Barbara Carrasco: Milk the Pass

Milk the Pass, 1990. 
Acrylic on canvas, 12 x 24 inches.

Although several classmates have presented their artist’s and work―which have all been interesting―I really liked, Milk the Pass, because while it evokes issues of racism and stereotyping, it does so in a satirical manner. The artwork depicts a “white” girl relieving a burning sensation from eating jalapenos by being stuck in a bottle of milk. As our classmate stated, Carrasco grew up as the black sheep of the family; her green eyes and her light skin complexion labeled her as not Mexican enough, which thereby supports why Carrasco is confined and stuck in the milk bottle, or white race.  I chose Milk the Pass because it hits home for me and I am sure for a lot others as well. To me, the work addresses the notion of displacement; for example, when we visit our parents’ countries, we are “too American”, and here in the United States we are “too un-American,” so we do not seem to fit anywhere. Additionally, it is a visual discourse on color hierarchies within the Chicana/o communities and the entailed experiences. Carrasco briefly illustrates her role in her family and neighborhood given her physical image, and unveils how others view her as well. Ashamed to admit, I have also stereotyped individuals, not purposely rather innately, because my culture and other social forces have taught me to do so in order to “organize” the world. The two artists that came to mind, in terms of similarities, were Laura Alvarez and Carmen Lomas Garza. In her presentation, Laura Alvarez mentioned that we never really know people because there is more to them than meets the eye and this is especially helpful to counter stereotyping. Furthermore, Milk the Pass reminded me of Carmen Lomas Garza’s work because they sought to address identity and community issues. Again, I enjoyed this work because of its ability to visually critique racism and stereotypes in a humorous and personal way.