Reflection

Throughout this quarter, I learned of the vast world of Chicana artists, something I did not even know existed before. It was very interesting to learn of how different Chicana artists use varying styles and means of presenting their art piece in order to illustrate what their experience being Chicano has been, illustrating the variety that can be found in Chicano art. What I found most interesting in this course was the common theme of decolonization that can be seen pop up over and over again in different Chicana artists, regardless of how varied their individual Chicano experience may have been. It is also very interesting how frequently the themes of feminist, racism, sexism, and class conflict were seen in various pieces of Chicana art, each manifested through a different format according to how the artist saw fit. It shed a light on how the Chicano experience is not isolated from the rest of American society, as it is also heavily impacted by these larger American issues which can frequently feel as if they exist on a whole world outside of the Chicano experience. These highlighted issues has helped for my view on how to approach issues that affect the Chicano community, as I now have a deeper understanding of how larger societal issues in American culture have a ripple effect in the Chicano community. The reclamation of Mexican heritage, especially the Native American heritage, is another very interesting aspect of various art works that we analyzed over the quarter. I found it inspiring that regardless of the long history of colonization in Latin American countries, there still exists a push against the ideas that were forced against Native Americans, and though those voices against the history of colonization may not be as loud as they were when Latin America began to be colonized, it is still encouraging to see that Latin American cultures have not forgotten their native roots. The artists which I found the most interesting were Sandra Ramos, Monica Kim Garza, Suzy Gonzalez, and Carmen Lopez Garza.