Class Reflection

The subject of Chicana art was straightforward at first.  This is because I have taken many Chicana/o Studies courses where we study the identity development of Chicanas and Chicanos; however, this course elaborated on this identity within the context of art activism.  I found that Chicana identity is more than a hybrid of cultures but that of intersecting identities that results from experience.  The course challenged me to build basic artistic skills, but also to think of art as a means of identity and political activism.  Given that art is not the core of my academic interest, I have never taken the time to engage with art at a personal level.  At first, our drawings felt as a skill development, but as we learned about the purpose behind each artist’s work, I began to appreciate each assignment as personal.  For example, the last assignment in which we had to draw a family gathering  ‘a la Lomas Garza’, as I was drawing I felt a sense of comfort and exposure.  Drawing my families gathering made me realize how much family has changed in the past three years.  As I was drawing the scene of the gathering, I noticed that my family has shrunk in size.  I grew with four brothers and two sisters along with both of my parents, which meant that my family celebrations were full of music and plenty of food for all to enjoy.  After my father past away about three years ago, my family started disintegrating.  The drawing shows what my family gatherings look like now; It is my mom, two little brothers, and I preparing a large dinner for ourselves.   Drawing this scene made me realize that art is a coping mechanism that allowed me to “voice” out my discomfort with my current family gatherings.  I did not even know that I felt that way until I drew it on my sketchbook.  At this point, the work in my sketchbook felt personal and alleviating.  Over all, this class allowed me to understand Chicana art through an identity and political consciousness perspective.

Chicana Printmakers....Chicana Agency

Holly Barnet-Sanchez writes “Where Are the Chicana Printmakers?” that examines the political insight and identity proclamations of Chicana printmakers from 1976 -1990.  She explores the complexity of Chicana printmaking styles and themes that are not identical but that does hold a similar level of agency and strive for coalition among Chicano/a communities.  These commonality can be understood as a cultural hybridity that is never the same but in turn is in the remix that result from generations of land conquest that result in culture clashing.  From such culture collision a mestizo consciousness is produced, which is the prominent theme discussed by Barnet-Sanchez when exploring Chicana printmaking.  For example, Yreina Cervantez’ screen-print El Pueblo Chicano con El Pueblo Centroamericano (The Chicano Village with the Central American Village) 1986 that represents pre-Columbian figures, Central American leaders like Sandino, Che Guevara and Rigoberta Menchu.  Combined with the images of these leaders, contemporary Chicano/a symbols like the La Virgen and a clinched fist that are introduced to represent solidarity with the experience of being subjects of colonization.  All of the figures in this piece control and express different levels of agency that the artist has chosen to also own.  Such level of cultural hybridity and statement of identity aesthetics are prevalent throughout the Chicana printmakers discussed by Barnet-Sanchez. 

Las Peleoneras

Carmen Lomas Garza’s work seems simplistic however it is complex in color and the detailed on realistic features.  For instance, Lomas Garza’s Las Peleoneras (1988) depicts two women fighting outside a dance club. The female characters are pulling each other’s hair while couples walk away not wanting to get involved in the scandal. At first, this image comes of as comical, but then one realized this is a real depiction of how people react to violence around them.  Some might consider stepping in to help while other people do not bother to look; I find that Lomas Garza’s intention was to bring attention to the many roles imposed on women and how these can contribute to a level of violence. 

Letter to Shizu Saldamando

Hi Ms. Saldamando,

My name is Alicia Billalobos; I am a senior at UCLA majoring in Chicana/o Studies with a minor in education and an intern at the Stanley Mosk Superior Courthouse.  I chose to explore and present your artwork because I had heard your name from a friend whom you tattooed.  Your detailed skills on portraiture really caught my eye and taking an art class where I had the opportunity to explore an artist presented a perfect opportunity to get to know you as a professional figure.  The use of realism and simple mediums of art used in your work interest me because I felt a sense of understanding of the art although I have never studied art.  As I replayed interviews and presentations, where you talked about your intent to create art that is interactive with the viewer I felt validated.  Your drawing selection that includes Backyard Hardcore is my favorite because you depict the underground punk scene that is often invisible to many. Growing up in Boyle Heights, I was involved in underground music scenes that where never part of anything else besides the late night gigs that where forgotten after a drunken night.  When I saw your drawing work depicting that memory combined with your intention to make art about the audience instead of the artist itself, a genuine respect grew for your work.  I know you are now working at an East Los Angeles tattoo parlor and hope to stop by soon to get some ink on my back.  I appreciate your effort to acknowledge the simple artistic means and experiences of everyday people because it creates a dialogical interaction to the purpose and roles of artist.

Response to Miranda Rivera's, Dia De los Muertos at Grand Park

In her post, Miranda Rivera shares her experience at Grand Park’s Dia de Los Muertos celebration. Miranda highlights the cultural significance of Dia de Los Muertos as a moment of grieving, commemoration, and celebration for our loved ones’ passing to a new stage of their life. Like Miranda experienced, I felt uneasy when I saw people from non-Latino/a heritage painting their faces and emulating some of the practices without no understanding of its cultural significance.  Although I experienced a sense of discomfort, I took a step back and considered that people who have no understanding of its cultural and spiritual meaning taking part in the celebration weren't doing it with bad intentions. Undoubtedly, Dia de Los Muertos is becoming part of mainstream celebrations that might be a result of misappropriations by entertainment industries or people just trying to take a cool picture.  I find that events like Grand Parks’ that take part in spiritual and cultural practice must make it a priority to educate its public and be aware of community diversity. It is crucial for all people to understand and appreciate other communities’ cultural practices, but that it must be done in a respectful and conscious manner. People should be open to learning before taking part in any action and then reflect on how that may affect themselves and others; just so that you don't end up with a Halloween costume as a Dia de Los Muertos ceremony. Dia de Los Muertos is one example on how a community's culture can be detrimentally appropriated, but it also serves as a cautionary example for myself to reexamine the celebration that I take part in.

Laura Aguilar & Physical Terrain

The work by Laura Aguilar is inspiring and dialogical in the sense that her work confronts one with a series of questions regarding definitions of beauty. Aguilar’s unfortunate experience with depression, dyslexia and complexion insecurity are direct influences to her commitment and thrive for photography.  Her physical positioning in the work makes her art intimate, but a private matter that is relevant to many who are stressed by mainstream standards of beauty. Although Aguilar started using photography to deal with her personal dilemmas, her work has the potential to help viewers process self-esteem discrepancies.  

The image above was not discussed in class, however I find it to provide a clear insight to Aguilar’s battle with her physical appearance.  In this image she is carrying a woman's body on her back, through a desert where the only sheet of protection is the sun rays.  Like Aguilar explained, she lacks physical touch from other bodies yet she carries their standards everywhere she goes.  She relies on the warmth of nature to comfort her and to provide the acceptance as a disabled, lesbian, and dyslectic individual. The plainness of the desert and its diverse terrain parallels with Aguilar’s experience.   

Defying Stereotypes

These week's art and artist presentations provided an insight to the evolution of Chicana and Chicano art aesthetics; that is art with a mission that presents a critique to the status quo, art measured on its own terms, cultural integrity and self-affirmation; as well as the use of montage, which is the bringing together of dissimilar elements into a new whole.  For example, the presentation on artist Patssi Valdez conducted by Miranda Rivera, encompassed gender role critiques, challenged mainstream art canons and revealed Chicano/a resistant aspirations.  The piece Asco, Spray paint LACMA is one example Chicana art and identity aesthetics that defy detrimental stereotypes against Chicano/as artist and community. In these piece Patssi Valdez is affirming her presence in the artistic world by literally positioning her body in the art but more notably to the place that rejected her group’s validity. The Chicano/a identity emerged from a community that is in discontent with their mainstream representations but nonetheless they have always resisted such harmful portrayal by developing their political discourse.  Through the development of scholarship and different means of artistic standards, Chicano/a representation has been one of perseverance, resistance and expression of cultural politics. The work presented by our classmates, introduced a new dimension of expressing politics that is not limited to one definition, but inclusive of the arts, literature, performance, organizations that do not succumb to mainstream standards. 

Sketchbook stencil

From my understanding, our sketchbook project is about one engaging with our own creative artistic expressionistic identity and I am assuming the work will revolve around our experience; Thus, the stencil of my father’s image is a only one feature of my own Chicana identity and the rest of the project will consist of other features. The image on my Sketchbook is of my father Matias Villalobos. This is one of the only few images that I have of him since he passed away almost three years ago.  I chose this image first, because I want to honor his memory; second, because he was my best friend and lastly I want my first image to be a scope of my sketchbook project.  I find that the educacion that my father and mother continue to provide for me is vital to my identity and career path.  Since the passing of my father, I have grown as a person, though  i have a sense that he lives within who I am today.  My father’s stencil image is a reflection of only a few aspects of his persona.  He was a casual herb smoker who believed in the simplicity of happiness. Like the stencil of his image, he was a simple man who found happiness in being part of a united family (La Familia).  

" Si La Virgencita lo permite"

La Virgen de Guadalupe has been an icon of protection, faith and hope that occupies a special role in my family as well as in my community.  I grew up with the image of La Virgen being present in the kitchen calendar, quilts, frames, small ‘recuerdos’, candles, tattoos, and murals.  Her image is associated with the motherly qualities that makes an individual feel at ease.  I have never felt a devoted faith towards La Virgen, but I have infinite respect just like I do to any mother and mujer.  To me she is an icon of respect and high esteem that my family and community are devoted to. I find that her symbolism can be interpreted to be for a feminine audience, however, seeing my male siblings/ community members engage with La Virgen influences my conclusion that La Virgen can at times be a non-gendered conforming icon.  For example, my older brother has a tattoo of La Virgen that he proudly shows-off not as a reminder of ‘how/what’ mujeres are out to be, instead, as an expression of mutual importance and power.  Alicia Gaspar de Alba writes, “There’s no place like Aztlan” where she explores the relationship between identity aesthetics and their relationship to mainstream social representation.  During lecture, Gaspar de Alba discussed the minimal inclusion of Chicana artist in the CARA exhibition that further marginalized the identity of Chicana feminist.  She concluded with an image “ Guadalupe walking” by Yolanda Lopez and explored how La Virgen’s icon can be further deconstructed to represent diverse Chicana feminist politics of identity. I appreciate the feminist interpretation of La Virgen because they produce different iconography for her role La Virgen plays within my community and family.  For instance, by displaying La Virgen’s image to represented the multiple identities of Chicana feminist and their association to La Virgen; the community as a whole is taking steps to break away from essentialist gender roles while at the same time simply expanding its faithful symbolism.  Overall, I enjoyed the questioning of La Virgen’s origins because since I was a kid I accepted her role without knowing what it meant and it is fascinating to take a step back to explore it development.

Billalobos, Alicia

Hi, my name is Alicia Billalobos and I am fourth year transfer student majoring in Chicana/o Studies with a minor in Education.  I plan to go onto Law school to become an immigration attorney so that I can provide considerate and professional legal support to the vast immigrant population in the U.S. I grew up in Ramona Gardens housing projects near Boyle Heights where I live now. 

Alicia Gaspar de Alba writes, “There’s no place like Aztlan” where she explores the relationship between identity aesthetics with a concept of home that goes beyond a tangible entity. This home is a result of past, present and their products of displacement, misplacement and replacement that shape ones identity. More specifically, Gaspar de Alba studies Chicana artist’s acts of disidentification to Aztlan aesthetics through “politics of feminist embodiment in their aesthetic productions” (p 109). For instance, Chicana artist Patssi Valdez depicts her own process of disidentification within ‘inner-city Aztlan’ (p 128) that is different from male dominated Aztlan definitions of representation. Through out the process of disidentification Chicana artist undergo a politicization process that allows for personal and communal change. I wonder how students can undergo a process of disidentification?