Bakhshizadeh, Orel

Hello everyone! My name is Orel Bakhshizadeh and my preferred pronouns are she/her. I am a fourth year pre-med sociology major and a second year transfer student. I have never taken a Chicano Studies course before, but my interest in the subject grew as I watched my roommate take these courses. I have also never taken an art class but I hope that I can use this class to not only expand my knowledge but also my skills. After graduating UCLA, I plan on attending a post baccalaureate program and then hopefully getting into a medical school in order to become a doctor.

In Linda Nochlin's "Why Have There Been No Women Artists", she discusses the two main reasons behind the limitations set on the success of female artists. The first reason stated by Nochlin is the systematic domination of the art scene by White males and its suppression of female artists. The second reason is the systematic oppression of female artists through the deprivation of education and restriction of their art. Before reading this article, I did not know much about art or artists but I did know a few major people. After participating in the class exercise today, I became more cognizant of what Nochlin was saying, for six of my seven artists were males. In reading this piece, I felt myself becoming frustrated when reading about the obstacles that women had to face, like limited art subjects,  in order to produce a piece of art. I feel that it was really unfair for women to have to endure such restraints, but I also feel that it helped make them stronger artists today. I particularly liked this article for its larger view on the issue, stating systematic problems. As a sociology major, most of our focus is on broader social contexts that set the stage for inequalities or disparities within society; therefore, I agree with Nochlin's point of view. 

However, as Chicana women gained the economic and political power to make a difference, as stated in the piece by Sybil Venegas, they were able to loosen the systematic restrains placed on their art. As I read this article, I wondered if there was a certain event that sparked this change in society or if there was more political opportunity at that point in time.