Lopez, Alma

(Un)framing by Alicia Gaspar de Alba

My name is Alma Lopez. I am the instructor for the Chicana Art & Artists course. I am a Mexican-born Queer Chicana visual artist based in Los Angeles. I am excited about teaching this course because I have the opportunity to share with you the works of artists I like and admire. I will also be sharing some basic drawing skills which I hope you find fun and memorable.

Our first guest speaker will be Professor Gaspar de Alba. She is a founding faculty of the UCLA Cesar E. Chavez Department of Chicana/o Studies and current chair of the LGBT Program. She is the author of eleven books:  three novels, three poetry collections, and five academic publications. Her historical novel titled Sor Juana’s Second Dream brings to lesbian life the prolific 17^th century Mexican feminist nun Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz. This novel is currently being adapted into a full feature film. The Mexican actress, Ana de La Reguera (Nacho Libre) will play the role of Sor Juana. This film will also include Bruno Bichir (El callejon de los milagros), Joaquin Cosio (The Lone Ranger) and Adriana Barraza (Babel).

Professor Gaspar de Alba will be presenting and leading a discussion on two essays on Chicana art that will provide a historical perspective on the gendered politics in Chicana art production and exhibitions. One of the essays is “Out of the House, the Halo, and the Whore’s Mask: The Mirror of Malinchismo” from her book titled Chicano Art Inside/Outside the Master’s House: Cultural Politics and the CARA Exhibition (UT Press, 1998). 

If time allows, she will also discuss the essay, “There’s No Place Like Aztlan: Embodied Aesthetics in Chicana Art.” A revised version of this essay is included in her most recent academic publication titled (Un) framing the “Bad Woman”: Sor Juana, Malinche, Coyolxauhqui and Other Rebels with A Cause (UT Press, 2014).

Students: Your first introductory discussion blog post is due on or before 6pm on Saturday, October 11. Introduce yourself (name, major, year) and after reading above two essays, write down a question for each essay that you would like to ask speaker on Monday. With your questions, add your interest in such question and perhaps a possible answer to that question. The post should be between 200 – 300 words. Above sample post is slightly over 300 words.Your post should be titled: LastName, FirstName. It should be labeled: F2014LastNameFirstName.  Make sure to check your spelling and grammar. Read previous comments and questions so that you are not repetitive but adding to the discussion.