Gomez, Koryn (Koryn)

Hi, my name is Koryn Gomez and my preferred pronouns are she/her/hers. I am a second-year Chicano Studies and History double major. I originally came in as a Biochemistry major but that did not work out and quite frankly, thank God. I am not currently involved in any research programs, and it is not something that I am considering right now. If I were to do research, I would like it to be related to the problems that affect my hometown in the Antelope Valley, such as the intersection of race, low-income status, and mental illness. In fact, I would most likely have it be on the basis of the Lancaster cop who shot himself this past summer, stating that the shot came from the apartment building that houses people with mental health issues (in a predominantly POC, lower-income part of town). This in turn led to hours of police activity, as well as the majority white residents and the mayor himself blaming shootings on mental illness and the "poor, colored people" who are ruining the town- I am definitely not still upset about that whole situation.

I have little experience in art and consider my skills to be a solid "that would be cool on the fridge" type. Despite this, I am looking forward to the class, especially being exposed to Chicana artists that I would otherwise have most likely not come to know.

In regards to the readings, I found "Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?" by Linda Nochlin threw me for a loop. The piece states that art is not a visual representation of an artist's emotions or expression. If this is the case then where does the notion that art is meant to invoke emotion go? If the art piece does not stem from an individual's interpretation of life then how is the audience meant to interpret it, if not emotionally? When Nochlin wrote of the struggles that the male artists go through and how those often hold major importance to the consumer, I could not help but think of why women are not portrayed in this manner. Is this due to the assumption that the struggles of women are inherently minuscule when compared to those of men? Perhaps it is due to the way that men's struggles have been seen as something to overcome, while those of women have been seen as something to be dealt with. The entire piece was giving me more to think about.

(I am so sorry this is so long, I did not realize how long it had gotten.)