Carmen Lomas Garza is one of the most successful and best-known Chicana artists working in the United States. Carmen grew up in the small South Texas community of Kingsville, daughter of Maria and Mucio Garza. She was the second of five children and it was her mother that instilled the dream of becoming an artist, by painting watercolors and lottery tablets when Carmen was young. Garza's work celebrates the activities and traditions of her family and her community in Texas, and her works are found in the holdings of major museums throughout the United States. The piece Barbacoa para Cumpleańos, in the Chapter "Carmen Versus The Future" is from 1993 that is alkyd on canvass and 36 by 48 inches, shows the birthday celebration of Carmen's sister, Mary Jane. The piece shows cultural identity through the Pińata, the papel picado, and the barbacoa. Cortez writes, " For the artist and her patrons, the images embraced the possibility of sustaining these cultural practices and introducing them to younger generations. Garza realized that her work could serve as a catalyst for the childhood memories of others." This piece brings up childhood memories to certain viewers; through this image I can remember the many birthday parties of mine and the ones I attended too. Carmen realized that her art provoked many to recall from their childhood memories, and also allowed the younger generation to view the culture and to embrace it.