Carmen Lomas Garza: Sandia

For this week’s post, I chose another one of Carmen Lomas Garza’s painting just because she has been one of my favorite artists out of all the artists we have looked at. In her work Sandia/Watermelon (1986), she depicts a typical Latino Family gathering outside eating watermelon.  To most people, this looks like just an average painting that can be in a children’s book about a wonderful family. However, to most Latino students, it brings back memories of our families doing the same thing. To us, family is one of biggest and most important aspects of our lives and our biggest support system. Although Garza’s work seems simple, to me, it reminds me of what is most important; my family. It reminds me of all the small moments I have had with my family from something small like watching a movie together to something bigger like a birthday or Quince. It shows that despite our past and current struggles that family will always be here for us. The simple act of sharing a watermelon with each other shows that even when ICE is trying to tear us apart, schools trying to keep us from speaking our native tongue in school, work paying us below minimum wage because of our status; despite everything thrown at us, we can celebrate the smallest of luxuries like a watermelon.