Ofelia Esparza

Last Friday Ofelia Esparza and her daughter came to our class and talked about what influenced her life, her artwork, and her community. She discussed her family a lot and how they contributed to her work, especially her great grandmother and her mother. She referred to them as “Warrior women” a term used to describe the very strong and independent women in her life. She also talked about her work and showed her monoprints and her ofrendas. She told us that the three were three deaths in life. The first one was when you take your last breath, the second is when you’re buried in the ground, and the last is when you’re forgotten. It is really important to remember those in our lives who have past and make an effort to tell their stories to others. Ofelia Esparza’s ofrendas are one of the ways in which she remembers those who have passed. She talked about the ofrenda she created for the unnamed September 11^th victims, the giant one for the city if Los Angeles that is a permanent installation in a museum here in Los Angeles, and one that was on a head piece for her mother. I really enjoyed all the work she showed and especially how passionate she was about her family, her community, and her artwork. I was glad I got to see her and her her talk about her work and how she opened a studio in her community.