Week 1

Professor Alicia Gaspar de Alba's "From Cara to Caca" essay is a testament to show how the modern day art world is facing the issue of the lack of Latin American representation in what is considered to be art. According to Alba, the main issue which Chicano art concerns itself with is the civil rights history of the Chicano movement and the confusion of national identity which comes as a result belonging to the Chicano identity. Alba draws a parallel between the work of art and styles which are present today in the Chicano art movement to the work and styles which were present in the art of Mexican muralists in the early 20th century. Alba's main focus on this essay is the highlighting of an issue which is hardly ever talked about is indicative of the larger issues which are not limited to the art world but are represented there, such as the limited voice that those of the Chicano identity are given in the larger American society. Alba's work is clear in its larger goal to push for a growth and acceptance in the larger art world to accept the expression of the Chicano community as it is manifested in art, to not be seen as an outsider but rather a contributor of the larger art movement which is part of the American cultural canon. Through this acceptance of Chicano art in the American cultural canon, Alba hopes that we can highlight issues of identity which are prevalent in the Chicano communities, such as the largely paradoxical idea that one has to be either fully Mexican or fully American. The Chicano art movement's larger goal would be to push for dismantling the stereotypes and misunderstandings that are carried by the larger American society towards Latin American communities.