Cakewalk: Carmen Lomas Garza

The first image that I found relatable to my life and specifically my childhood, is the acrylic painting on canvas called Cakewalk, made in 1987. As described by Carmen, a “Cakewalk was a game to raise money to send Mexican Americans to the University. You paid 25 cents to stand on a number” (Garza 8). As a student in my elementary school, we also had yearly cake walks for a school fundraiser. I did not know much about what was going on except two main things, you pay to walk and that money goes to a good cause. This is exactly how Carmen describes the cakewalk and that is exactly the experience I had when I was an adolescent. After the many years that have passed since I was in elementary school, I completely forgot about the cakewalks and the fun I had with my friends and family. It wasn’t until I saw the painting Cakewalk, where all the great memories that were made have come back to me. I find it extremely interesting that art has a way to connect you from your past to the present. I have never really connected to art pieces as much as I do with Carmen Lomas Garza’s artworks. I believe it's the fact that she intends to depict her childhood pastime experiences, while at the same time unintentionally depicting mine as well as many others childhood experiences. I found it interesting that Carmen’s artwork tells stories of her past about her family and special events that have occurred. And at the same time, I the viewer, am able to relieve stories and events of my past through her own artwork.