Womxn Who Rock: Ofrendas For The Future Reflection

Coming in to the Womxn Who Rock's 10th Anniversary virtual UnConference, Ofrendas For The Future, I didn’t really know what to expect from it. I had a feeling that we’d be able to take a look at some cool ofrendas from others in the community but I didn’t expect to be able to see altars as interesting and as impressive as the altars that were presented by Rosanna Esparza Ahrens and Ofelia Esparza. Being able to take a look at the incredible altars they’ve made over the years really was mindblowing due to how complex, beautiful, and massive the alters were while still being very clear and touching towards the people they were dedicated to. Throughout all the examples that we were able to see, I noticed that what really made these altars stand out, other than their impressive sizes, was the beautiful and extensive use of flowers, the inclusion of many pictures throughout the layers, the density of artifacts on each of these layers, and the very organic look these altars were able to invoke through the choice of artifacts. The Esparza’s work garnered even more respect from me when they were able to show an example of how they planned and blueprinted each of their altars which really highlights the care they put into each of the altars but also the time they put into each altar. Another highlight for me was the panel following the altar presentation where we got to see perspectives of spirituality from African, Native American, and Hispanic backgrounds as being able to see how these perspectives differed in unique ways while still agreeing on the importance of connecting with our ancestors and spirits.