Carmen Lomas Garza: Curandera

Carmen Lomas Garza was raised in South Texas, she attended a segregated school until junior high, stating that it was very “traumatic and painful”.She was taught home economics in school and given courses “appropriate” for their gender. She was so young when she combated discrimination when she took her first biology course in school. In  junior high she was committed in pursuing art and using allowances and babysitting money to buy art supplies.

While at university, inspired her to tackle social and economic injustices that Chicanx community endured. Furthermore, after her one year of teaching, enabled her to become a full time Chicana artist.

A particular piece she created called the “Curandera” (1974). During this particular time she created art pieces inspired by her childhood. Which is something that I really admire and I enjoy to look at. Whenever I see artwork inspired by someone's childhood, it brings nostalgia and it’s very nice just to look back at your childhood and think about when you were younger. In this particular piece of Garza, shows folk healing which is something known in Mexican culture where a healer removes bad energy or spirits. Garza creating this to embody her childhood is quite interesting, something that stood out for me was the boy in the piece was sent to the porch because he was too young to understand. I like how she included that because whenever the adults would talk they would send me and my little cousins outside or away. Maybe that boy is Garza is a way, where she was too young to understand particular things that adults needed to do. However, now that she is older she understands why. During our childhood we are not exposed to the real things and we have to wait till we are older to understand and experience those things.