My name is Reiko Takase. I’m a senior political science major. I transferred from Diablo Valley College last year, and I will graduate UCLA at the end of this quarter. Born and raised in Japan, I have not had any chance to touch Chicano studies. But in my first quarter at UCLA, I took CM179 (Language Politics and Policies in U.S.: Comparative History) which gave me some knowledge about Chicana and Chicano. But it was mainly about the languages and politics, so this time I’m interested in learning about art. I don’t do drawings so much by myself because I have thought I was not good at it, but I have been interested in and often fascinated by arts, especially paintings by certain artists of my favorite. In terms of Chicana artists, I haven’t paid any attention to them and the style they use seems to be not of my type so far. But leaning about Chicana arts is my new experience and I expect it to broaden my view on art or even make me like this kind of art.

About the Virgin of Guadalupe, I don’t remember if I have seen her before. In Japan, it seems to be rare for the families to have any icon. Japanese religious culture is unique in the sense that most Japanese people show respect and gratitude to the ancestors by folding hands in front of their pictures (in cases they have them), rather than holding certain character as a symbol which people believe or pray to daily. For this reason, I have not focused on the role of paintings in the daily life of the people, so I’m interested in learning about the connection of the art and the people as well.