Final Blog

This class has been one of my favorites so far. I love the fact that it was not only based on lectures and reading, even though I do believe that it is important, hands on course work is more fun, interactive, and efficient. The way the class was structured was great, I really enjoyed all the presentations, the books, the discussions and the project. While at UCLA I have never had a class that was as interactive as this one. When I fist registered for the class I had no idea that we would be drawing, painting, and creating art, if I would have know I probably would have thought twice about registering for the class. Prior to taking this course I had not drawn anything in a long time, so opening my artistic side was very interesting and inspiring. Coming out of this class with the knowledge I have gained I truly feel that I can appreciate art more, I want to continue drawing and painting, I feel that I have the potential to do great things if I combine my knowledge with art. The in class discussions were also my favorite, I appreciate it when professors allow students to speak their mind on topics that affect them and what is going on in the world today. I would like to thank you for creating this wonderful space for students to engage in conversations that are important and to open up a new artistic side that they may have never know they had.

Chicana Printmakers: Diane Gamboa

Holly Barnet-Sanchez explores the ways in which many Chicana print makers created a voice for many during the Chicano Civil Rights Movement. Barnet-Sanchez focuses on specific Chicana artists and the ways in which their work not only helped shape a movement but also crossed other topics of importance such as the relationship between gender, art and politics. Barnet-Sanchez mentions Diane Gamboa’s art as “bizarre, postapocalyptic, punk-baroque interior spaces are populated by equally bizarre men and women and not-quite-human creatures, even monstrosities, who appear more like cutouts inserted in a collage than actors on a stage or people in a room.” The way that Barnet-Sanchez explains Gamboa’s art is the exact same feelings and thoughts that I had while looking at her art. Gamboa’s inspiration for her art, as Barnet-Sanchez states came from her ideas of gender-bending qualities of body work. I appreciate Gamboa’s work because she looks at the body as a body, a body free from labels and a body that is free to also explore sexualities. She is able to transform the human body into a piece of art as well by making it look like the rest of its surroundings. Gamboa’s art puts forth a good question, what is gender? And who has the power to shift the roles?

Week 8: Carmen Lomas Garza

One of my favorite images of Carmen Lomas Garza is Cama Para Sueños. This painting really speaks to me on a very personal level. In the same way that Garza’s mother is setting the example for her two daughters and building a bed filled with tradition and culture, my mother has done the same for me. Fitting into the gender norms of Mexican culture has not been easy. As a child I was given dolls to play with, when I wanted to play in the mud, as a young girl I was told to wear dresses even though I heated dresses. And now at the age of 23, I am expected to be searching for a man to spend the rest of my life with, because if I wait to long I will never be able to have children, this is according to Mexican tradition. So when I look at Garza’s painting I see two young girls up on the roof with dreams, and in between themselves and the moon there is nothing stopping them. The mother represents a structure for the way these girls will grow up to be, no matter what the two girls become in life they will always have their culture as a base for the building of their character. I know that no matter what I go through in life I will always have my traditions and cultures to fall back to, so when I am feeling lost I can always find myself.

week 7: Letter to Laura Aguilar

Dear Laura Aguilar,

Your art has had such a positive effect on me.  It is not only inspiring but it is also empowering towards other women and people with disabilities. Looking at your pictures has opened my eyes to the different ways that nature can be portrayed. The body as a tool to compare nature is incredible, and I never thought that a persons back could represent a boulder, but your pictures have captured exactly what you were trying to portray.

Looking at your body is inspirational towards women who do not portray the perfect image of what a woman’s body should look like according to the media. How do you respond to people’s criticisms of your body not being perfect? How do you use your body size as an advantage in both your art and in your life?

In class we watched an interview and you were being questioned about your depression and how that has an effect on your art. You mentioned that while being photographed you forget about everything that is bothering you and just become one with nature, can you explain other ways in which you have found relief from your depression? And what are ways in which you have dealt with your disability?

Laura, your work has opened my eyes to different ways of dealing with misfortunes in life, your art has inspired me to love myself a little more and find myself in spaces I do not usually have time to be in.

Response to Janel Preciado’s; Week 5 Post on Ester Hernandez

In Janel’s post she mentions the connection she felt towards Ester Hernandez’s art, much like her I also enjoyed the political and personal statements that Hernandez is able to initiate with her pieces. The condition of farm workers that she is able to capture in her Sun Mad image was, as Janel mentioned, very shocking. This image is one of my favorite images from Hernandez, because the image is familiar, so even before looking at the hidden messages the image has already impacted us. Like it was mentioned in class, these little boxes of raisins that are being fed to children everyday do not display the reality of were they came from, who worked for the product, and what it truly contains. These small boxes contain a big problem and Hernandez was able to capture the problem perfectly. I have a personal connection to this image, much of my family lives in Bakersfield picking grapes, and while visiting them the image of them slowly dying while trying to survive never really crosses my mind, but when I stare at this piece the skeleton makes me sad, and makes me want to change the conditions of future farmworkers, therefore this image has promoted what it was meant to promote, social awareness and political change.

Laura Aguilar

The artist that impacted me the most this week was Laura Aguilar.  Her work is very different from what I have seen other artist do. She not only uses her imagination and emotions to create art, she also uses her body.

Listing to her interview in class really helped to connect the concept of her art. Aguilar explained that her depression and her disability were her main motives towards creating such impressive works. One of my favorite pieces of hers is using her body as a boulder. She explained that using her body as a part of nature helped her deal with her depression. Aguilar mentioned that when she looked at the pictures she felt like she belonged somewhere, like she wasn’t alone.

Overall, Aguilar's art is different form the ordinary. Using her body as a statement of art, of nature, her emotional state and her disability all connect perfectly and create a voice for not only herself but for other women that may be suffering in the same way that she is.