93-Year-Old Day of the Dead Altar Maker Receives First Solo Exhibition
Los Angeles, CA – Today, October 16, 2025, 93-year-old Ofelia Esparza, a pivotal figure in popularizing the Mexican tradition of Day of the Dead, will open her first solo art exhibition, “Ofelia Esparza: A Retrospective,” at the Vincent Price Museum in East Los Angeles.
Born in East L.A. in 1932 to Mexican immigrant parents, Esparza grew up immersed in the creation of ofrendas – altars honoring deceased loved ones – and elaborate nativity scenes. She often questioned as a child if her family was still in Mexico, so deeply rooted were they in their traditions. “I used to ask my mother, ‘Estamos en Mexico? Are we in Mexico?’” Esparza recalled. Her mother nurtured her artistic talent, providing butcher paper for her drawings. Esparza’s work gained prominence during the Chicano movement of the 1970s, helping to bring the cultural significance of Day of the Dead to a wider audience, a tradition now celebrated globally, even inspiring films like Coco.
Esparza’s involvement with Self-Help Graphics, a community art center in East L.A., proved crucial in her recognition as a master altarista. Through workshops and exhibitions, her work reached international audiences, including Glasgow, Scotland and Chicago. She was later consulted during the production of the Pixar film Coco, with animators citing her explanations of ofrendas as bridges between worlds as inspiration for the film’s imagery. “Our practices, our culture is very much similar all over the world,” Esparza said, “People — especially people native to their regions — have celebrated ancestors. We are linked, we are connected.”
The retrospective will feature multiple ofrendas dedicated to influential figures in Esparza’s life, including Sister Karen Boccalero, co-founder of Self-Help Graphics, and family members, as well as previously unseen paintings and a recreated nativity scene. Esparza’s daughter, Rosanna Esparza Ahrens, hopes the exhibition will provide a space for the Latino community in Los Angeles to feel seen and celebrated. The Vincent Price Museum website has details on visiting hours and related events.
Museum officials stated that the exhibition is a long-overdue recognition of Esparza’s significant contributions to art and cultural preservation.
