W10 Reflection

Taking this course really opened my eyes to a lot of cool techniques and challenged me to be comfortable with my drawing and sketching. I think I realized that I was self critiquing and limiting my drawing potential because of the imposed standards of what I thought my art should look like. I really appreciated that this class was focused specifically on Chicanas/ Latinas because too often women of color are ignored, undervalued, underpaid and left out of the mainstream, but with this class I felt like it really centered and lifted up the brilliant art and labor Chicanas/ Latinas/ Latinxs have put forth, both historically and with more contemporary exhibits. Overall this class helped me go into depth about my critical analyses of images and I appreciate the visual aspects of it since it helps break up the monotony of typical learning practices. For the most part I enjoyed the discussions, but I think perhaps an area of improvement would be more engagement and activity. I think it would've been cool if we took a short field trip during one of the class times or maybe go outside more. Its hard for me to focus for long periods of time so having a 4 hour class was a little draining and I had to get up often to help my body adjust. I also really need to be in the sunshine and I feel like the room had poor lighting. Besides that though, this class was a highlight for sure. I'm glad I got to increase my knowledge about Chicana/Latina/x artists and learn more of a herstoriography.
I'm thankful for Professor Lopez Gaspar de Alba and out TA Paola being understanding and flexible with assignments and the different loads students are forced to carry sometimes. Hope you all have a happy spring break!!

Week 9 - Lady Pink

One of my favorite artists out of those who presented was the artist Sandra Fabrera, who goes by the name Lady Pink. I thought it was really cool that she represented and built her reputation as a female graffiti artist on the streets of NY. Especially crucial is that she paved the way for other women and girls of color to find power and inspiration from an underground profession that is often considered belonging only to men.

Pink's art piece, The Death of Graffiti, painted in 1982 I think powerfully represents the violence that comes along with gentrification and how it is tied to a contestation over public space, such as with trains and subways. The image depicts a nude girl, standing on a pile of various spray paint cans used for tagging, pointing to the two subway trains passing by. On the right hand side is a completely white washed train car and the left side is a car that is tagged with colorful artwork with the words "Seen Pink." The wall to the right of the girl is forming this divide between the graffiti painted car and the white washed car. However, the angling of the girl and where shes pointing gives me the sense that the graffiti painted car will soon cross the boundary and become white washed as well.

This depiction I feel speaks volumes to what gentrification means and how it is often used as a tool to silence artistic resistance of people of color, especially because graffiti art is criminalized and policed for not following white hegemonic standards of art production. As spaces become redefined by the white people who move into urban neighborhoods, not only do people of color become displaced but a new imposition of what is considered public beautification and "appropriate" public expression takes hold. And as prior community owned paces are replaced with privatized buildings, communities of color suffer the loss of economic liberty and artistic expression.

Week 8 - Monica Kim Garcia artist

One of the artist presentations I enjoyed from my classmate was the painter Monica Kim Garcia. I thought it was cool that she was mixed race- part Mexican and part Korean-- and I felt that her various cultural identities were reflected in her imagery. One thing I appreciated is that she is redefining beauty through self portraits and representations of women who are nude and of larger size. I thought this is important because in our society women are often body shamed and media/ TV/ movies imprint this idea into minds of young girls by always objectifying the tall, skinny, female figure. I think her art is very vibrant and celebratory of mixed race women which I loved. The three images depict real life activities that people engage in, like with the images of women dancing, swimming, singing, etc.
I really liked the vibrant colors and style of how the water was painted. I feel like often times artists feel pressured into creating a certain aesthetic that conforms to this idea of perfection but I love how Monica Kim does her own thing. Her technique made these images relatable and realistic. Her art works also reflect different influences. As the presenter mentioned, Monica Kim got inspiration from the Renaissance and its portrayal of nude women but she also included elements in the background of her Mexican and Korean culture that were significant to her.
Side Note: I also really liked the artist of the very first presenter but I forgot their name. The images were of issues relating to immigration, and border violence. One of the memorable elements was the border officer standing over a body with flowers springing out from the ground, as in recognition f a death/ burial. The flowers had vibrant colors so it stood out in comparison to the black and white/ gray scaled rest of the image. I thought their imagery was very powerful and a relevant critique to the social and political issues occurring right now.

W7 Barbara Carrasco Image Analysis

The artist I will be presenting on is Barbara Carrasco. She was born in El Paso TX in 1955 and later moved to LA and became heavily involved in the United Farm Workers (UFW) movement during her undergraduate career at West LA College and UCLA. As a more light skinned Chicana, she experienced a lot of conflicting messages about her identity, with some people criticizing her for being too white or not Chicana enough. As a result, much of her work centers around imagery that pushes against these common and dominant perceptions of what Chicana means. Similarly, as a Chicana feminist/activist/artist, many of her pieces challenge the patriarchal depictions of women, and strategically calls out the violence that Chicanas experience from this hetero-patriarchal and toxic establishment. This specific image I will focus on is her 1978, Pregnant Woman in a Ball of Yarn sketching. This image (attached below) depicts a pregnant woman whose body, arms and legs, are trapped/ tied up in a ball of yarn. Additionally the yarn is covering her eyes, and mouth (similar to a gag). This specific intentionality of having it cover her mouth reflects the ways that women are often silenced, politically, within our own cultures, and even internally through pervasive and violent ideologies that deem women, especially women of color, worthless.

The fact that her body is nude and on display yet her mouth and eyes are covered also speaks to the reality of how many Chicanas and pregnant women are objectified, exploited, and abused. The connection to the baby shoe sewn out of the yarn also brings in elements of motherhood that can be applied to all aspects of Chicanas lives, whether that be that they are single and pressured into having children, or they are pregnant and discriminated against as a result of it. Or they are mothers and their parenting is criminalized and judged by the state, longstanding cultural traditions and more.
While this image was made in response to the violence she witnessed her sister in law experiencing- having limited educational access as a result of having a child- from cultural impositions of reproductive labor/demand, this image is relevant across shifting spheres of issues that affect Chicanas. As the viewer brings their own interpretations, the knowledge source of how women are systematically, culturally, politically, or otherwise oppressed expands and can be discussed with new formulations, making it always relevant. I think much can be understood and taken form this image so please feel free to add your own interpretations in the comments :).

Ofelia Esparza

I absolutely loved the presentation by Ofelia Esparza and her daughter Rosanna Esparza. I thought one important aspect to her work was her centering of Chicana feminist theory in art. Many of her altars and paintings honor her mother, Mama Pola, and grandmother, and she keeps there memories alive through the creation of public and personal ofrendas. She speaks about her mother as "the warrior woman who raised me" and I think that is significant because a lot of times mothers and women in general get under credited for their labor and work, or they're represented in ways that portray patriarchal notions of domesticity/ women.

I thought it was really cool that she was one of the cultural consultants for the movie Coco. It was interesting to hear her perspective and information around ofrendas and how that was displayed differently in Disney's interpretation. The orange flowers that surround the altar during Dia de Los Muertos are meant to be an archway for the dead to come to the world of the living. In the movie however, the flowers were displayed as a bridge to the living world and resembled a security checkpoint/ crossing. like the US - Mexico border. One profound analogy she mentioned that was illustrated in the film was the idea that people experience three deaths. The first is physical death, where your body dies/ your heart stops. The second death is burial because once you are buried no one is ever going to see your real/physical face again on the earth. And lastly, the third most ultimate death is when you are forgotten in the memory of those living. This explanation really made me think of the legacy people leave and how their memory can often be forgotten or intentionally erased.

This reminded me of the codices of indigenous peoples and how violent colonization is, especially with regards to the erasure and silencing of those violence's. When peoples knowledge source and memory of cultural traditions/ beliefs is destroyed in the next generation of their children through various systemic genocides, something so crucial is lost. It is an attack on the spirit. I really appreciated all the wisdom that Ofelia and her daughter brought to the discussion and their tremendous work in reclaiming her stories that have been lost.

W4 - Rasquachismo & Domesticana

Week 4 - Rasquachismo & Domesticana

I really liked Amalia Mesa- Bains piece on la domesticana. She describes how la domesticana came out of the rasquachismo formulation, yet it focused on feminine and domestic spheres as a result of patriarchal and cultural restrictions placed on Chicanas. Female rasquachistas used these spheres and began making art of this style- resourceful and re-purposing, as a form of resistance to challenge not just the imposition of Anglo culture but the patriarchal and religious restrictions places on Chicanas sexual liberation, identity , and politics. I like that Mesa Bains references the creation of altars and their significance in contesting stereotypical portrayals of Latinas. It reminded me of how artwork has a profound connection to the person who created it because they know what it means to them even if someone may interpret it as something else. I think Dia de Los Muerto altars as well as the Ofrendas made to praise/honor generations of Latinas/ Chicanas are a form of resistance and allow space to enact feminist representations and ideologies.

While I like the artwork and altars that are created with a certain consciousness and feminist politic, I'm critical of the word domesticana, particularly because it seems like a label made by men, and I feel it subtly re-enforces the idea that women are only operating in the domestic sphere. It seems to follow very gendered patriarchal roles and doesn't leave room to imagine or envision Chicanas completely outside of the domestic sphere. I wonder if rasquachista would be a better description of the artist who engages in this type of work.

With regards to the rasquachismo article, I think Luis Valdez gets too much credit. While he did contribute a great number of plays and performance that centered around Chicanos, his work was pretty patriarchal and sexist and wrongfully perpetuates the image of La Chicana as "the supporter," inactive, always consumed in the domestic role/ sphere. Just as Mesa Bains discusses, this duality between public and private spaces needs to be re/ de constructed to reflect a different form of being and thinking. If your going to produce work that perpetuates the oppression of Chicanas then don't produce it at all.

Portrait of Artist as Virgen de Guadalupe

One of the artwork pieces by Lopez that really stood out to me was the portrait of her as the Virgin of Guadalupe. This figure really spoke to me for a number of reasons, but I especially appreciated navigating and thinking through the symbolism and imagery. Her transformation of the initial image with the baby angel holding up La Virgen, to having the Chicana figure step on the angels wings (that are marked in colors of the American flag) brought to mind the colonization and violence that indigenous people have experienced as a result of European settler colonialism. 

Additionally, the positioning of religious iconography is important to note, as images of Coatlicue are printed on the runners dress. This made me think of the various mediums in which colonization occurs, especially through imposition of a new religion/ world belief. I believe the baby angel in part represents Christian evangelical ideology and there's power in her stepping on the angel, especially with the pattern of the Aztec goddess Coatlicue on her dress. As she holds the snake by the neck, a symbol of Aztlan, as well as a cloak of stars, her stance exhibits power and confidence, re-presenting the image of la Chicana in a way that defies and debunks patriarchal portrayals and standards of what Chicanas should look like. On top of this, the figure is athletic and has muscular legs, illustrating her strength. This portrayal doesn't follow typical illustrations of femininity that are shown in the original Virgen figure and in doing so reclaims and represents a self made identity of the author.

The need for self representation I think is critical to making space for a new and more accurate narrative. I appreciate that Yolanda painted this figure after herself. The figures vibrant smile and bronze/golden skin also emphasizes pride in who she is. The utilization of La Virgen imagery and centering the daily activities that Chicanas engage in I feel uplifts and values Chicanas. Just as Chicanas have had to write themselves into history, we've also had to self represent ourselves and make spaces of respect and appreciation/ self love. 

Barbara Carrasco

The artist I will be choosing is Barbara Carrasco.

In thinking through the "Out of the House" piece by Alicia Gaspar de Alba I appreciated the way in which she called out how the CARA exhibit took Chicana artwork that was intended to serve as a form of feminist critique to the norm and instead used it as a way to re-enforce patriarchal notions and gendered ideologies of Chicanas as mothers or as sexual objects of Chicano desire.

I loved that she related the virgin/whore/mother trichotomy and described the nuances of how these constructions play out or are often reinforced in specific art forms. If we want to talk about liberation, I think we need to decolonize our epistemologies and move away from a colonial historiography that glorifies Chicano nationalist views stemming from the Movimiento of the 60's. Essential to obtaining liberation is destroying the hierarchical and violent modes of being that such nationalist models follow, such as with the suppression of queer and lesbian Chicanas in the Chicano movement. Its a huge disservice to Chicanas when Chicanos fail to step aside and humble themselves. If people feel a need to elevate themselves and reconstruct the same power dynamics amongst Chicanas/os/xs, then the struggle for liberation becomes void, because it continues to reproduce the same colonial violence just with different actors.

One of the things that really resonated with me was the reclaiming and re-envisioning of La Malinche, La Llorona, and La Virgen. Its important to recognize how these archetypal and cultural figures can be used and retold for the purpose of social control. I think the need to strike down toxic masculinity and the construction of strict gendered roles is crucial for re imagining a new way of living, embodying and interacting with one another.

I guess a few questions that came out of this reading for me is:
How do we begin to deconstruct/challenge/ abolish deeply entrenched patriarchy, colonialism, and Chicanismo in our culture? & How can we all engage in radical resistance that does not reproduce the same uneven power dynamics, violence, and brokenness?

Carolyn Travis. Week 1

Hello, my name is Carolyn Travis, I am a Chicana/o/x Studies Major and Labor and Workplace Studies Minor. My preferred pronouns are she her hers and I am interested in taking this class  because I love having a Chicana and women of color centered curriculum. I hope that I can grow more in my expertise of contemporary Chicana art and influence, I look forward to this class quarter.