Questions for Professor Gaspar de Alba

In the chapter of Out of the House entitled, "CARA's Politics of Representation," Professor Gaspar de Alba examines the role of Chicana artists in one of the most groundbreaking exhibitions of the twentieth century. She argues that the exhibition did not reflect the complexity and power of Chicana women and artists, despite the inclusion of a "Feminist Visions" room. In this space, she believes that women were largely represented in the context of their bodies or in relation to motherhood, rather than as whole and autonomous beings. I fully agree with Professor Gaspar de Alba: Women have inherent value, outside of any relationship to men or children. However, a women's relationship to her body is incredibly important and, often, the unlearning of physical oppression is key to cultivating a deeper Feminist consciousness. So, my question to the Professor is: How do women explore their physical selves as artists, while acknowledging that their physicality (and ability to bear children) is not the sole determinant of who they are? In the context of CARA-- and art in general-- I believe that women should be allowed to explore their bodies in any way they wish, which can be incredibly political. After all, the sayings, "Your body is a battleground" and "The personal is political" became omnipresent during this time. However, curators of exhibitions such as CARA should feel obliged to choose a variety of Women's artwork addressing many different topics, rather than continuing the traditional narrative that all a woman has to offer is her body.