Ester Hernandez facts for kids

Ester Hernández (born 1944) is a famous artist from California. She is known for her amazing prints and pastel drawings. Her art often focuses on important topics like the rights of farm workers, cultural issues, and the rights of Chicana women.

Ester Hernández was also an activist in the Chicano Arts Movement in the 1960s. This movement was about celebrating Mexican-American culture and fighting for social justice. Her artworks often highlight themes of fairness, civil rights, and women's rights. She also supported the Farm Worker Movement, which worked to improve conditions for farm workers.

Early Life and Education

Ester Hernández is a Chicana, meaning she is a woman of Mexican heritage born in the United States. Her family also has Yaqui roots, an Indigenous group. She was born in Dinuba, a small town in the central San Joaquin Valley of California. Her parents and other family members worked as farmworkers.

In 1976, Ester Hernández went to college at the University of California, Berkeley. She earned a Bachelor of Art degree there.

What Does an Artist Do?

Ester Hernández's art has been shown in many places since 1973. Her work has traveled across the United States and even to other countries. She has received many awards and special projects from groups like the California Arts Council. She also got support from the National Endowment for the Arts, which helps artists.

Her art is kept in the permanent collections of almost twenty museums. This means her pieces are owned by these museums and are often on display. Some of these museums include the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The National Museum of Mexican Art also has her work.

Ester Hernández's old drawings and notes are kept at Stanford University Library. These special collections help people study her work.

She often finds ideas from women she admires. These heroes include the famous artist Frida Kahlo and the activist Dolores Huerta. She also looks to the singer Lydia Mendoza for inspiration.

In 2024, her art was part of a big show called Xican-a.o.x. Body. This show was at the Pérez Art Museum Miami in Florida. It featured art from the 1960s until today. A book was also published about the show.

Personal Life

Today, Ester Hernández lives and works in San Francisco, California.

Famous Artworks by Ester Hernández

La Virgen de Guadalupe Defendiendo los Derechos de Los Xicanos (1976)

La Virgen de Guadalupe Defendiendo los Derechos de Los Xicanos is a print Ester Hernández made in 1976. She created it while she was a student at UC Berkeley. This artwork is now in the Smithsonian Museum of Art. It is seen as the first artwork to show Our Lady of Guadalupe in a new, feminist way.

In this print, Our Lady of Guadalupe looks different. She still has her halo and blue cloak, and an angel is with her. But in Ester Hernández's art, Our Lady of Guadalupe wears a karate uniform! She is also shown doing a powerful kick. Even the angel's face looks different.

Ester Hernández was inspired by her own life to create this piece. She shared that she got a card with Our Lady of Guadalupe at her grandmother's funeral. But she felt the image didn't truly show her strong grandmother. Her grandmother had sixteen kids and worked hard in the fields. So, Ester decided to change the image. At the same time, she was taking a self-defense class with other Chicana women.

The print changes the calm image of Our Lady of Guadalupe into an active, strong one. This new image shows the hard work of Chicana women. It also celebrates their strength and spirit.

Libertad (1976)

Libertad is another print from 1976. Ester Hernández made it for the American Bicentennial celebration. This was when the U.S. turned 200 years old. The artwork shows a female artist, who many believe is a Chicana artist. She is chipping away at the Statue of Liberty. Underneath, a Mayan Sculpture is revealed. In Libertad, Ester Hernández changes the famous Statue of Liberty. She does this to highlight the history of the Americas and honor native peoples.

Sun Mad (1982)

Sun Mad (ofrenda dedicated to the artist's father, a farm worker from the San Joaquin Valley, CA) (1989) at the National Museum of Mexican Art in 2023

Sun Mad is a screen print from 1982. In this artwork, the artist changes the well-known Sun-Maid raisin box. The red-bonneted woman carrying grapes becomes a skeleton. This change is a protest against harmful insecticides used on crops. This print is in the Los Angeles Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. It is also at the National Museum of Mexican Art.

Ester Hernández explained her idea for Sun Mad. She said she realized how to show the truth behind big farming businesses. She created Sun Mad because she was angry and worried. She feared what might happen to her family and community.

This image is also part of a 1989 art display called Sun Mad. This display honors her father, who was a farm worker. This display is also at the National Mexican Museum of Art.

Tejido de los Desaparecidos / Weaving of the Disappeared (1984)

Tejido de los Desaparecidos is a screen print from 1984. This artwork talks about the Guatemalan civil war. This war led to many Maya people being killed. The print looks like a traditional Guatemalan shawl, called a rebozo. But it also has small white images of helicopters and skeletons. There are also red blood splatters.

La Ofrenda (1990)

La Ofrenda is a screen print made in 1990. This print is in the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Museum of Mexican Art.

This print shows a woman with a short, punk-style haircut. She is facing away from the viewer. On her back, she has a tattoo of La Virgen de Guadalupe. La Virgen de Guadalupe is a symbol of womanhood in Chicanx culture. By showing this tattoo, Ester Hernández questions old ideas about women's roles.

La Virgen De Las Calles (2001)

In 2001, Ester Hernández created La Virgen de las Calles (Virgin of the Streets). This pastel print honors hard-working Latina women. It shows them in a special and powerful way. The woman in the print wears a red sweatshirt with "USA" on it. She also wears jeans, black Nike shoes, and a green and red striped shawl. This shawl looks like the cloak of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In front of the woman, there is a bucket of roses with the word "future." The roses also connect to Our Lady of Guadalupe. They refer to the story of her appearance to Juan Diego.

La Virgen de las Calles was very special to Ester Hernández. She wanted to show the love a Chicana mother has for her family. She said that many Chicana mothers work day and night. They do this to educate their children. They know this is the greatest gift they can give.

BudaLupe (2007)

BudaLupe is a painting from 2007. It uses acrylic paint and Japanese paper. The painting shows both the image of Buddha and Our Lady of Guadalupe. The artwork is inspired by Japanese culture. This includes practices like Shintoism and Buddhism. It also draws from art forms like papermaking. The mix of cultures in BudaLupe shows the artist's own family background. It also shows how different cultures make life richer.

Sun Raid (2008)

Sun Raid is a screen print from 2008. This print is in the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Ester Hernández changed her famous Sun Mad artwork for this piece. She made it to speak out against workplace raids. These raids were done by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). They happened during the George W. Bush presidency. The raids were said to be for "national security." Sun Raid suggests these actions were a result of globalization. It calls them a "by-product of NAFTA." NAFTA was a trade agreement that started in 1994. Ester Hernández uses images like traditional huipil clothing and a skeletal figure. She also includes a wrist monitor that says "ICE." She connects globalization to the forced movement of Indigenous people. These people were often undocumented immigrants affected by these security plans.

Wanted (2010)

Wanted is a screen print made by Ester Hernández in 2010. She created it because of anti-immigration laws like SB 1070 in Arizona. This law allowed for racial profiling. The screen print looks like a police wanted poster. It shows Our Lady of Guadalupe as a wanted terrorist. The poster says she is wanted by the "President of Arizona." It includes a description, fake names, and pictures of an ordinary-looking woman. This woman represents La Virgen. The artist said that La Virgen de Guadalupe shows the strong spirit of her people. She believes this spirit can never be captured or taken away. La Virgen de Guadalupe is very important in Mexico. She is strongly linked to Mexican national identity.

CUANDO BAILA YEMAYA (2014)

CUANDO BAILA YEMAYA is a print made by Ester Hernández in 2014. The print shows the goddess Yemọja, also known as Yemaya. It includes her symbols like cowrie shells, fans, and watermelon. This goddess comes from the Yoruba culture. She is important in many different cultures. She is often linked to the worship of the Virgin Mary in Latin American practices.

Art Shows and Exhibitions

Ester Hernández has had many solo art shows. Here are some of them:

• The Defiant Eye, Galeria de La Raza, San Francisco (1988)
• Sun Mad Installation, Mexican Museum, San Francisco (1993)
• The Art of Provocation: Ester Hernandez - A Retrospect, Gorman Gallery, University of California, Davis (1995)
• Day of the Dead, CreArte Gallery, Minneapolis (1996)
• Ester Hernandez - Everyday Passions, Galeria de la Raza, San Francisco (2001)
• Inspiraciones, Patricia Correia Gallery, Santa Monica (2005)

Awards and Honors

Ester Hernández has received many awards for her art and activism:

• Sor Juana Award | National Museum of Mexican Art (2016)
• Corazon del Barrio, Award of Excellence | Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (2012)
• Lifetime Achievement Award | Women's Caucus for Art (2009)
• Artist Activist Award | California Rural Legal Assistance (2007)
• Hellen Crocker Russell Award | San Francisco Foundation Community Leadership Awards (2004)
• Premio Galeria | Galeria de la Raza (2004)

Images for kids

• 

  Sun Mad (ofrenda dedicated to the artist's father, a farm worker from the San Joaquin Valley, CA) (1989) at the National Museum of Mexican Art in 2023