Blog Post 2

 Question: How has digital creative interfaces helped to broaden Chicanx art? 

Answer: 

            Creative work and art that has been created (expressed) through digital technologies has done much to diversify Chicanx art and artists. “Personal computing, the smartphone, the internet, and the web represent the ever-changing resources that have allowed Chicanx artists to champion undeserved communities and cultivate audience interactivity, in the process redefining graphic forms for the greater food of solidarity,“(page 129). Although it must be noted that, despite this modern take of the art making process, it has not taken away from Chicanx art’s most popular and known work. As such, public murals and political print work is still very common despite the digital influence that advanced technology has had on art. Chicanx graphics and modes of expression have vastly expanded and have made spreading messages and news that much more accessible and easier to create. Computer-based artistic processes have helped to share contemporary political graphics and social media (ex. Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, and Facebook, etc.) has helped in spreading Chicano art and artist’s digital footprint thereby ensuring a wider audience can view the art. The combination that arises from digital media and Chicanx art culture make for a unique experience, especially since Chicanx art still prioritizes graphic and visual messages. This is one of the ways that digital media has not disrupted the ongoing culture of creating art that is accessible to all of its audience despite education and reading levels. By utilizing digital mediums, new opportunities arise in animating and perfecting an artist message. For example, the UFW (United Farm Workers), performed a high-tech boycott initiative that used computer techn and social media to ensure their message was dispersed to a larger audience. The shift to embracing digital methods of making and creating art has helped to broaden exposure for Chicanx artist and their artwork.