Overview of the Course

One of the most interesting concepts we studied this quarter deals with how to identify a Chicana Artist. This notion became more complex as classmates began to present on Chicana artist. Through this course I came to the realization that Chicana artist do not have to create art based on the Chicana/o culture nor activist art. Artist should not be limited to making art based on one portion of their identity. Then Vladimir presented on Carlee Fernandez who further challenged what it means to be a Chicana artist. Despite being of Mexican descent Fernandez is an artist that does not identify herself as Chicana.

Through this course I gained an awareness of the art world and the female Chicana artist that encompass it.  Not every artist decides to paint/ draw/ sculpt on classic iconic Chicana/o subjects like Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, Frida Khalo, La Virgen De Guadalupe. No artist is should be confined into a stereotype, Camille Rose Garcia  is an example of an artist that identifies as Chicana but does not deal with what one would believe to be typical Chicana/o subjects. Instead she uses fairytale and Disney to create lowbrow art that shows a psychological twist to children’s favorite tales.

But just as there are artist that distant themselves from the typical Chicana/o subjects, we were also introduced to artist like Ester Hernandez, Yolanda Lopez  and Yrenia Cervantez who decide to dedicate a portion of their art to empowering and bringing awareness to the Chicana/o community.

Thanksgiving and Tamales

A Carmen Lomas Garza painting that stood put to me other than the three I choose for my paper would be the cahapter “A Tejana on the West Coast” and titled Tamalada. One of the reasons is because a while back Aces mentioned that the blog post tend to focus more on the subject but lack a passionate connection to the image. That the bloggers emotions seemed to be restrained.

Now this image standouts out because not only did I spend this Wednesday, Thanksgiving and Friday making tamales, but I love how this image reflects a sense of unity and love amongst family and friends.

I regards to my personal experience making tamales this images is similar to making tamales at my house but it contains a couple of differences.

The biggest being that men tend to be lacking from my image. Also I had the opportunity to recreate third image and make it my own, one would also see some bickering, others crying from laughter and the younger children a bit grumpy and being forced to make tamales especially seeing as my mom makes tamales at least once a week. In the background you would see an image of la Virgen and el Santo Padre Toribio and some Vicente Fernandez cd playing in the background. While my image is not as ideal and perfect it reflects my family's lifestyle and it juxtaposes Tamalada. An example of how every person is different even if the event is the same.

Introduction To My Artist Through a Letter: Linda Vallejo

Dear Linda Vallejo,
I am currently taking a chicana art and artist course and I have chosen you as the subject of my presentation.
I had the opportunity to visit your make em' all mexican exhibition as part MOAH's Hispanic heritage theme. I have narrowed my presentaion to be about this collection and its impact on the chicana/o community.
I have a couple questions in regards to this collection.
Is the sculpture titled John Diego done by you and if so why can't I find any image of it online or on your webpage. Was john diego initially part of make em' mexican collection?
How did you go about choosing which iconic art works to repurpose?
Usually one associates a chile especially jalapenos as intrinsic to the mexican community so why did you make it mexican by produce a brown sculpture.
If you could please answer these questions so I could find a better understanding of your art I would be thankful.
Best Wishes,
                  Lucero Duran

The Human Body: Isis Rodriguez and Laura Aguilar

Instead of speaking of only one artist presentation, I wish to focus on Laura Aguilar and Isis Rodriguez and there usage of the human body, more importantly the female body, as having a crucial rule in the art work shown. 

Nude figures are still frowned upon our society. Walking into a restaurant you will likely find signs that read “No Shirt No service”. Yet it is socially acceptable for a man to talk around half nude but f a females wears a sports bra or a bikini top she is labeled as promiscuous, sluty and easy. Within Isis collection My Life as a Comic Stripper, she explores the realm of gender inequality and the misconstrued assumptions that are made about female strippers. After the brief presentation Renee Castagna did, I was intrigued and I decided to Google Isis Rodriguez,. Images such as “He Said I Could” and “Peepshow Gone Creepshow” allude to the dynamic between the Patrons, Club Owners and the Erotic Dancers. “He said I could” focus on the idea of who is being exploited whether it is the dancer or the patron and in this piece Isis demonstrates how the patrons are the ones who run the show, because the customer is always right and he has complete control over his money therefore he can choose when to walk away. Thus the one in power is typically a man while the victim is a female illustrating the inequality amongst gender. Meanwhile “Peepshow Gone Creepshow” brings attention to the greed of strip club owners and how they exploit strippers by basically forcing them to pay an advertisement fee that is so high, that the only way to pay the fee and make a profit is to do private shows for the clients. Isis’ cartoons are meant to empower females and warn them against this profession of females in this work force by bringing forth the problems people are oblivious to. By using nudity and sensuality, as her them she is able to highlight the stereotypes attributed to strippers but once the audience begin to connect the title with the image and the inspiration the truth is finally revealed. The best example of Isis using her art to sway people against the stripping industry would be “Pimp Lobby Propaganda”

 Laura Aguilar discovered the beauty is subjective and depends on the eye of the beholder. By placing herself in natural settings Aguilar is alluding the natural beauty of a human being. She does not use her body to advocate sexuality but the sensuality of oneself, and because she s not your typical size two model she helps serve as an inspiration to all women out there. She advocates for people to be comfortable with themselves and within their own settings. By stripping her body of clothes she illustrate freedom. Freedom from all those categorizations that lead to discrimination, whether it be from gender, race, sexuality, or body size.

 It might be that I read too much into these artists’s art, but in the end I argue that both of these artists use the human body to empower people and not degrade them.

 

 

 

 

Margarita Cabrera upgrade of ready-made sculptures and their purpose

While we had a variety of presentations this week the artist that stood out was Margarita Cabrera and her sculptures. Presenter Kaelyn  Rodriguez informed the class on how Cabrera used her sculptures to bring attention to another form of art, like the art of making clothes. When school want to implement uniforms most students react by saying that uniforms prevent one from expressing themselves, it hinders ones artistic ability. So why is that grandmas who sow clothes aren’t recognized as artist?

In regards to her sewing machine sculpture, I would argue that Cabrera is inspired by modern day artist such as Marcel Duchamp. While Duchamp shocked the art world by introducing a urinal as “The Founation” he introduced the notion of ready-made art. Cabrera takes this idea of ready- made objects and sews a cover on them bringing attention to artist that compose these artistic machines.

Her Mix Media painting titled “Iron Will” has the icon image of La Virgen Morena, on an iron. This alludes to the daily chores of a household that require hard work and the determination to maintain a home running. Once more Cabrera alludes to the makers of the iron because she uses vinyl like her sewing machine sculpture. I am excited to see the outcome of her public project especially because she seeks to unify two cities, two cultures, two countries in order to end the violence on the border.

My Idenity, My skectbook, through a Corn Husk Rose, Piant Brush and Intials.

For the cover of my sketch book I choose an open flower shaped as a rose, but the most important aspect of this flower is that it is made out of corn husk. While it may not be apparent that this rose is made out of corn husk, the corn hsuk is crucial to my identity as a Chicana. To me las hojas de elote are used to make tamales. While most people make tamales during the holidays, in my household my mom makes tamales all year round and at least once a week. Helping her make tamales was and will always be part of our “chores” (our = my sisters and me). During this time the kitchen becomes a no man zone, then again my dad is not a big fan of making tamales. We huddle around the table while sing to the mariachi playing from the speakers. Occasionally things get heated and my sisters and I exchange a few insults, but this is part of being a sibling. Not only is the corn husk flower a reference to my heritage and to the quality time I spend with my mom and sisters, but because my mom sells these delicious wrapped goods, it also pays for the luxuries we have such as eating out, going to the movies. And most often it plays for my bus ticket home during the school year. While it might sound cheesy, the repurposing of the corn husk from simply being part of the corn stalk and then transforming it into art work, like corn husk dolls and flowers, mimics the art of making tamales. It is about finding beauty within the ordinary.  

On my cover I also have my initials, and they are simply a symbol that this book belongs to Lucero Duran.

 I also decided to add a paint brush because it alludes to painting. In my senior at Palmdale High School it took a painting course. And will at first I hated it, with time I began to love painting, mostly because learned how to paint and to be patient. Towards the end of the course I did a landscape which my teacher decided to submit into the high school district art show. Not only was it entered, but won third place. I am not listing this accomplishment to brag, but as an example that while I first hated painting because nothing seemed to go my way I learned to love it and eventually my hard work paid off. While I do not get the opportunity to paint much this brush is a symbol of hard work, dedication, and my love for art. Meanwhile the corn husk rose is a symbol of the bond and love between mother and daughters, a bond between sisters, a symbol of hard work, the beauty in life, art work, and part of my identity as a Chicana.

Faith en la Virgen De Guadalupe

First I want to Thank Professor Gaspar De Alba for taking time to educate our class on the impact and importance of C.A.R.A. When speaking, Professor Gaspar De Alba mentioned that CARA helped spread social awareness as well as raise political questions. She also mentioned that it is unfortunate that there is no longer exhibitions like the one organized by CARA. With this I agree. During the summer my fifteen year old sister went to UCLA to see Real Madrid and ended up sitting in for my Chicana/o 10A lecture. When we came home she was still confused on what was being taught. After giving her the vague and evolving definition of "Chicana/o" she said "Ohhh, I thought Chicano was a place". This is just one example of Mexicana Americans being ignorant to this identifier. We need artist exhibiting their work and help spread awareness of La Raza and what it really means to be a Chicana/o.
 Within my household we have a figurine of La Virgen de Guadalupe  and a rosario in our living room and countless wallet size prints.  It is rare not to have a praying candle without her image on it. I have a four year cousin who has Rhett Syndrome, meaning that it is highly unlikely that she will ever really understand what is going on around her. Not a day goes by that my mom does not ask El Santo Padre Toribio and La Virgen de Guadalupe for a miracle. On the 12th of December every year we celebrate her day and if we have the opportunity we attend church at 6 am in where el mariachi le cantan las mananitas.
 In regards to artist like Yolanda Lopez and Alma Lopez, I take no offense in them using La Virgen as inspiration for their  art. By breaking the barrier that separates us from La Virgen these artist create a stronger bond between La Virgen and her believers. Also by taking an iconic image and refiguring it helps empower women. Controversial images like those of Alma Lopez are needed in our society to bring forth a change. By stripping La Virgen from the suffocating gown La Virgen undergoes a makeover that makes her relatable and someone worthy of trust, especially to this generation of females that tend to question the patriarchal rule.

Artist for Presentation: Linda Vallejo

I will be using Linda Vallejo's artwork for my Artist Presentation.

Duran, Lucero

Hello,

My name: Lucero Duran. Year: short answer is a readmitted Sophomore. Major - Undeclared-Humanities,  but I am hoping that at by the end of this academic year i can identity myself as an Art History and English with a  concentration in creative writing and a minor in Chicana/o studies.

In Gaspar de Alba's "There's No Place Like Aztlan: Embodied Aesthetics in Chicana Art Gaspar" she introduces the notion that identity and Chicana art is more than being influenced by one's home/ place of origin. She later goes on to say that Aztlán, especially during El Movimento, transcends the function of an average home and place of origin. Aztlán aesthetics appears to function more as a category that encompasses home/ gender/ race/ sexuality and many more makers of identity. So my question is… Is it safe to assume that Aztlán aesthetics goes beyond the place of origin? Does it accomplish to expand the boarder of art and bring forth new concerns and message to the public? And if Aztlán does go beyond, is this in part due to this place of origin being more of a myth and a symbol of the displaced Chicana/os?

In “Out of the House , the Halo, and the Whore’s Mask: the Mirror of Machismo” Gaspar de Alba mentions that it is important to consider gender when discussing political and social rules but to place gender as the sole issue it hinders the discussion of race and its struggle for equality within this country. Do you like that the introduction of Chicana Feminism hindered El Movimento? Or was this idea a male invention to prevent females from questioning the patriarchal society? And lastly would you considered the creation of clothing or festive decorations part of Chicana Art or are these objects too mundane?