Arnold, Natalia

Hello Everyone!

   I hope you all have been doing well lately and staying safe during these tough times. I'm Natalia Arnold, my pronouns are she, her, hers and I'm currently a Chicanx Studies major with a plan on double majoring in Art as well. This is my second quarter here at UCLA after I attended MiraCosta College and received my Associates Degree in Art, History and Sociology. My goal is to become an Ethic Studies professor with an emphasis on social justice art which is why this class interested me. I've previously conducted research on how socio-political art has impacted the activism and cultural awareness of Chicanx youth. My research has also included the oppression of Latinas within their culture in regards to sexualized media portrayals of their bodies and shame imposed on their sexuality. These topics interested me because my artwork centers around being an activist for my community and an empowered Chicana. So by taking this course I wanted to learn more about Chicana artists because in the art world as it is, it is very Euro and phallocentric. Being able to see the work of other Chicanas would inspire my work and increase my confidence as a Chicana artist. 

    The Carmen Ramos essay correlated much with the Chicanx studies course I took at my former college and the research I previously conducted. It connected with information on the Royal Chicano Air Force and El Taller Grafico that I was familiar with. However, what intrigued me was the examination of Chicana artists, especially queer Chicana artists. The essay gave me a new insight on Corky Gonzalez's Yo Soy Joaquin poem and how it emphasized a male representation of the Chicanx movement. The work Esther Hernandez, was truly spectacular to me by her portraying an active woman fighting gender stereotypes while being critical of the so-called freedom and equality in the United States that has denied marginalized communities that right. Not to mention her work La Ofrenda which highlighted the Chicana queer community. It's these types of artworks that often go unrecognized for the power held by largely white male artists and their use of female bodies as sexual objects within their work. But after viewing this article I am even more excited to learn and spread information about these amazing Chicanas who used their art to challenge the numerous barriers they faced.