Reflecting on Chicana Art

I came into this class with a lot of enthusiasm for Chicana art, but also some preconceptions as to how this class would function. This could be seen in my early class style: I would sit down, open my laptop, fingers ready to type out detailed notes. Professor Lopez quickly challenged my expectations for a university course--instead of having us listen to her as a spout of knowledge, she instead encouraged us to be active participants in the subject matter we were learning, both by writing often about artists and by working on an art project ourselves. Not only, then, was I studying Chicana artist, but I became a Chicana artist. I'd argue that much like Chicana artists have challenged norms in the art world, this class challenged what I expected academic art to be: pedantic and boring. Instead, it was vibrant, complex, engaging, and multifaceted. I am so thankful for this class, Professor Lopez, and my classmates for this experience and cannot wait to continue my journey in Chicana art!