Week 6: Carmen Lomas Garza

Prior to reading the book I had never heard of artist Carmen Lomas Garza, the text allowed me to learn about who the artist is and how her interest in art developed. I really favour how she is able to incorporate her culture and heritage through little details presented through her art. Although I am not a Chicana, I felt that I was able to connect with the messages that were embedded and incorporated in her works and her book volumes. One of the messages that really caught my attention was how she embraced her culture and encouraged young children to do the same.


If I had to choose a favorite from her series of works it would be Barbacoa para Cumpleaños.The image portrays how the family has all gotten together to celebrate her sister Mary Jane's birthday.  This work is presented in the final chapter of the text which is "Carmen Versus the Future". I really enjoyed this piece because it allowed me to really recall a part of my childhood. The image displays a circle of children waiting for their turns at hitting the piñata, while older women are shown at the cake table, and possibly her father and other father figures near the grill. This was very nostalgic because throughout my adolescent years, my brother and I would celebrate our birthdays religiously in a similar manner with all of our cousins. This is very similar to how we host our festivities as well; the whole family get's together and we do an "Armenian" version of a barbecue. From my viewpoint, I can comment that Garza is very talented in creating nostalgic moments for the viewer. The rendition of her sister's birthday party is done very realistically so it gives room for the individuals viewing the image to relate. 

If anyone is planning on taking a road trip any time soon, you can see some of her work at the "The Williams Children’s Literature Collection and Reading Room" located at the West Texas A&M university.