Banda, Francine

Hello Everyone,

My name is Francine Banda and this is my third quarter at UCLA. I transferred as an Art major in the fall of 2017. I was born in Santa Monica and have lived in various neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles county, however I grew up mostly in Pasadena. Although I don’t feel confined to any particular medium, my art practice is primarily focused on painting and digital media. Despite my Mexican American heritage, I am not familiar with the work of many Chicana artists. This quarter, I look forward to learning more about the art historical and contemporary female figures of my culture.

The article that resonated with me the most was, "Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists" by Linda Nochlin. Nochlin concludes that the overall scarcity of women finding success in the arts is due to the lack of institutional and educational support, rather than the artists’ own shortcomings. Women are not held to the same standard as men, and their work is often dismissed as being less serious or detrimentally feminine. Though these issues remain relevent, Nochlin fails to consider the intersectionality that women of color must confront daily. It is especially difficult for women of color to gain recognition, and this is an issue that must be recognized if the goal is to achieve an egalitarian structure in the arts.