Rasquachismo/Domesticana

According to Tomás Ybarra-Frausto, rasquachismo is rooted in resourcefulness and adaptability as read in the essay “Rasquachismo”. Ybarra-Frausto also states that it is a not an idea or a style but more of an attitude or a taste. While reading the essays for this week’s blog post I had a hard time grasping the idea of Rasquachismo and Domesticana. However, I began to relate it to some things I did understand. For example, in the book about Yolanda Lopez by Karen Davalos, the author discusses Lopez’s upbringing and the influence of her childhood on her art. She began to touch on the influence of her mother and her sewing and design stating that it taught Lopez “to recognize that one’s creative expression did not depend on expectations of quality”.  It influenced her and in her art piece, Las Tres Marias, she drew it on butcher paper rather than fine art paper.

As for Domesticana, Amalia Mesa-Bains writes that the bedroom as well as the kitchen conveyed a centrality but also an imprisonment for Chicanas. Mesa-Bains also writes that Chicana artists work takes on a deeper meaning where domesticana is a reaffirmation of their domestic life but also a form of resistance to the oppression of women in the domestic sphere. In the art we have already looked at and discussed so far for the class, the concept of domesticana is prevalent as a means of protest and activism. It was prevalent in the CARA exhibition and in Yolanda Lopez’z art and still continues to be present today. It gives Chicanas a space to express themselves and what they experience.