Blog 10: Reflection

Carmen Lomas Garza

During the first day of class, we tried to come up with as many Chicana artists as we could think of. Although the majority of the class came up with a great sized list, I did not know a single name of a Chicana artist. Now today, I can name many Chicana artists, as well as their amazing artwork. Over the course of the quarter, I also learned about the elements that influenced these artists, such as their personal lives, personal experiences, the Chicano movement, feminism, and indigenous roots. At this moment at the top of my head, the Chicana artists names that come to my mind are, Carmen Lomas Garza, Yolanda M. Lopez, Laura Alvarez, Laura Aguilar, Favianna Rodriguez, Isis Rodriguez, Marion C. Martinez, Delilah Montoya, Carlee Fernandez, Barbara Carrasco, Judy Baca, Margarita Cabrerra, Laura Molina, and Patssi Valdez. One of the artists that I really enjoyed learning about in class was Carmen Lomas Garza. The incident that really opened my eyes to the issues prevalent during the 50’s and 60’s was when Carmen was a teacher at Robstown High School. All Carmen was trying to do was help the Mexican-American students who couldn't speak English to succeed. That fact that she was later fired for speaking Spanish to these students is flat out ridiculous. I really liked how after this incident she decided to become a full-time Chicana artist. I also enjoyed doing research on Patssi Valdez, and presenting to the class her story, and paintings. The Chicano Studies Research Center was extremely helpful in offering me assistance with researching Patssi Valdez. What I also learned about Chicana art is that, it’s not all necessarily about the political issues that were prevalent during the Chicano movement, or the internal struggle the Chicanas faced within the movement, but about the artists themselves. Each Chicana artist stood for different causes, expressed their arts differently, and is each very unique.

Patssi Valdez ASCO