Final Post

This class exceeded my expectations for I had unknowingly been craving more than a creative outlet. I was in band from third to twelfth grade, sang in a choir, took an art class, and danced in a dance troupe before this class yet I never realized how the arts have kept me sane until I entered this class.

Last academic school year was difficult for me. I was a working student organizer in a serious relationship while trying to maintain a leadership position in a pre-health organization and my GPA so I can be competitive for medical school. I lost touch with my creative side and gave up one of my biggest passions, dancing. I felt unbalanced. I struggled to be alone and release my stress, anger, sadness and joy. I lost a big part of myself so I am grateful that I took this class. I feel more confident about creating art and will continue to practice.

Overall, my biggest gains from this class are the connections I felt with some of the artists, especially Laura Molina and her Naked Dave Series because she validated my feelings about my past partners. Learning about her could not have come at a better time. She also confirmed that art can heal and my assignments became an outlet during moments of emotional turmoil so this last class was bittersweet for me. I will miss having the space to learn more about Chicana artists, my peers, art, and myself. But, I will always remember the best lesson I learned from my peers- art is a process, beautifully messy, personal, healing, and another way of knowing about yourself and others. 

Much love,

Janel Preciado

Week 9

Week 8: Carmen Lomas Garza

Hola Carmen Lomas Garza,

I instantly resonated with your painting that I posted on the left because the woman reminds me of my mother and how she would go in the backyard of our old house to cut the nopal for dinner. I loved how she would cook nopales con huevo, tomate, cebolla, y cilantro. She came alive in the kitchen cooking this wonderful combination of food wearing her apron like the woman in the image. Nopales remind me of home and how my mother nurtured me with them. I also remember trips to Disneyland with my mother and sister when we ate her nopales for lunch instead of buying an expensive meal at the park.  I love how this image captures the woman in the act of cutting the nopalitos and using her fork to capture the nopal. Your choice to use a fork delights me because it speaks to how nopales are eaten in our homes. This succulent that is native to the Americas had been living with my ancestors and its importance in my life (providing nutrition) makes me feel grounded and tied to my heritage. I want to thank you for the stroll down memory lane and the reminder of how important nopales are in my life.

Con amor,
Janel Preciado

Week 7: A Letter to Laura Molina

Dear Laura Molina,

I want to thank you for sharing your words and artwork with the world. If it wasn't for the statement you posted on your site for the Naked Dave series, then I would have never felt so connected to you. I recently left an unhealthy relationship that I'm still trying to heal from. I don't want to pin all my personal issues on my ex-partner but it's difficult to move on. I can only imagine how it felt to lose a child even if Dave wasn't worth being a father.

Lately, I've been questioning the power of romantic and/or intimate love. Love is powerful enough to bring people together yet it can easily be destroyed. I just remembered a bell hooks quote, "But love is really more of an interactive process. It's about what we do not just what we feel. It's a verb, not a noun", that I read this week and how love is so colonized. I always say you don't have to say I love you to let someone know you love them, instead, you show it. I guess my ex-partner and my perception of him never made it known that he loved me. I was obsessed with him and let my fear of being alone smother him to the point of annoyance. His uncontrollable jealousy also made me question his love. When does loyalty turn into possession? How does the heart know what it wants? I had a million reasons to leave him yet I stayed because I didn't know loving myself was more important. Thus, I find it powerful that art allowed you to express the grief, loss, and anger that Dave Stevens left behind and you were able to channel this energy into creative work that I can relate to. I am tired of crying and blaming myself for my failed relationship. You've inspired me to find my outlet. Again, thank you for being honest and reaffirming that art can heal.

Best regards,
Janel Preciado

Week 6: Response to Aces Lira's Post on Dia de los Muertos @Hollywood Forever

This post out of many struck a chord with me because I've also noticed how Dia del los Muertos is being commercialized. A recent example is the new film The Book of Life that features skeletal characters and Day of the Dead designs. As you can see in the picture below, elements of the Dia de los Muertos tradition are being used to make profit and its meaning is being washed down. I plan to see the film soon so I can find out how corporate America has used Dia de los Muertos for their benefit.

For the most part, I chose not to attend the Hollywood Forever event in favor of attending the event at SPARC, which I'm glad I did. In contrast, SPARC had a ceremony before the altars most of the people at the ceremony put together were seen. Everyone there had a personal connection to the ceremony. No one was wearing a halloween costume or making comments about being "ethnic". The purpose of the ceremony was to remember and celebrate those who passed away not for entertainment. I felt at home amongst the altars and never questioned the purpose of the gathering. Thus, I find it disheartening that Aces went to an event that was offensive because Dia de los Muertos should be a time to celebrate and reflect. I would add that the location plays a factor into how the tradition was treated. SPARC is admittedly a space for people of color (see picture below) that understands the traditions of Dia de los Muertos, as opposed to Hollywood Forever where people were charged to participate in a washed down version of the tradition.

Overall, Aces emphasizes how terrible it is that Dia de los Muertos is being commercialized. I agree with him that the event he attended sends a message that corporate white America only wants our traditions and practices but not our people. The new film The Book Life reinforces this statement. Unfortunately, the struggle to survive culturally continues and Dia de los Muertos is only a small part of this struggle.

Chosen Artist: Laura Molina

My chosen artist is Laura Molina. On the website dedicated to her http://www.lauramolina.com/Statement.html she states she "will use [her] activism and creativity to end injustice, intolerance and patriarchy at both a social and interpersonal level" which I find amazing. Her artwork uses bold colors and icons to inspire action against injustice, intolerance, and patriarchy. I look forward to learning more about her and presenting her work to the class.

Week 5: Ester Hernandez

I am choosing to write about Ester Hernandez because her artwork had a powerful impact on me especially her reintepretation of the Sun Maid raisin. The image stirred anger within me about the conditions farmworkers face. Her removal of the letter "I" so the word can be spelled MAD instead of MAID is definitely purposeful and an accurate feeling the image invokes for me. The skeletal depiction of the maid stresses how the poor conditions in the fields are killing her. The maid symbolizes the death of the spirit and soul. She has been given a sole purpose: killing herself to survive not live a "fruit"ful life. Her life is unnatural like the raisins that are grown with insectides, pesticides, miticides, and fungicides. Overall, the theme of the image is death that stems from injustice in the fields.
Furthemore, Ester's use of an iconic image is shocking because the consumer never questions the conditions of the farmworker or at most the origins of where the raisins are grown. Personally, my passion for health stems from my mother's inablity to stay balanced since her low sociocencomic status forces her to work beyond her capacity in poor conditions. My mother's trials and tribulations motivate me to make the world more just. Thus, Ester's Hernandez's motivation for creating art that prompts emotion and questions from the audience is very powerful. She is a true political artist that needs to be celebrated.

Week 4: Tatiana Luboviski-Acosta

I was mostly affected by Tatiana Luboviski-Acosta  because her discomfort with her body invoked by her peers reminds me of my own childhood. I was accused of being anoxeric since I was unusually skinny. I wore baggy clothes to detract attention from my body. I felt ugly and always wished I'd gain weight. I found it difficult to separate myself from their attention so I had body image issues until I realized that all woman have them. Thus, Tatiana's Luboviski-Acosta's confidence in her body image is inspiring and needs to be celebrated. Too often the body is criticized, shamed, and closed so I'm happy she uses her body as a site of art to make a societal critique. In this image she has paced her naked body in a plastic bag which represents the suffocation of standards of beauty and how I felt when I was a young girl that hated her body. She is stressing that societal expectations of beauty can make people feel like trash. She is not afraid to shock her audience by showing the body in ugly and unwanted ways because the body is more complicated than asethitic appeal. The body is movement and emotion as well. The way our bodies are covered or uncoverd indicate how we feel inside. I definitely respect Tatiana for her brave artistic actions.

Week 3: Sketchbook Stencil

My chosen image is a woman wearing calavera (skull) make-up to celebrate Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). According to National Geographic, "Dia de los Muertos honors the dead with festivals and lively celebrations, a typically Latin American custom that combines indigenous Aztec ritual with Catholicism, brought to the region by Spanish conquistadores", which takes place on November 1st every year.

The celebration itself reflects my mixed roots. My parents were born and raised in Mexico, a land once ruled by the Aztecs and inhabited by other indigenous tribes that was then colonized by the Spaniards. A history that is reflected on my face when I wear skull make-up like the woman in my chosen image. I also feel a strong personal connection to this holiday because it reminds me to celebrate the life of my deceased uncles and grandfather by enjoying life's pleasures such as their favorite food and drink, instead of allowing negative energy to restrain me from living. This year I am creating an altar for my grandfather who passed away this year. I also saw it fitting to have a symbol of this special day on my sketch book because I strongly believe death should be seen natural part of the human experience instead something to fear or mourn because humans are infinite beings. My grandfather lives in my heart and memory to give me courage and pride for who I am as a Chicana.

Week 2: La Virgen Guadalupe

La Virgen Guadalupe signifies safety to me. My mother hung an image of her near my bed so every night before falling asleep I would look her and feel protected. I prayed to her and brought her roses. When I was 15, a statue of her was given to me to celebrate my quince. She has always been a part of my life. My mother believed and loved her. For my family, she is the mother of life. I never questioned the story of her appearance. 

However, the feminist interpretations of Chicana artists resonate more with me than her "original" image. After Alma Lopez pointed out that La Virgen has an excessive amount of cloth and the story of her appearance cannot be proven, I realized why I do not continue to practice Catholicism. I never felt comfortable with the restrictions placed on women. Bare shoulders in church and divorce were frowned upon. When my parents separated, the father of the church did not acknowledge it. I was disappointed and angry yet my mother never stopped believing in La Virgen Guadalupe. Instead, she would ask me to pray with her while looking at her image. For all these reasons, the feminist interpretations of La Virgen make me smile because I can finally see her as a liberated woman. She has been liberated from the oppression of the church and patriarchy. My favorite image was seeing her almost completely bare expect for her genitals and breasts that were covered with roses. She was finally allowed to wear whatever she wanted and could move freely if she liked to. Questioning her iconic image is important for the liberation of all women because her “ideal” nature that is forced upon all women must be abolished. I look forward to sharing the feminist interpretations of her image with my family especially my mother.