Week 1: Friday, January 10, 2020

CSM175 Chicana/Latina Art board. Photo: Greg Esparza.

It has been good to meet all of you via your introductory post on this course discussion blog as well as on the first day of class.

This photo taken by your classmate Greg Esparza demonstrates that we are starting the quarter with the collective knowledge of 20-something Chicana artists. This is a great start. My hope is that after ten weeks, each of us will be able to name many more.

The two historical essays by Linda Nochlin, "Why have there been no great women artists?" and Sybil Venegas, "Conditions for producing Chicana art" informed our first discussion of women and Chicana artists. These essays perhaps help us see why most of us can easily name Anglo or European male artists. As a fun experiment, I suggest you ask friends and family to name as many visual artists that they can.

Nochlin's answer to her question is that the obstacles for women artists (and writers) have been primarily institutional: Education/Apprenticeship and Business/Market. In addition to these institutional obstacles, Venegas states that Chicanas also have the added obstacle of social and cultural roles/expectations.

Chicano! History of the Mexican American Civil Rights PBS documentary series is searchable on YouTube. The documentary focusing on education titled, "Taking Back Our Schools" featuring interviews with Chicana artists Patssi Valdez, Carmen Lomas Garza, Mita Cuaron and others demonstrates the education obstacle imposed not only Chicana artists, but on Chicana/o/x and other communities in the U.S.

See you Week 2 to discuss the CARA exhibition with Professor Alicia Gaspar de Alba and begin our sketchbook project. Bring your questions, sketchbook and a 2B pencil.

Blog Post due Thursday, 1/16/2020: Write about CARA essay by Professor Alicia Gaspar de Alba