Chicana Printmakers, Precense and Abcense

Barnet Sanchez takes us through a tour of history that has had one common denominator, the absence and non-credited work of Chicana artist. More specifically Sanchez concentrates on the Chicana printmakers, whom have been kept out of the recognition they serve in the art world. These artists since they emerged have been working to define the Chicano/a identity and movement, but more importantly they have created iconic works of art that have been seen by many but not recognized. For Example, Yolanda M Lopez's early work was all concentrated around printmaking directly associated with the movement and helping spread such crucial images for its understanding. Her image Who's The Illegal Alien Pilgrim is one that I originally encountered as a high school student. As I had mentioned during class, I always wondered who had made such an amazing image that I had been wearing in a T-shirt. It is sad to say that it was not until I took this course that I finally found the answer. Unfortunately, this non-crediting of images happens too often since many people view the printmaking work as “Just Another Poster.” As the Chicana artist keep fighting to eliminate the gender based discrimination in their art world we must also help by maintaining this consciousness. Next time you see an amazing piece of art in a movement, don’t just ignore the fact that there was an extremely talented artist behind it. Wonder where it came from, don’t just be consumed by its message and forget that it is also a piece of art work. Just because the issue does not  have the same degree of visibility as it used to does not mean it is no longer an issue or that the issue no longer exist.