of the artist. Photo by Paul Salveson.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Ofelia Rivera Esparza (1932–) is a Chicana artist, altarista, and educator from East Los Angeles, where she has lived since birth and raised nine children alongside her husband of forty years. A sixth-generation altar maker, Esparza began building public altars in 1979 at Self Help Graphics & Art, where she also became a printmaker under the tutelage of Sister Karen Boccalero. After retiring in 1999 following more than twenty-five years as an art teacher, Esparza turned her focus to her studio practice, creating hundreds of artworks that reflect her cultural roots, political activism, and creative experimentation. Her diverse practice honors womanhood, Indigenous spirituality rooted in nature, and the dignity of her community, deeply informed by her mother’s Purépecha traditions of ofrendas, nacimientos, and altars honoring Tonantzin (Our Lady of Guadalupe). She has received numerous honors, including an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from her alma mater, California State University, Los Angeles, and the National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.
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PUBLICATIONS
COMING SOON! RELEASE DATE: TBA 2026
OFELIA ESPARZA: A RETROSPECTIVE
In 2026, a fully-illustrated scholarly publication will be published by VPAM. The catalog will elucidate the major themes and interests of Esparza’s practice, situating her life’s work within the contexts of American art history, Chicana/o and Latinx studies, folk and vernacular art traditions, and global transnational cultural exchange. It will include new scholarly essays and shorter entries by leading artists, writers, and community members to express the importance of her practice across disciplines and communities.
Acknowledgements
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: Ofelia Esparza in front of Mictlan Sur (2000), an altar at Self Help Graphics & Art. Image courtesy of the artist.