Duarte, Zuri

 

Hi everyone! My name is Zuri and I use the she/ her/ hers pronouns. I am a 2nd-year at UCLA double-majoring in Art and Labor & Workplace Studies. I became interested in this class because I identify as a Chicana artist and I’m really excited to learn about how my culture influences my art. I have taken a few art history classes, but I rarely got to learn about Chicana artists so I am very excited to focus on Chicana artists in this class.

I was born and raised in the East Los Angeles/ Boyle Heights area. My mom is from Mexico and my dad is from Guatemala. I have mostly identified as Chicana, even though I am also Central American, because that is the label that society has placed on me, but I am learning to self-define and embrace all my identities. 

This week I especially appreciated the reading titled ¡Printing the Revolution! The Rise and Impact of Chicano Graphics, 1965 to Now by E. Carmen Ramos because it talked about art as a tool and how it was made widely accessible to the masses. I have always struggled with my own creative processes because I never considered my own art to be “real art.” This class will be very empowering for me because I will be exposed to many artists that I will be able to relate to. I’m interested in studying what is considered “fine art” versus what is considered “folk art” and why. My favorite part of this reading was when Ramos compared the Codex Aubin to Chicano graphics today. I definitely see the resemblance, but I had never acknowledged this influence so it was awesome to learn about it. I’ve been really interested in how Chicano graphics heavily employ text and I loved learning about how this style goes back hundreds of years. This reading was a great start to the class and I look forward to learning more about Chicana artists with y’all!