Defying Stereotypes

These week's art and artist presentations provided an insight to the evolution of Chicana and Chicano art aesthetics; that is art with a mission that presents a critique to the status quo, art measured on its own terms, cultural integrity and self-affirmation; as well as the use of montage, which is the bringing together of dissimilar elements into a new whole.  For example, the presentation on artist Patssi Valdez conducted by Miranda Rivera, encompassed gender role critiques, challenged mainstream art canons and revealed Chicano/a resistant aspirations.  The piece Asco, Spray paint LACMA is one example Chicana art and identity aesthetics that defy detrimental stereotypes against Chicano/as artist and community. In these piece Patssi Valdez is affirming her presence in the artistic world by literally positioning her body in the art but more notably to the place that rejected her group’s validity. The Chicano/a identity emerged from a community that is in discontent with their mainstream representations but nonetheless they have always resisted such harmful portrayal by developing their political discourse.  Through the development of scholarship and different means of artistic standards, Chicano/a representation has been one of perseverance, resistance and expression of cultural politics. The work presented by our classmates, introduced a new dimension of expressing politics that is not limited to one definition, but inclusive of the arts, literature, performance, organizations that do not succumb to mainstream standards.