Week 10

Art that is (or has been historically) recognized and praised by the mainstream has been created by white, cisgender, heterosexual men. Their work is held as the norm or the model for art and is oftentimes claimed to speak to a universal message. In reality, this art tends to come from a very narrow perspective which made it difficult for me to want to fully engage with it. So it was really great to have this class that centered various experiences of Chicanas and Latinas and their art. I found that I was both able to relate more to their messages while also being challenged to see things from different perspectives.

When I went to museums or exhibits it was  very easy for me to just take what I saw at face value or want an explanation from the artist about the artwork. Before this class, I didn’t understand what it meant to just look at paintings or installations.  Even if I understood there was probably a deeper message, I didn’t know how to analyze it on my own. I also rarely considered thinking about what the process behind the artwork was like or what the process meant for the artist. My involvement with the arts has been mainly through theater and looking back now, I do know first hand about the creativity and labor that goes into creating something. Then when you share what you created, it can be very easy for those not involved in the process to just take an artwork for granted. So I am really glad I took this course because it exposed me to other art forms that I can also keep learning from. I am leaving this course with a greater appreciation for art and artists.