Consuelo Jimenez Underwood

The Virgen de Los Caminos - Consuelo J. Underwood

Undocumented Border Flowers- Consuelo J. Underwood

I am excited to do more research and learn about Consuelo Jimenez Underwood as an artist and person. Consuelo stated in a video from the American Craft Council (where Consuelo is a fellow) that her art has a way of getting people to "connect with their own introspectives." I am excited to see what I can learn about myself in the process of looking at her art. What drew me to Consuelo's art is her use of mapping, symbolism, intricate detail, and its large scale. I also like how she uses different textures and materials for her art pieces.

Consuelo artwork is political in content, in expression, and spirit. The core theme of her artwork surrounds the United States' and Mexico's border. I'd like to learn more about her personal relationship/ experiences with this boarder and to understand what she means by "seeing the world through [her] tri-cultural lens." Looking at her art has motivated me to learn more about my own families immigration story and their attitudes towards the border (especially in today's current political climate). Most of my family gained citizenship before I was born and I'd like how and if people's relationship with the border changes and whether that relationship also is dependent on the time-period in which they have crossed over.

Two pieces that already have my attention is Undocumented Border Flowers and The Virgen de los Caminos. It sounds wrong to classify flowers as undocumented and translate that over to it equally sounding as wrong to classify people as undocumented. It's a piece of work that I'd like to spend more time taking in. The artwork titled The Virgen de los Caminos, reminded me of last weeks readings and class discussion on the recontextualizing and new representations of la Virgen.