Rodriguez, Sasha (Week 10)

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been introduced to many new artists on so many different platforms. This was a great experience learning about different Chicana artists in an area that I was not familiar with before this course. From learning about artists from different countries and even to a fellow classmate! One artist who really caught my attention throughout this course was Carmen Lomas Garza. Her art made me feel a lot of emotions. A sense of pride in my culture represented in art, and just opening my eyes to a new definition of art. Before I was only really familiar with abstract art or what people would consider classic art pieces and not really introduced to anything outside that type of art but Garza really broke that mold for me. Her art is warmth and family on a screen and shows art does not have to be a serious image to be beautiful and valid. The folk-style art style which focuses on her culture and of family is meaningful. Her art is just that, art, and does not need to be more defined. When thinking about art that is focused on culture the first thing that comes to my mind is activist art that makes a big statement usually political but although Garza is an activist her art is not focused on one message. It is just people living their life in a community, from a quince to people gathering for some food together. It is pieces of life that lots of people from that community can relate to, and makes art feel relatable. Her magic windows were also stunning in a new way that they are something that can be done at home and just made with so much care but still seen as art. Especially when they are moved to different mediums like magic windows made out of metal. She uses art to make people feel welcomed and I can’t believe I was barely introduced to her!

Rodriguez, Sasha (Week 9)

 As another week of presentation goes by we were once again introduced to many artists ranging from the end of our public art form to now seeing artists who identify themselves as painters. Andrew Avila presented on an artist who goes by the title By Ayala that makes art inspired to embrace and empower all cultures. Her art is reclaiming not just Latino culture but Native Americans and people of color. The work that caught my attention was “Chola Lisa” which made me feel very prideful. The Mona Lisa is a very well know piece of work and is described as iconic, which is very heavily displays European standards of beauty. If you think about it in the past there were no notable art pieces that portrayed people outside those standards. When thinking about classic art that features people like “Girl with a Pearl Earring” or “The Birth of Venus” it is an art that only represents one kind of beauty. Looking at the “Chola Lisa” taking this idea of beauty and how art should look like and turning it into something that represents a very different community. Women who are considered Cholas are not always viewed in the best lighting as the original “Mona Lisa”. They have an impossible beauty standard to live up to and the way Ayala painted the piece makes the character Chola Lisa feel elegant, beautiful, and still her with tattoos, giant hoop earrings, and the bold makeup style that is prominent in a lot of Latinx communities. She looks stunning and By Ayala does that to a lot of pieces she creates. Using bold vibrant colors that come together to create pieces that embark on confidence in a beautiful way. Using other cultures as well to honor and portray people in this light of not dimming their own shine and reclaiming the idea of what should be the standard of beauty.

Rodriguez, Sasha (Week 8- Armando Perez)

 During the first week of presentations, we were introduced to a lot of amazing artists through our classmates. One presentation that really caught my attention was by Armando Perez who presented it to a fellow classmate in the course Brenda Barrios. A public artist who from the work we showed seems to use her work for activism. Tackling issues such as the farmworker movement and the pandemic. To me, her art about people working in fields was extremely moving. In one image she made it so you could see the dangers that they go through each day along with wanting to pay tribute to thank them for their work. 

Then her mural promoting the vaccine and making sure all communities can acquire them is vibrant. It shows a diverse range of people and I think she captures what a community truly looks like with not just people but actions with dancing and being with people you love. Something that stood out to me was her color choice. In the pieces, we saw there were a lot of bold and vibrant colors in her art but then had a softer color as a background to highlight the focus of her work which from what we saw were the people. Something about her art style and colors makes it so you can’t help but turn and look at her art because it is stunning. 

Her art speaks for itself because it’s vibrant and you can feel the passion behind it but Brenda herself is a very impressive person. She is a young artist and when Armando mentioned all the accomplishments she has done already you can’t help but be in awe. One was that she has painted a mural that I will definitely be going out to see since it was mentioned to still be up. Overall Armando did a great job presenting and telling us about Brenda!

Rodriguez, Sasha (Extra Credit - Armed Manifesto)

     Performance art was taken to a new platform when the world went completely virtual. While other types of artists could showcase their work through photos and social media the challenge of performing faced new obstacles. Connecting to people over a screen, sharing their work over clips, and coordinating over the dreaded zoom. Though making their art zoom friendly was not a problem for the Armed Manifesto because even though their whole life went digital it didn't stop them from creating and sharing art. In fact, they used this new method to their advantage and created a piece that worked well over zoom using props and their homes as scenery. The main tool each used was a knife and cutting board letting those sounds echo in the zoom call and then each taking turn to share a part of the message they are wanting to display. The main focus was women in control and taking charge. It highlighted to me that you spread your message in any way and no matter how it seems whether virtual or in-person that does not diminish or make the performance less impactful at all. 

    After watching the video there was time to ask the artists about their work and their journey as an artist. Through this webinar, I learned a lot of new things. That zoom gave a wider range in artists who can collaborate together because my first impression was each one of them knew each other and were friends but in fact, some have not met in person and only could talk through zoom. They were in different countries but begin online meant that distance was no longer an issue at all either. It was interesting to learn that and also the struggle of how being an artist from a different country can impact your work. Such that when focusing on artists that are from the United States we tend to forget the visa struggle people go through. Some artists on the panel talked about how that is an issue and can prevent them from lots of opportunities because they weren’t sure whether they can commit to shows or galleries when they don’t know if they will be allowed in the country. These were just some of the topics mentioned during the event and gave a lot of awareness.

Rodriguez, Sasha (Week 7: Claudia Zapata)

When looking at art I never thought about the process and journey that was made to get where we are today. Claudia Zapata showed not just the importance of digital art overall but gave a story about the way digital art has been used throughout history. Learning about the digital media of art has given a new platform to artists and broadened the art world entirely. It’s amazing how there are new ways art is created and that nothing is set in stone but rather than limiting what people consider art it just always expands. Zapata mentions how graphic outputs paves way for not just new art but the advocacy art can represent speaking for the Chicano movement. That the technology that people have had access to males a new “cultural layer” which is different than before. In the past art would be limited to only being seen in person but then that was not a limitation.

A new audience was available and sharing art became a lot easier and accessible. One of the examples given was sharing over email which Alma Lopez shared her work and in a way created a path that sharing over a digital platform was a game-changer. Then you have social media platforms where even more people can be reached and it gave Chicanx artists so much potential to share work and be given an advocacy platform. Favianna Rodriguez uses this change to show just how beneficial the wave of technology can be to artists. It allowed websites to be something that people can view instantly and get a better understanding of not just avocet artists but all artists. There Rodriguez showcased her art not limited to only a gallery that you can only see in person but made a virtual gallery full of her images and created “their own movement media” which showed how impactful art can be no matter the platform. Digital platforms can give everyone a voice and a way to showcase themselves to the world how they see fit.

Rodriguez, Sasha (Week 6 Xandra Ibarra)

 

    Xandra Ibarra catches attention from the very first impression. Her first image is mesmerizing in a way that you can’t stop looking at it and drawn in. Almost constrained looking just as the model is in the image. Then clicking on the menu you can tell Xandra is a unique artist because of the website design and from her biography, you can tell her work is very important to her and that it seems she uses her work to be an activist for a number of causes such as being a feminist and sexuality. 

    Ibarra’s work has definitely covered very serious topics in numerous ways from sculptures, performances, and photos there is one series that seems to have captured all those features in one. That would be Inventory of Exhaustion Seriers (2016) which is shown on her website. It was displayed as an exhibition in 2016 but now we can only see images, photos of past costumes that Ibarra used sealed up in a vacuum-sealed bag only showing a glimpse of her past performances. There are five costumes that were once used and are now just a shell of the former La Chica Boom. 

    Never is she denouncing them or placing them in a bad light or acting as though she is trying to move on from the past but rather the opposite. These outfits are stored with care and when you vacuum seal something in my household that just means you are saving it for later such as putting away winter clothing but vacuum seal them to save space. It seems like she is saying she is proud of her past work and that although she has moved past them and is working on something new she will always treasure the space that these performances gave to not only herself but to others. To me, it shows it is okay to grow into a new skin and to remember the past and work you have done but don’t let it clutter your now. Of course, I could be overthinking and misinterpreting the piece but that’s what I see when looking at these images. The one question I would ask is why does La Chica Boom align herself with a cucaracha when they typically hold a negative meaning? Of all the resilient animals she could have chosen to represent herself she picked one of the most disliked things on the planet and I wonder why. 

Rodriguez, Sasha (Extra Credit Art In Uncertain Times - X as Intersection Latinx Artists in Conversation Series)

At the launch of the "X as Intersection: Latinx Artists in Conversation" series we were introduced to four different and very unique Latinx artists who together made up a variety of different methods of art. Some were painters, photographers, or even performance artists. All using their medium to express themselves and be included in the conversation.  Before talking about my favorite piece that was shown I want to mention something that I thought was interesting that was brought up. 

These artists were invited to speak and present art because some of their artwork demonstrated modes of activism. I thought that artists who share work that might be considered a political or social commentary that was intentional. That it was the purpose of their work and they would want to be considered activists. After being able to listen to the webinar I learned that is not true.

 

In fact, half the artists who spoke did not consider themselves activists. They made the art because they felt there was a need for these pieces to be seen by others. Elia Alba doesn’t consider herself an activist but is conscious of the political statements she wants to address, she can not not create that art. Coco Fusco mentioned that being an artist who identifies as being an activist is hard. They get judged by the are community as work not being as art but as activism especially for artists of color. The community has tried to diminish the work of artists who want to identify themselves as both and try to label them as one or the other but overlap happens. 

 

Christina Fernandez was another artist who doesn’t associate herself as an activist. She makes objects that she cares about. How it is received in the world and who sees it she and every artist have little control over but she creates because it needs to be shared. 

It was disheartening to know that work she created in the political aspect that was made a decade ago; none of these problems are solved. My favorite piece that was shown was by Christina Fernandez. It was a piece that why she created it was to bring attention to farmworkers who have passed due to poor conditions in the field and she showed them by putting rows of dirt with their names on index cards. There were so many names and that is just a very small part that we were brought aware of. It is such a moving piece and because of climate change conditions have gotten worse along with more deaths due to overheating. She is bringing “Untitled Farmworkers (1989)” back for a reinstallment to try and bring awareness to new people. I think this piece is powerful because it really shows how art, a photo, can lead to showing you the world in a new way. It makes those statistics you see of deaths so much more personal and I hope motivates change and gets seen by people who can make that change.

Rodriguez, Sasha (Wiki-Draft Sandoval, Kristy)

Kristy Sandoval (years active 2007-present) is a Xicana muralist based out of the Northeast San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. She is known for her mural “Assada Shakur”.

 

Biography (or Early Life and Education)

Kristy Sandoval (born 1983) studied at the Academy of Art University receiving her BA in Web Design and New Media (2002 - 2007)

 

Art 

“Decolonized” 2015

 

“Being human, human being” 22’ x 50’ pained with acrylics in (Kadikoy) Istanbul, Turkey

 

“Assada Shakur” 15’ x 45’ located at 13161 Van Nuys Blvd on Mural Mile in Pacoima, CA

 

 

References

^ https://www.muralmile.org/recent

 

^ https://laist.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/muralists-sonia-romero-and-kristy-sandoval-paint-the-future-and-honor-the-past

^ https://www.dailynews.com/2020/12/27/pacoima-artist-teacher-and-now-promotora-kristy-sandoval-uses-areas-murals-to-promote-public-health/

 

Further reading

(In progress)

 

External links

Artist’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/pintora.ksan/

Artists’ Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristysan/

Rodriguez, Sasha (Week 5)

 

Before this course, I’ve never heard of Carmen Lomas Garza and I feel as though I have been missing out on art. Looking through her pieces it was hard to pick one to talk about as they are all made me feel a connection to them. I love her art style and vibrant colors which make all her artwork seem inviting. While it was hard to narrow it down I am going to talk about her work Baile (dance) 2001. Most of her pieces brought back memories of my family and gave a sense of home with growing up in a Mexican household but Baile personally brought the most joy. It shows music being played while the family dances and people are having a wonderful time dancing the night away. It’s a vibrant piece showing the different arrange of dance partners which really struck close to home. You see grandparents dancing with their grandchildren and if you look closely it seems that the granddaughter is on her tippy toes trying to be taller for her grandfather. A dad dancing with his daughter by carrying her and even two little girls about to dance with each other because they don’t want to be left out on the fun. 

     This reminded me so much of my own family were whenever we would hold or go to parties this scene was there. People danced like there was no tomorrow and the best thing about dancing is there is no age limit. At my grandmother’s 80th birthday party there was a  mariachi who came and played. People were dancing, mother’s with their babies holding them like the father in the image. Everyone danced with my grandmother who loves music and there were even people like the little boy in the corner who just are embarrassed to dance and end up on the sidelines. Baile is the happy feeling of celebrating with family and friends in an image.

Rodriguez, Sasha (Week 4 Rasquachismo)

 Rasquachismo has always been taught to me as an attitude and way of life. Just as the readings give a definition of it being an attitude and strategy to go on in the world that is similar to how I know the word. It has been taught that rasquachismo defines all of the Mexicans that I grew up with who worked hard each day to keep living each day. It is the idea of picking yourself up even when everything is going unwell not because you want to but because you have to. It defines neighborhoods where it seems like the people are overlooked but they still keep going on no matter what life or anything throws at them. 

 

I know now that rasquchismo means something different to a lot of people and there seems to not be one correct definition of the word. It can mean being resourceful, being stingy, being brash. It can mean not being afraid to get dirty and the word can be seen in a negative light to who or what it is describing as well. 

 

The phrase  “making do with what’s at hand” is a line that I believe perfectly captures my experience with rasquachismo and one that also defines the Watts Towers. This iconic destination is a prime example of rasquachismo because this art started from a man who was just using what he had to make art in his backyard. He didn’t need fancy tools or expensive material he just decorated to make himself happy. Why I think these towers represent this idea is because the Watts Towers are considered to be art but Simon Rodia used anything he could find and put on the towers to create it. He used seashells, tiles, ceramics, and most memorable he used broken glass. All items that he used are usually considered trash and that have no more use but he found another purpose for them. Rodia repurposed objects and was resourceful. Working hard and working cleverly to create what we know today as a National Historic Landmark. It shows that no matter what you can use your surroundings and make what you have into something great. Even if they look like just trash rasquachismo means you can keep going and find the purpose in everything maybe not because it’s easy but because you have to.

Rodriguez, Sasha (Abstract for Sandoval, Kristy)

 “Featured Artists.” Los Angeles Mural Mile, https://www.muralmile.org/recent.

Abstract: The Los Angeles Mural Mile art movement is a recognized cultural landmark in the Los Angeles area that features over 50 murals with muralists. On the official website, they provide a feature of Kristy Sandoval along with other artists who have contributed to Mural Mile. As a featured artist, they provide quotes and a short biography of her and other artists on the page highlighting their pieces. They provide photos of Kristy's work not only the piece she made on Mural Mile but other murals she has done in the past.

Morgan, Ewan. “A Look into the Future: The Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.” KCET, 3 Aug. 2021, https://www.kcet.org/shows/lost-la/a-look-into-the-future-the-los-angeles-olympics-in-2028.

Abstract: KCET is a programming network that was been providing cultural and educational content throughout Southern California for over 50 years. In this article written by Ewam Morgan, Kristy Sandoval was acknowledged for a mural she painted at Delano Park. It features a photo of her painting a mural that she painted on behalf of Alex Morgan. This mural was able to be featured with the Los Angeles 2028 Organizing Committee and Kristy was mentioned by name in the article for her art.

“Mural Mile: Kristy Sandoval.” 7500, Woodbury University, http://www.7500magazine.com/mural-mile.html.

Abstract: 7500 is a Woodbury University student magazine that highlights arts, media, and culture around the Los Angeles area. Kristy Sandoval was featured in an article written by Joceline Ortiz talks about her murals along The Mural Mile. This article mentions murals Kristy has painted over the year and goes in-depth on her piece Assata Shakur Fighter which we created with the HOODsisters. The article, it included not only quotes from Kristy speaking about her pieces and background but also photographs of her past murals. 

Sonksen, Mike. “La Muralists Sonia Romero and Kristy Sandoval Paint the Future.” LAist, Southern California Public Radio/ KPCC, 22 Apr. 2021, https://laist.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/muralists-sonia-romero-and-kristy-sandoval-paint-the-future-and-honor-the-past. 

Abstract: LAist is news centered around Los Angeles that is partnered with KPCC. Featured in the article written by Mike Sonksen, are two LA muralists one including Kristy Sandoval. Showcasing not just images or her murals but also reporting in detail Sandoval's artistic journey and murals she had showcased in her career. Multiple murals were mentioned and given information on but one that was focused on was a mural called Decolonized to bring attention to the mural history throughout LA. It also focuses on Kristy's thoughts of what her murals mean to her and what messages she wants to send through her art to communities. 

Week 3 (Rodriguez, Sasha)

 

As a Chicana who grew up in Southern California the Virgin of Guadalupe was a very familiar image. My relationship with her is different in that even though my family is Catholic and my grandparents had very strong connections to religion I did not grow up with the same attachment. My parents gave us the choice and allowed us to find our own way toward religion if we picked it. Though just because I was not religious growing up she was still vibrant in my life. The Virgin of Guadalupe was my culture in she was the idea of the perfect woman. That's what I was told. She represents purity, feminity, and being a mother. Those were all values that I should have to be a woman and that was the representation I had to look up to for she was everywhere. From necklaces to images in the home to murals around the streets. She is an image you know to respect and to be in awe of and she is someone my grandparents love very much. So much that my grandfather wanted the place he was buried to have a view of the Virgin of Guadalupe so that he felt like she was looking over him and us when we came to visit him. So to say that even though I am not religious she is present in my life and I admire her. 

     It wasn't until I saw the image of Our Lady that I truly felt connected to her. In traditional images, she is what perfection should be and what I should be which always made me feel a lot of pressure. Pressure to fit this mold or I am not good enough or really deserving of my culture because when I saw the Virgin I did not see myself. Our Lady and other interpretations did make me feel like I saw myself and that the Virgin is not one person but she is more than that. I can be bold, I can be brash, I can be me and not have this idea of if I am not pure and motherly then that makes me less in the world. I didn't know I needed to see the different interpretations of the Virgin but now she makes me feel proud. Proud to be Mexican, to be a woman, to just be me. That is a bit of my experience with the Virgin of Guadalupe. 

Sandoval, Kristy

Rodriguez, Sasha

 

Hello everyone! My name is Sasha Rodriguez and I use she/her pronouns. I am a second-year transfer student going into my senior year at UCLA. Pursuing a Political Science major with a double minor in Labor Studies and Chicana/o and Central American Studies. 

I took a course in this department last fall and we studied different interpretations from Chicanx and Latinx artists of the Virgen de Guadalupe where my interest in this topic began. "Conditions for Producing Chicana Art" does inform us that Chicana/x and Latinx art is now more than that artistic definition of the Virgen but I will always be in awe of that introduction because it seems that was just the beginning of Chicana art. It is a media that is creating new definitions for the phrase Chicana Art and as the readings suggest there should not be a difference in valuing art because of society's gender views I still wanted to pursue a course that did focus on women. I believe that in order to create that equality and no longer have this hierarchy on deciding "better" artists we need to sometimes focus on artists that get overlooked. This is something I am hoping to gain from this course, learning about artists that I'm not familiar with, and from the first readings, we are already on a great start!

Although I am no artist myself I do enjoy learning about the subject. I want to learn about how to get more involved with art as a supporter and deeper my limited knowledge of Latinx art and artists. I've grown up in areas where the Latinx population had a lot of influence but art wasn't published or displayed in the way we would think about art such as in a museum or exhibit. For me, Latinx art has always been murals on the streets of East LA or downtown. It's going to be interesting to include more to that definition and see different ways art is present in our community.