W10: Final Words

I'm honored to have gone through some of the motions of an artists but more so a Chicana Artist. It's only been in my daydreams and passing thoughts that I could be able to develop the skills and qualities of an artist to live it out as one. Immersing myself in the diverse backgrounds if Chicana Artists alone in the work they produce, the lives they lead, the struggles they've overcone it's been a trip reflecting in their stories and more so trying to process the sort of motivation they've given me to produce art and treasure art myself. It's almost tragic to think how quick art is overlooked or taken for granted and much more from Women of Color Artists. Thinking back to a class conversation we had over the process of recognition for a Chicana artists: how much does a Chicana artist have to kill herself to be valued?

With newfound respect, the art I produced this quarter has been a surprise to myself but more a presented method for healing and an outlet for my personal emotions. I'm thinking back at the feeling of the ongoing process of my skill and I realize it's something that should be constant,y worked on and oracticed not only to get better but to also contiously release negative emotions that I keep bottled up as a queer student of color. I'm also amazed with the work that my classmates were able to produce along with the stories that they were able to share as to what inspired them to create. It was the last class session that I really enjoyed and saw the feeling of accomplishment in the look of my classmates faces. We accomplished something beautiful together as a collective and as artists.

The sort of stories I'm taking away spans from the consciousness of various Chicanas. From an alternative sex-positive attitude that's aware of them toxic nature sex work industry to an awareness that art plays a crucial role in social movements. To a self love approach to our bodies that many Chicanas like Laura Aguilar constantly battle to accomplish through the mediums of art. I realize that art but more so the art of Chicana Artists produces a school of thought for awareness of not just social movements but also cultural power.

W8: Carmen Lomas Garza

The art works of Carmen Lomas Garza is important to acknowledge given that she commemorates and almost historicizes our cultural traditions. Often the traditions in our culture are seen as questionable or pointless in the eyes of outsiders and CLG challenges those notions as one of the artistic curators of culture and she further delivers clear images with complex sets of colors. In Garza’s piece, Earache Treatment, the healing process is captured with the mother letting ashes fall into the ears of the other person. This piece resonated with me because of the many earaches I had growing up. The guy has a calm look to his face and it might have been because the treatment was starting to work but I do remember the excruciating pain that plagued the insides of ears sending sharp waves of pain to my head. It’s a piece that reminds me of my great grandmothers, grandmother, and my own mother’s herbal medicines. My early memories of these ancestral traditions were ones where I would question why they would put leaves in my ears but the overnight treatment never failed to work. Similar cultural healing practices range in methods but they exist and Carmen Lomas Garza challenges viewers to take a longer look at the art behind it.

W7: Letter to Cristy C. Roads

Dear Cristy,

You're work really resonates with me and I'm honored that I've been able to present you're work to my classroom. The challenges we face as queer brown bodies in the US might not be the same story but I can definitely see my experiences be mirrored in your artwork. I had the toughest challenge alone in which art pieces to present since I was limited to only presenting three of them. I presented a spectrum to give a piece from your zine work, from your latest tarot card deck project, and a bold illustration.

I admire the perspective you provide to the realms of art with your punk, queer, feminist influences.
I'm able to look at most pieces if not all and read into a stronger message that challenges the norms. From exploring sexuality, revisiting stories of our marginalized youth, and being comfortable with our own identities regardless of societies' rejection. The aggressive style and the grimy feel in your illustrations inspire me. With messages in blood to queer couples in the act of sex, you move beyond the socially acceptable forms of fine art and redefined them to queer punk standards.

Outside the context of message, you're technique in using such accessible materials is really crucial in the inspiration of the art. Scrolling through your website seeing that a lot of the images are made with ink and sharpie motivate me in a direction to illustrate my own life experiences. The solid colors, and the palettes you utilize provide and earthy feel to your art and the punk aesthetics resonate in my hood experiences.

I'm really looking forward to seeing your completed tarot card deck.

Thank You,
Aces

W6: Classmate Commentary-Kayleigh Wade 10.25.2014

The fear of opening up and the fear of vulnerability has really been ingrained into our culture and moreso evident in how people respond to those handling traumas. I can agree with Kayleigh in that space should be respected for those dealing with traumas when in consideration just asking where the person is at and perhaps what forms of ways they could best support them. In reality people do carry different healing methods and healing in sense looks different to everyone. While I can't help but say that people that have dealt with and continue to deal with traumas are powerful people I can see how it can be dehumanizing in that in only recognizes the aspects of cultural labor and reducing the amount of space a Chicana could have to hold vulnerable or upset grounds. 
Im only now opening up to see that your stencil has more weight that whats interpreted at first glance. The waves of hair play a feminine barrier that's shut off any emotion or any room to express those feelings. I really admire the intent in breaking down common tropes and stereotypes that are attributed and glued to the bodies of Chicanas. The community carries it's ups and downs and so do our own personal lives which should be given the space to share whichever feelings are being felt.

I'm all open ears in your time of healing. 

W5: Laura Aguilar

     In having Laura Aguilar be presented to us this past week opened the floor for conversations around self-love, all-bodies love, and more so awareness on disabilities. It was moving to hear the sort of empowerment that Laura would receive in her photography projects. Her having to deal with health and self-esteem issues growing up she talked about finally being able to find comfort in her skin once she modeled alongside nature. Her story having touched on the theme of bullying was also relatable since I myself have also grown up with bullying. With her positionality as a mixed race Chicana, lesbian, and of size it's crucial that work be circulated and shown to provide positive depictions of such identities. Society doesn't do this sort of work but rather artists that are brave like Aguilar do so.

     Her photography piece in the woods was one of my favorites. This piece not only opened means of having comfort in Aguilar's body but also had a huge aspect of bravery in opening herself up to her friends. I find that there's power in nudity but moreso a means of becoming vulnerable to those around you and with Laura not only doing so outdoors in nature she also does it with friends. The moment of intimacy, support, and collective strength is highlighted in this piece and I really admire it.

W4: Artist Presentation

I was greatly impressed and moved by the artwork that our classmate shared with us on Margarita Cabrera. Using the same materials and expanding on the notion of materiality was really powerful with the references to labor and the militarization of, what Cabrera seemed to argue, our everyday life. And with the constant use of the same material it further makes a connection that not one piece and an issue is separate from another, the thread that connects them is there. A specific piece that left an impression on me was the vinyl Jeep which I can read another message of daily consumerism, including those of military objects like jeeps, that all adds to the constant battle a sort of economic warfare that continuously pins us at the edge of society. A systematic fabric of oppression that's led us to normalize these acts of military warfare on our communities both internationally and in our cities.  

W3: Stencil Image

The stencil image that I chose was that of a nude man with some nice curves that I came across in the tumblr-sphere. But more than that I chose it because of the thoughts that were running through my mind at the time that I saw this image. Reflections about my position as a Queer Chicano in a society that deems me less than but yet finds means to exoticize me and degrade me to a sexual object. I debated within my mind the identity politics of taking a stance as a queer person and furthermore as a racialized body.

And in the process of making the stencil, I realized that even in trying to duplicate the image's details onto the stencil itself the details of the image were reduced. There was something to take from that given that also in these depictions of our existence are further misinterpreted and narrowed down from the vague understandings of my culture, my sexuality, and the community conditions that I come from. The thing they (greater society) will see is my ass and nothing more. I wanted to stencil that onto my notebook to serve me the reminder.

W2: GDA and La Virgen

The dialogue that we had this past class session was really heartwarming and a reminder about the impact of identity politics along with the importance that our ancestry has had on our culture today. With Proffe Gaspar de Alba sharing her exposure in the arts or rather the lack of in regards to the arts of Chican@ artists and more so Chicana Artists. Listening to her moving testimony about the highlights of the CARA traveling exhibit, It reinforced the reality that the representation of our identities can't be something we hope will be presented but rather it is and can be taken into our own hands. That advocacy was definitely something those UCLA graduate students did in starting the exhibit.

Speaking to my cultural upbringing, I did grow up with the Virgen in my household. To me the Virgen serves as a cultural icon even though my family holds her as a sacrilegious figure. Which then leaves me indifferent or rather really open to hearing the feminist discussions and deconstruction of the Virgen's story. Alot of the conversations of the Virgen serving as the intermediate to further the assimilation and the colonization of the indigenous peoples. Reflecting on my own experiences, we would actually reenact the "colonization framework" when my danza circulo would perform for the Virgen's birthday, December 12th. Can definitely relate to the idea as the Virgen serving as a symbol of hope and resistance. Looking through at the strong evidence that her appearance might not have happened it can still be safe to say that her existence serves as a reminder of our ancestry in a modern context. La Virgen continues to give me hope that even in the face of white supremacy, patriarchy, and capitalist exploitation we as a community and culture will continue to thrive and survive.

Artist Presentation: Alexandra Zalce

For my presentation I will highlight the work and consciousness of Alexandra Zalce. I definitely vibe with her art and the way she words the background to her pieces adds another layer to whats visually presented. A lot of the work that Zalce produces comes from a place of interpreting the human experience and she finds a lot of influence from her Latin american culture, spirituality, and her own personal experiences. The image that I've attached is Zalce's "The Babtism", which is highlights her painting style that leaves the viewer with a raw sensation.

Lira, Aces

Hello, my names Aces Lira and I'm a 4th year Gender-Chican@ Studies Double Major with a minor with an LGBT Studies Minor. Coming to you all from the 805 Central Coast, I was born in Ventura, Ca and was raised in various locations in the Ventura County. As an exploring artist, I've done work with small film projects, graphic design, and web design. Nothing "muy chingon" but I do enjoy the feeling of artistic expression and the sense of empowerment that comes with completing and sharing artistic works.

With Gaspar de Alba's , ""There's No Place Like Aztlán: Embodied Aesthetics in Chicana Art," the understanding of Chicana identity and art production goes beyond a physical space but rather a myriad of factors which include childhood experiences, identity, geography, and a line of consciousness. Oftentimes, the discussions of reclaiming spaces which was the rhetoric of the Chicano movement how does that differ from the rhetoric of Manifest Destiny and how do native communities that were violently negotiated during the development of Mexico as a nation. While it's a strong comparison to think of I think further to see how those sorts of questions are reflected or even discussed in the artwork of Chicana artists.