Week 5: Ofelia Esparza

I really enjoyed Friday's presentation by the artist Ofelia Esparza. As a Chicana artist, Esparza focuses on feminine power and spirituality, honoring the woman, and Mexican indigenous heritage. One of her biggest forms of art methods that I admired and really enjoyed was her altares. As an altarista, Esparza centers on family and community tradition, and to bridge between culture and communities. One thing I remember her saying about her altars is that she brings in her family - like her children and grandchildren - to help her set up the altars. I especially liked the story about how her granddaughters helped make flowers for the altars, and that even if they weren't perfect, she was still glad that they contributed to them and she set them up in the altars because the idea is that there is intention placed behind each component that go into altars. Ezparza's altars become a bridge between generations, which exist to remember our ancestors. In one of her many accolades, Esparza is recognized as being a cultural consultant to Coco. I remember seeing the movie and being amazed by how the traditions of Dia de los Muertos were portrayed. Esparza, in one of her final thoughts, talks about the three deaths. The first being the last breath someone takes, the second is burial, or the last time you're seen on earth, and the last death is being forgotten. I had never heard of this before she had mentioned it, and it has really stayed with me because I can relate to the idea the idea of being scared of being forgotten and it just pushes me to take those steps to remember my ancestors, and to start the journey to find out more about who they were.