Reflection Post: Avianna Wooten

Well I don't really know where to start other than thank you. Thank you Professor for creating a really comprehensive learning environment. Not only did we learn more about Chicana artists, art practices and movements, but we also mirrored those difficult practices in our own sketchbook. The sketchbook in this course was one of the most exciting and anxiety inducing segments of this class. I have no experience at all with drawing and I really didn't want to mess up such a beautiful japanese moleskine album sketchbook (just the title alone sounds expensive). Nevertheless, I started to have more fun with the sketchbook despite its difficulty.

Me when we got assigned the self portrait in our sketchbook. 

I also really enjoyed the guest presentations in Week 10. All of the research presented reflected both expertise and passion. Though I know the undergrad presenters aren't experts yet their work reflected a critical engagement with art that creates space for marginalized people. I really liked the part of Evelyn's presentation when she brings up how just defining the word "decolonizing" was beyond the scope of her short presentation, or what spatial entitlement means. (I just name dropped Evelyn but I truly LOVED everyone's presentation of their work and if I tried to explain everything I loved I that would be an essay rather than a blog post.

While we're on the topic of presentations, I really appreciated seeing all of your artist presentations. Those two weeks were my favorite part of the class. It was amazing to be introduced to new art but I also liked how each artist reflected a student's own personal interest. I am really thankful to all of you for being so open during the artist presentation and brave during the presentation of your own work. I got a little teary eyed(don't judge me) listening to some of your inspiration for your final art assignment in the sketchbook. People talked about the love of their family, the fatigue of searching for one's own identity(despite being mired in a complicated web of being), and of course different expressions of love and beauty. 

Thank you Professor for creating such a wonderful class, and thank you to my peers for participating in this journey with me. Also congrats to Class of 2018!!!!

Thank you all for everything.