Ofelia Esparza's guest appearances

Ofelia Esparza

Art Works Podcast

HealthCare UnTold

Dancng Sobr Podcast

Juan Munoz

Kevin Young

Nicholson Baker

Jake Gyllenhaal

Tracy K. Smith

Danielle Evans

Tom Perez

Lynn Nottage

Josh Ritter

Michael Berry

Sebastian Junger

Jacob Lawrence

Rhiannon Giddens

Ron Capps

Jericho Brown

OwlTail

Ofelia Esparza is a Mexican-American altar maker, or Chicana altarista, whose work is informed by a deep spiritual belief in the traditional process, which pays homage and evokes memory of people, events, or places through multilevel structures embellished with photos, traditional foods, flowers, and handmade and found adornments. For nearly 40 years, Esparza has shared her knowledge and art about el Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) with people in schools, museums, community centers, prisons, and parks throughout the Los Angeles region and beyond.Esparza was born in 1932 in East Los Angeles, where she has lived her whole life. The cultural practice of altar making in Chicano communities extends from devotional home altars for Catholic saints to the spiritual activities around el Día de los Muertos, which come from Mexico. Day of the Dead is an indigenous tradition that occurs on All Souls Day, where families build altars to remember ancestors and deceased loved ones. Mexican traditions such as altar making were shared within Esparza’s own family, specifically by her mother and great-grandmother, and she in turn passed them along to her own nine children, who continue to develop their own talents within the custom of altar making.

Ofelia Esparza is a Mexican-American altar maker, or Chicana altarista, whose work is informed by a deep spiritual belief in the traditional process, which pays homage and evokes memory of people, events, or places through multilevel structures embellished with photos, traditional foods, flowers, and handmade and found adornments. For nearly 40 years, Esparza has shared her knowledge and art about el Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) with people in schools, museums, community centers, prisons, and parks throughout the Los Angeles region and beyond. Esparza was born in 1932 in East Los Angeles, where she has lived her whole life. The cultural practice of altar making in Chicano communities extends from devotional home altars for Catholic saints to the spiritual activities around el Día de los Muertos, which come from Mexico. Day of the Dead is an indigenous tradition that occurs on All Souls Day, where families build altars to remember ancestors and deceased loved ones. Mexican traditions such as altar making were shared within Esparza’s own family, specifically by her mother and great-grandmother, and she in turn passed them along to her own nine children, who continue to develop their own talents within the custom of altar making.

Ofelia Esparza - Cultural Colibri - DANCNG SOBR PODCAST

The Esparza family, led by Ofelia Esparza, has  continued to bring  Dia De Los Muertos Altars  and activities  to the community during the Covid19  restrictions by going virtual in association with Self Help Graphic in Los Angeles, California.Ofelia Esparza shares her rich history of Altar making and her mother's influence on her artistic development.Honoring our Ancestors is so important to our wellbeing and health, remembering how their lives  contributed to  our family histories.The Esparza Family also provides  health and wellness activities through their Tonalli Studio  to the greater communities and women who are incarcerated. 

The Esparza family, led by Ofelia Esparza, has  continued to bring  Dia De Los Muertos Altars  and activities  to the community during the Covid19  restrictions by going virtual in association with Self Help Graphic in Los Angeles, California.Ofelia Esparza shares her rich history of Altar making and her mother's influence on her artistic development.Honoring our Ancestors is so important to our wellbeing and health, remembering how their lives  contributed to  our family histories.The Esparza Family also provides  health and wellness activities through their Tonalli Studio  to the greater communities and women who are incarcerated.

Artists Ofelia Esparza y Rosanna Esparza Ahrens, our Chicana Mexicana National Treasures and their Dia de los Muertos Ofrendas

Chicana altarista and 2018 National Heritage Fellow Ofelia Esparza carries on and extends her family’s tradition of celebrating The Day of the Dead or Dia de los Muertos by creating altars to honor deceased loved ones and create a bridge between the living and the dead. She brings an artist’s eye to this cultural practice: her altars are colorful, intricate multi-level structures embellished with photos, traditional food, flowers, as well as handmade and found ornaments that evoke ancestors and deceased relatives. She’s also been in the forefront of reclaiming this practice for the Chicana community in Los Angeles. In this podcast, Ofelia shares her stories of growing up in East LA and discusses the essential meaning at the heart of Dia de los Muertos which is to remember.

Chicana altarista and 2018 National Heritage Fellow Ofelia Esparza carries on and extends her family’s tradition of celebrating The Day of the Dead or Dia de los Muertos by creating altars to honor deceased loved ones and create a bridge between the living and the dead. She brings an artist’s eye to this cultural practice: her altars are colorful, intricate multi-level structures embellished with photos, traditional food, flowers, as well as handmade and found ornaments that evoke ancestors and deceased relatives. She’s also been in the forefront of reclaiming this practice for the Chicana community in Los Angeles. In this podcast, Ofelia shares her stories of growing up in East LA and discusses the essential meaning at the heart of Dia de los Muertos which is to remember.