Laura Aguilar's story and art really moved me. Her struggles with her dyslexia, body, sexuality and depression marginalized her throughout the majority of her life. Photography became her source of therapy and time for self-reflection and growth--during both the creation process and after it as she took in the images in her creations. All art says something and Laura Aguilar has said something very special with her art. To me her art is extremely powerful. It not only saved her but it also provides everyone in society that is willing to explore her art a chance to connect to it and see themselves within her and her images' symbolism. I loved watching the video of her as she described how wonderful it felt for her to be out in nature with the warm sun soaking her bare skin; she became comfortable with herself in both her sexuality and physicality, she found peace in these spaces and connected to the "vastness" of the desert landscapes. Her art is very important to me. It brings to the art world and the public a complex emotional experience of a lesbian Chicana mujer who has been depressed by the stigmatized intersections of her many identities; thousands of individuals face the same struggle in America and the globe. She is beautiful and it come through in her art as well. I'm glad to be a in this class and given the opportunity to learn about the nuances of the Chicana identity and the rich value within the art and life experiences of all Chicana-identifying and non-identifing mujeres.
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