Perez Gutierrez, Richard (Week 10)

    One artist I learned about this week was painter Pola Lopez. I thought the three pieces that were presented were very thought out and hold significant meaning in regards to Chicana culture, the advancement of people of color ,and indigeneity. I felt like some of these pieces really spoke to me since I relate to some of the meanings. 

    The first piece depicts a chola standing in front of a statue of the Coatlicue. Coatlicue is a Nahuatl goddess who is the agriculture fertility deity. They are known for wearing both a skirt of snakes and also a dress typically worn by men. I felt like Coatlicue can represent a mixing of gender and empowerment. This directly relates to the chola identity who at times has to live within a heavily dominant male culture, but regardless is able to continue being in these spaces. The second painting depicts people of color celebrating their university graduations. I as well will be the first in my family to receive a bachelor's degree. I know how hard it can be to navigate higher education when you don't have anyone in your family to help you or understand the journey you're going through. The last piece was the most interesting to me. It depicts multiple identities in a grid of tic tac toe. And the end result is no one wins. Some of the identities depicted were Mexican-American, Chicano, Mestizo, Latino, Hispanic, or Minority. As Chicanos, our identities can be very difficult for us to understand. I thought the message of not having to focus too much on these identities because there is no way of winning. We are a mixture of many identities and this piece was very creative in depicting these feelings that are far too common. 

    In regards to concepts, I was not familiar with the concept of rasquachismo. I first learned about this word when reading Yolanda M. Lopez when in her childhood, Lopez was taught how to make due with what you have through her immigrant family. I did not know this form of creativity had a name. I know my family taught me to make due with what we have when I had a school project or reusing ordinary objects. I was able to see objects throughout my house that can be seen as rasquachismo. It was also nice seeing how other classmates had the same objects and decorations I see in my own house.

Perez Gutierrez, Richard (Week Nine)

        We had another week of great presentations of Chicana artists. One artist that stood out to me was muralist Martha Ramirez-Oropeza. She stood out to me because she is currently my professor for CCAS 113 Day of Dead Ritual. Professor Ramirez-Oropeza is very knowledgeable of both Mexican culture and Indigenous Nahuatl culture. This is very much shown in her art and murals. Many of the themes she discusses in her lectures are shown in her art such as life, Nahuatl culture, and Chicanx culture.

        Her first mural depicts an indigenous woman surrounded by corn. Within the Nahuatl culture, corn is seen as a symbol of life, as we are all made of corn, and corn is made in many foods. The way I interpreted this mural was a mix of feminist themes with indigenous pride. The way an indigenous woman is coexisting with the corn shows how integral they both are to life but also shows the underappreciation of women, indigenous women, as they are shown buried underneath the earth out of sight. 
        The last two murals demonstrate the mixture of cultures that represent Chicanx culture. Since Chicanx people come from many mixed cultures, Indigenous, Spanish, and American, they have gone through a unique experience within America. The United Farm Workers leaders Cesar Chaves and Dolores Huerta are depicted alongside Nahuatl culture in solidarity. This was interesting because Mexican Americans were legally classified as white but never received the benefits that come with being white. They still experienced racism and discrimination and so this mural to me represents the reclaiming of the indigenous culture among many Mexican Americans. This theme is further expanded in her last mural. A banner stating “Aztlan Nuestra Historia Topializtli” translates to “Aztlan Our History Topializtli” shows Mexican and Chicanx people surrounded by Nahuatl art and imagery.

Perez Gutierrez, Richard (Week Eight)

    The presentations we have seen so far have all been great. It's exciting learning about smaller Chicana artists and being able to prop them up with the recognition that they deserve. A presentation I specifically enjoyed was Armando Perez’s presentation on public artist Brenda Barrios, who is also a student at UCLA.

    Barrios uses many themes within Chicanx culture in her art. This shows that her art is intended for Chicanx communities as many of her works depict issues that disproportionately affect the Chicanx community. Of the three works of art that were represented we see the themes of the working class, healthcare, and essential workers. I personally can relate to many of these themes since these are issues that my family has to deal with. Her first piece titled “Medicare for All” depicts a Chicana women service worker cleaning while wearing a mask. During the pandemic many of the jobs seen as useless and undesirable were now viewed as essential workers. Although they were now viewed as essential workers they were still risking their health and lives during an ongoing pandemic that disproportionately affected the working class and people of color. Her second piece titled “Vaccines For the Community” was for a campaign to encourage individuals who are vaccine hesitant in the San Bernardino community. I have members in my family who are hesitant to get the vaccine and works like these can help people change their mind. Her last piece titled “Essential Workers. Pay Them Hazard Pay” depicts essential farm workers working during the many wildfires that occurred throughout the state. Essential workers are still not recognized and respected for their work they have been doing even before the pandemic. Their health and safety was never a priority to many companies and these works of art help begin the dialogue and change for essential workers.

Perez Gutierrez, Richard (Extra Credit - Armed Manifesto)

    Attending the Armed Manifesto was a very unique experience. When I first registered for the event I did not know what I was going to expect. All I saw was the thumbnail of women in face masks holding knives. When the webinar began, it first led with a performance. It then led into a presentation on the organizers behind the event and then a questions and answers to wrap up the event. One additional thing I thought was interesting was that the entire event was in Spanish with English interpreters for those who do not understand Spanish. It is very rare to find webinars and art shows that are intended for Spanish speakers and Latinx people. Usually events have to accommodate Spanish speakers but here it was the other way around. This spoke with the theme of Chicanx, women, feminism, and Latinx solidarity throughout the event. 

During the performance, all four women had different roles and messages they wanted to portray. They all had different types of knives and were cutting various things. One of the messages that stood out to me was when one of the women said, “What matters is the will to cut. Because when I cut I move”. One of the women then begins to chop a banana with a large butcher's knife. I felt like the banana was a metaphor for a penis. They all wrap up the performance with whatever objects they cut up into pieces. The webinar ends with a discussion panel on the organizations. It was very interesting learning about this organization La Revuelta and the spaces they are creating for women. An interesting topic that came up was when an audience member asked how the organization goes about with nonbinary members, queer, and transgender individuals. They said that they do not have to many members who are not cis-gender women, but they are always open to learning and accepting of many identities. This was a very interesting and unique panel and performance that was very educational and helped broaden my knowledge on central and Latin American activism.

Perez Gutierrez, Richard (Week Seven)

    The Claudia Zepata essay really expanded my idea of what art can be. Throughout this course so far we have seen a more traditional form of art and art activism. Many of the artists we have seen use murals, prints, and sculptures to express their works. These all required people to physically be present at a location or building to view the work. With the new digital age we are now able to share work instantly and to across the world.

    Social media platforms have allowed artists to expand the way they do art and the people they reach. Zapata explains how, “Artists are now able to create a ‘born-digital’ work, or images that are electronically developed and distributed” (138). Zapata shares the way artist Lalo Alcaraz used social media to spread awareness for gun violence. Alcaraz drew an image for standing in solidarity with gun control activist Emma Gonzalez who survived a school shooting. Alcaraz allowed users to screenshot their image and share it on their own social media platforms. Zepata called this form of activism “open-source artwork”. Similar to how we call some software's open source, the idea of open-source artwork allows new users to modify and share the original artwork. This allows a continuous and evolving dialogue from what the original artist intended. 

    Living within the new digital age has made me overlook how this was not the norm some years ago. Over the last year we saw a boom in social media activism with the Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate campaigns mixed with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Art, recordings, hashtags, and solidarity were all used on social media to spread awareness of these issues. It makes me wonder how these events would have unfolded 20 years ago when social media was not a thing yet. 

Perez Gutierrez, Richard (Week Six)

    Xandra Ibarra’s collection of work offers a range of different topics and themes. Her pieces are always fully fleshed out and offer a dynamic discussion to something that might be first overlooked due to the explicit and shocking content. The work that I enjoyed the most from Xandra Ibarra was her “Fuck My Life”, short video (2012). “Fuck My Life” depicts the like of a tired showgirl who wakes up from bed and gets ready for another day. This is where I am still left confused about the meaning of the video. In the first half she sings about questioning her life and talks about loneliness while crying and getting ready for work, but in the latter half, she sings about accepting where she is in life and wanting to continue living. I'm left wondering if this is a chronic problem that this character continues to deal with day by day or if she mentally grew throughout this video. I also felt like this could be a criticism of our capitalist society. I noticed a theme of cockroaches throughout her other work as well, and the character ends the video dressed as one also. I am not sure what the cockroach means to her and why she has a strong connection to it. 

I thought this video resonated with me since I also struggle with the message Ibarra was portraying. Being a young person and a college student I don't exactly know what I want to do with my life. I thought Ibarra perfectly encapsulates these very ideas many of us face. I was glad that Ibarra was for the most part able to take control of her lie at the end of the video, as she walks for another day of work. Some questions I would ask her are: What is the meaning of the cockroach? What was the message you were trying to portray in this video? I thought the production was really well done as well as the lyrics. 

Perez Gutierrez, Richard (Wikipedia Draft: Carmen Leon)

Carmen Leon (TBD–present) is a painter, sculptor, and teacher known for her work in the Watsonville, Santa Cruz area.

 

Biography (or Early Life and Education)

Carmen Leon was born in San Francisco in (year TBD) to Peruvian and Mexican parents. Leon began her art education by attending the Ecole des Beaux Art in Paris, France. Leon decided to come back to California to reconnect to her cultural heritage and the Chicano movement. Leon received a Bachelor of Arts at the University of California Santa Cruz in 1975. This is where Leon met artist and professor Museo Eduardo Carrillo who would then become a mentor for Leon. While studying at UCSC Leon participated in the Academia del Arte Chicano de Aztlan. In 1985, she began teaching art focusing on Latinx communities. She is a co-founder of Galeria Tonantzin in San Juan Bautista, CA, a venue for women’s art. In 2003, Leon was the recipient of the Calabash Reward as visual artist of the year.

 

Art  (or Notable Works or Selected Works. Also Exhibitions, Projects, Collections)

·         Exhibition. Califas Legacy Project: Carmen Leon. Google Art & Culture

·         Exhibition. Eduardo Carrillo: Comunidad De Califas Virtual Gallery. UC Santa Cruz.

·         Speaker. Hablamos Juntos

·         Cover Art. Naked Ladies by Alma Luz Villanueva

References

1.     ^ https://museoeduardocarrillo.org/califas-legacy/

2.     ^ https://artsandculture.google.com/story/califas-legacy-project-carmen-le%C3%B3n-museo-eduardo-carrillo/GAVhVOM4QJO1dw?hl=en

3.     ^ https://pvarts.org/dev/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Leon.pdf

Further reading

·         CALIFAS: The Ancestral Journey / El Viaje Ancestral. Moving Parts Press.

·         Contextos: Poemas. Moving Parts Press. ISBN 0-939952-18-1

·         Pajaro Valley Arts Interview. Carmen Leon: Let’s Get Personal.

 

External links

·         Recent Project.

https://www.cityofwatsonville.org/2127/Califas-The-Ancestral-Journey

·         Califas Legacy Project.

https://museoeduardocarrillo.org/califas-legacy/ 

Perez Gutierrez, Richard (Week 5)

    Reading Carmen Lomas Garza has so far been a pleasant read. It is nice seeing a new style of paintings compared to Yolanda Lopez which demonstrates the range of Chicana art. It is interesting how Garza chose not to have explicit meanings of social justice, oppression, and struggle in her work compared to the ones in Yolanda M. Lopez's reading. I felt these gave off a more heartwarming nostalgic feeling that can relate to many of our childhood memories and experiences. From the images I have been able to read about so far, “Figure 5. Carmen Lomas Harza, Cakewalk, 1987. Pg 9” was one I thought was the most intriguing. 

    Cakewalk is filled with so much information and details, it can take you a while to understand the whole image. The story behind the image is of a fundraiser for the American GI Forum of which Garza’s parents were apart. A cakewalk is a lottery-based game where one stands over a random number and if your number is called out you receive a cake. Everyone is generally having a good time. The painting is very detailed, in that many side stories are happening. There are children playing and running around, the parents are hosting snacks and beverages, the cakewalk is going on, and even a couple hiding away in the corner. Even at a young age, Garza drew herself drawing on the pavement. These community-based events are very common in Chicanx communities. 

    This reminds me of the many parties and events my neighbors would host in my apartment complex as well as the cultural events hosted by my community. Since most of my neighbors knew each other, everyone was invited and everyone had a great time. These parties would go on for hours and late into the night. Since Covid, many of these large gatherings and celebrations have shrunken or stopped completely. This reminded me of how important community is when it's taken away from you.

Perez Gutierrez, Richard (Week 4)

        Before this week's reading, I was not aware of the term “rasquachismo”. After reading more about it, learning the origins, and what makes someone rasquache, I have realized that this word totally encapsulates my father. The rasquache aesthetic came to popularity from the 1930s and 1940s theater shows called “carpa” and “tandas de variedad”. Actors acted in bawdy comedic sketches. Rasquache would later evolve during the 1960s Chicano movement to help Chicano identities. Jennifer A. Gonzalez, excellency explains how rasquachismo came to define many Chicanos when she writes, “Rasquachismo, as a sensibility of the downtrodden, mirrored the social reality of the majority of Chicanos who were poor, disenfranchised, and mired in elemental daily struggles for survival” (88). The idea of rasquachismo is something I now see within my own community and within my own family.

        Throughout my life, my parents have always been known to be resourceful. They would reuse and repurpose anything and everything. And at times to the point where I would get embarrassed. Karen Mary Davalos even describes rasquachismo in Yolanda M. Lopez as “making do with what's at hand (15)”, and that's exactly what my parents learned to do. Both my parents come from a working-class background, so they needed to learn how to be resourceful and adaptive to survive. These are the very ideas of being rasquache. I don't have too many examples of rasquache, but I did find this little shrine my father made a while back. This is actually the same Guadalupe figure I showed in the previous post but I purposely cropped out everything else because at the time I thought it looked tacky (which rasquache was sometimes described as), but my father worked hard on gathering pieces around the house and even going to our local 99¢ Store to gather some additional supplies to build this. To him, he believes this is a beautiful piece that honors these figures, and I would agree.

Perez Gutierrez, Richard (Abstract for Carmen Leon)

Source 1:
https://www.cityofwatsonville.org/2127/Califas-The-Ancestral-Journey 

The City of Watsonville published an article on the latest of the “Califas Legacy Project”, which features “art and ideas of our region’s Chicano/a/x and Latinx creative leaders, our elders in the movement and the next generation artists across the Monterey Bay Crescent.” The Califas project interviews Carmen Leon. Where she attended college. How having predominantly white professors was like in her education and having the first Chicano teacher affected her. They ask her which Chicanx artist influenced her and her work.  How these artists influenced her latest mural. The importance of her cultural heritage. What she experienced during the Chicano movement during the 70s. And what it is like being a Chicana living in Watsonville, CA.
Source 2:
https://artsandculture.google.com/story/califas-legacy-project-carmen-le%C3%B3n-museo-eduardo-carrillo/GAVhVOM4QJO1dw?hl=en

The Google Art and Culture created an article on Carmen Leon through the Califas Legacy Project. The presentation goes through various of her previous works and explains what inspired each piece. How her art evolved over time and exploring different kinds of mediums such as clay, painting, and murals. Her work experiences as an art teacher, painting community murals, and working with children. As well as her parents' migration story and the illness that has affected family members.  Her Mexican and Peruvian heritage plays a large role in the message and meanings of her art.
Source 3:
https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2018/09/19/pajaro-valley-arts-exhibit-hablamos-juntos-highlights-latinx-culture/ 

The Santa Cruz Sentinel released an article titled, “Pajaro Valley exhibit ‘Hablamos Juntos’ highlights Latinx culture.” Hablamos Juntos was created by Juan Fuentes and Michelle Mouton to help explore visual dialogs created by California Latinx artists. Carmen Leon is one of the artists being featured. Carmen explains the importance of being part of the conversation to demonstrate her art which references both her personal and political views. In addition to showing young children and Chicanxs something to identify with. This project is a partnership with the San Jose Museum of Art.

Perez Gutierrez, Richard (Week 3)

    I have definitely seen images of the Virgin of Guadalupe throughout my life. Both of my parents are Catholic and Mexican so they are familiar with religion and the Virgin of Guadalupe. They often placed religious images and objects around the house. Some of these had the Virgin of Guadalupe. I inserted a little figure of the Virgin of Guadalupe that I found around my house. I also remember them lighting candles that had her image and saying her name in their prayers. I also live in a community where the majority of people are either Catholic or Christian and from Latin America. I did not really know the history or story behind the Virgin of Guadalupe. My basic understanding was that she was the Latin American version of the Virgin Mary. 

    When I did schooling to do my first communion I don't remember every discussion about who the Virgin of Guadalupe was. Although I do remember the church having a memorial outside with a statue of her where people can drop off flowers and offerings. I was not aware of the history of the Virgin of Guadalupe until recently. I learned about who Juan Diego was and how there was a basilica made for the apparitions of the Virgin of Guadalupe. From googling I learned this location is one of the most-visited holy sites in the world and the most visited in the western hemisphere. 

    I find it very interesting how the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe evolved to mean many things. During a lecture, we saw how she can represent feminism, sexuality, or perpetuate sexism. She is a significant symbol among Catholics in Latin America, It has been used in many social movements like the farmworkers labor movement, and overall an icon used in pop culture. We'll be seeing more interpretations and reworks of the Virgin of Guadalupe when we read Yolanda Lopez and her work which I am looking forward to reading. The Virgin of Guadalupe has had a large influence on Chicano culture and is a celebrated figure among many.

Yanin Ruibal

2. Rocio Navarro
3. Paula Flores

Perez Gutierrez, Richard (Richard)

Hello Class! My name is Richard Perez Gutierrez. My preferred pronouns are he/him/his. I am a second-year transfer student majoring in sociology and maybe possibly minoring in Chicana and Chicano studies. I'm from the San Fernando Valley where I attended Los Angeles Pierce Community College before transferring here. I didn't really know what I wanted to major in. I hopped from computer science to nursing to eventually sticking with sociology. I just found the major to be really interesting and I never was bored or dreaded attending class. I have enjoyed most of my classes here so far. I am attending this class because I am interested in majoring in Chicana and Chicano studies and this class fills in one of the electives. 

I chose this class in particular because I have no knowledge of Chicana art and would like to learn more about it, especially being from Los Angeles I am unaware of most of the Chicana/o art influence it has on the city. This class stood out from the previous Chicano classes I have taken as this one emphasizes art. When I read “Conditions for producing Chicana art” it reminded me of the previous Chicana/o classes I had taken where women in farmers/labor rights movements were also cast aside and their work was undervalued. And when women did put themselves out there they faced tons of backlash, but it led to change in the social attitudes of Chicana women. 

Aside from that, I am a first-generation college student and I am excited to hopefully graduate this year and be the first in my family to have a college degree. I hope to later pursue a career in social work so obtaining a master's degree in social work seems to be the next step. I would like to remain living and working within my community and help contribute to making my community better. Other interests I have are mainly watching cartoons and playing video games.