Response to Janel Preciado’s; Week 5 Post on Ester Hernandez

In Janel’s post she mentions the connection she felt towards Ester Hernandez’s art, much like her I also enjoyed the political and personal statements that Hernandez is able to initiate with her pieces. The condition of farm workers that she is able to capture in her Sun Mad image was, as Janel mentioned, very shocking. This image is one of my favorite images from Hernandez, because the image is familiar, so even before looking at the hidden messages the image has already impacted us. Like it was mentioned in class, these little boxes of raisins that are being fed to children everyday do not display the reality of were they came from, who worked for the product, and what it truly contains. These small boxes contain a big problem and Hernandez was able to capture the problem perfectly. I have a personal connection to this image, much of my family lives in Bakersfield picking grapes, and while visiting them the image of them slowly dying while trying to survive never really crosses my mind, but when I stare at this piece the skeleton makes me sad, and makes me want to change the conditions of future farmworkers, therefore this image has promoted what it was meant to promote, social awareness and political change.