OFELIA ESPARZA SINCE 1945: MEXICAN TRADITIONS IN CALIFORNIA
The American museum shows a major retrospective of the Chicana artist’s work—an oeuvre that “embodies the power of art to preserve memory and culture.”
The Vincent Price Art Museum (VPAM) at East Los Angeles College (ELAC) presents until May 16, 2026,Ofelia Esparza: A Retrospective, the first museum survey exhibition dedicated to the Chicana artist, altarista, and educator. Recognized as one of California’s most influential folk artists, with a cultural impact spanning more than seven decades, Esparza helped bring the traditions of Mexican altar-making and Día de los Muertos to a wider American public beginning in the 1970s through her work with the community arts center Self Help Graphics & Art in Boyle Heights.
The new exhibition recreates a selection of her iconic altars while also presenting a broad overview of her prolific artistic production, spanning from 1945 to the present. “We are honored to organize this retrospective of Ofelia Esparza’s multidisciplinary and multidimensional artistic practice,” said exhibition curators Joseph Valencia and Sybil Venegas. “For decades, Ofelia has been a cherished member of the Eastside community, sharing her wisdom with artists, educators, students, and neighbors. Her work embodies the power of art to preserve memory and culture, strengthen communities, and expand the possibilities of Chicano and American art. We look forward to highlighting the breadth of her practice and her lasting influence, both locally and internationally.”
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Ofelia Esparza. Jaguar, Lord of the Night (2002), Monotype. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Paul Salveson
Although Esparza is best known for her altar-making, the retrospective places long-overdue attention on the scope of her artistic practice, which also includes drawing, painting, and printmaking. The 85 works on view reflect a lifetime dedicated to creative experimentation, many of them connected to 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, the show traces Esparza’s evolution as an artist and cultural matriarch whose vision and influence have profoundly shaped the trajectory of American art and culture.
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Ofelia Esparza. La de los Milagros (2009), Monotype. Courtesy of the artist. Photos: Paul Salveson
“This exhibition at the Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College, my alma mater, represents the greatest honor of my career as an artist,” Esparza said. “My entire artistic practice is inspired by my community here in East L.A., and being recognized by that same community fills me with deep gratitude.”
The exhibition is organized into thematic and chronological sections, including Early Works and Family Life (1950s–1970s), Creative Experimentation and Teaching (1960s–1990s), Printmaking at Self Help Graphics (1980s–2010s), and Day of the Dead Altars and Public Art Installations (1990s–present). The retrospective is complemented by materials submitted by members of the community, highlighting the profound personal and cultural impact that Esparza and her family have had on East Los Angeles and beyond.
The show will also highlight the national and international recognition of the 93-year-old artist through the many invitations she has received to create altars and installations across the United States, Mexico, and Europe; her ongoing work with Self Help Graphics on the annual Los Angeles County Community Altar and the Noche de Ofrenda ceremony at Grand Park; and the Disney/Pixar film Coco (2017), which drew direct inspiration from her life and family stories.
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