Reflection

After the first class meeting, it became very clear to me that this class would be structured very differently from what I had experienced before.  Sort of art history, sort or lecture, sort of studio, I wasn't sure if it would be for me. But I was so excited to get back into art-making, something I've been in a real slump over for about a year, that I decided to stay. I feel really happy to have been able to learn about all these women, especially from a professor who stands among them as an artist, and to do so while making art at the same time. Getting back to the basics of drawing has really helped me reboot.

Chicana artists built such distinct bodies of work from similar experiences and ideologies, it was interesting to learn about a variety of media and styles. But there is also such diversity within the community, people from different regions and different sexualities, that makes the work even richer. Researching some of these artists has been an exercise in frustration from the lack of literature on them, but it really just highlights the work that's out there for art historians to undertake. I feel like I've been missing out, especially as someone native to Los Angeles, since I haven't gone out of my way to see all the public art in the city. I am super excited to go out and look at some murals and to be able to recognize the artists that created them.