Colectivo Artist Series:

Co-Optiva 2025

Colorful digital graphic featuring a woman with a skull face, surrounded by vibrant flowers and rainbow-colored elements, with a black background.
A digital artwork of a red flower with black background.
Neon-lit pink and purple hibiscus flower with green stem against a black background.
Close-up of red flower illuminated with red and green colors against a black background.
Neon art of a flower with pink outlines and yellow accents on a black background.
Visual Artist, Jessica M. Gutierrez. A woman with short dark hair, glasses, and bright pink lipstick smiling while holding a colorful piece of artwork depicting a skeleton woman with rainbow hair, surrounded by pink and purple flowers.

“Though I didn’t grow up with Día de los Muertos, its spirit—vibrant colors, magical energy, joyful celebration, and honoring of ancestors—resonates deeply.”

Colorful cutout paper flowers with a skeleton figure in the center on a black background.

Artist Statement

“When I was invited to reimagine the calavera for Colectivo, I was struck by the synchronicity—I had just purchased the Co-Optiva bag the day before. Though I didn’t grow up with Día de los Muertos, its spirit—vibrant colors, magical energy, joyful celebration, and honoring of ancestors—resonates deeply.

My work is rooted in storytelling and ancestral connection. In my recent exhibition, Gifts from the Dark, I explored identity, generational wounds, reclamation, and healing through my personal experiences and family history, including my mother’s immigration story. As I created this work, I felt my ancestors beside me—guiding and holding me through a difficult, yet beautiful, process of healing.

This design honors the matriarch, the Indigenous women of the Americas: those who migrated and those who have always been here. It’s a tribute to the womxn resisting oppression across this country.  Her steady gaze and radiant form carry memory and survival. The glowing colors and flowers reflect our sacred connection to the divine and illuminate the presence of our ancestors.

In a time of anti-immigrant rhetoric and systemic violence, this work centers resistance, community power, and ancestral pride. It’s a reminder: we are beautiful, sacred, divine souls—more powerful than they can ever imagine. It’s a reminder that our ancestors are always with us, lending their wisdom, strength, and infinite love.” 

Colorful collage with a decorated sugar skull and flowers, representing Day of the Dead celebration.
Abstract neon-colored flower with purple petals, yellow center, and black background.
A woman with short black hair, wearing glasses and bold red lipstick, smiling. She's dressed in a black T-shirt with an orange floral design and the phrase "NO ONE IS ILLEGAL."

“This design honors the matriarch, the Indigenous women of the Americas: those who migrated and those who have always been here.” 

Colorful drawing of a purple flower against a black background.

Process

Colorful neon-style drawing of a hibiscus flower with pink petals, green leaves, and details highlighted with bright neon colors on a black background.
Neon-colored illustration of a flower with pink petals, green leaves, and a yellow center against a black background.
Neon-style outline of a magenta flower with a yellow center against a black background.
Go to Store
Collectivo's Artist Series

Gallery

Colorful paper cutout of a skull with floral and traditional dress elements, surrounded by vibrant pink, purple, and red flowers on a black background.
Colorful paper strips on a dark background.
Colorful paper flower crafts on a work surface with scissors and pens, next to a mug with Frida Kahlo's portrait.
Colorful paper cutouts of various shapes and silhouettes placed on a work surface with craft tools, including a hole punch and scissors
Colored paper outlines of various flowers arranged on a worktable with black paper scraps, scissors, and a paper punch visible.
Colorful paper cutouts featuring a Day of the Dead skeleton with floral eyes, pink lips, braided hair, and traditional Mexican attire, laid out on a textured surface.
Digital drawing of a pink rosebud with green leaves on a black background.
Colorful drawing of a purple flower with a yellow center and green leaves on a black background.
Neon-style illustration of a pink hibiscus flower with green leaves on a black background.
A glowing red flowerwith black outlines on a black background.
Colorful, neon-like depiction of a hibiscus flower with pink petals, green leaves, and yellow center on a black background.
Close-up of a colorful printed fabric with red, pink, and black lines, possibly depicting an abstract or stylized image of a butterfly or flower.
Neon-colored flower with pink petals and a yellow center against a black background.
Colorful glowing illustration of a hibiscus flower with pink petals, green sepals and a yellow center against a black background.
A stylized, graphic illustration a red flower set against a black background.
A neon-style drawing of a purple flower with green leaves against a black background.