Week 5: Ofelia Esparza

I truly enjoyed Ofelia's presentation because it was extremely inspiring and she was an amazing presenter. She had a really calming presence and extraordinary storytelling skills. She really captured my attention and was holding onto her every word. She talked about her childhood, her family, her experiences within the Chicano movement. She showed us so many pictures of all the altars and art pieces she's done. She had an intriguing story for each picture and could have talked about them for hours. She explained the importance of family in our community. She honors her ancestors in her alters and brings so much love into them by having her relatives help her. Everyone in the family has to particpate, she even has her great-grandchildren make flowers for the alters. Even though she is in her 80s, she is full of life, and still extremely active artistically and very adventuress. Ofelia finished off with a wonderful message/ advice. She said that everyone experienced three deaths in their lifetime. The first when we stop breathing, the second is when we get buried and our body is last seen on earth. The last death is when our relatives forget about us and so she asked that we never forget our loved ones and to help their memory continue from generation to generation.