Our guest speaker Ofelia Esparza came to our class CSM175: Chicana Art & Artists, on Friday January 31, 2020 at the University of California, Los Angeles. Esparza is a Chicana altarista (Mexican-American altar maker). She is an amazing artist that has earned many awards for her talented artwork that has been exhibited in different museums. She is a National Treasure. Her first publicly displayed altar was exhibited in 1979 at Self Help Graphics. She has contributed so much to the Los Angeles Community.
Esparza has shared her art experience about building altars and ofrendas for the special Mexican celebration of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Her knowledge has played a vital role in informing public audiences at community centers, parks, schools, museums, and prisons, about spiritual beliefs and indigenous traditions that should be passed onto future generations. She was an elementary school teacher for 30 years where she incorporated her talents as an Chicana artist. Esparza was also a cultural consultant for the Disney PIXAR film “Coco” https://movies.disney.com/coco , which was about remembering your ancestors, preserving traditions, and enacting cultural customs.
Ofelia Esparza’s work consists of various types of intricate materials that are culturally significant. Some of her altar creations are composed of mixed-media that are harmoniously balanced resulting in an arrangement of elements that are aesthetically pleasing to the eyes, heart, mind, and soul. The altars may consist of carefully arranged photos of departed loved ones, traditional foods & drinks, personal items that belonged to the deceased, items they enjoyed, hand crafted items, and most importantly the Cempasúchil (marigold “Flower of the Dead”). The Cempasúchil flower is one of the main items used for an altar. The name of the marigold flower originated from the Náhuatl (Mexica / Aztec) word known as “Cempohualxochitl” which translates into “twenty-flowers”. When all of the items are arranged on and around the altar it creates a spiritual portal that guides the spirits of the dearly departed back to our physical realm to celebrate their lives, to enact historical customs, to preserve cultural traditions, and to remember them (our ancestors). Ofelia Esparza truly is a “Warrior Woman” that has fought to preserve our cultural traditions so that future generations can experience them.
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