¡Printing the Revolution! The Rise and Impact of Chicano Graphics, 1965 to Now is an exhibition presented by the Smithsonian American Art Museum that highlights poster prints and other media created by Chicana/o artists which address the political climate of the time.
This exhibition is notable for being the first of its kind in that it presents the work of Chicana/o artists on a large scale in a museum setting. In a way this seems to canonize Chicana/o art in the realm of American art. In a conversation with Carmen Ramos, Tomas Ybarra-Frausto discusses the importance of this exhibition and the importance of Chicana/o artwork being held in the same regards as American art “because Chicano art is American art.” This statement sat with me for a while, because the preconceived notions I hold of what is considered “American” art have never encompassed Chicana/o art. Additionally, as a Chicana artist myself, my initial reaction was to reject this statement. I felt that traditional “American” art and ideals didn’t align with the values that I held as a Chicana, and I feel that a lot of Chicana/o art comes out of the struggles imposed by the “American” ways on our communities. However, I realize that these unique circumstances, and the fight for equity and justice within the U.S., is a force that facilitated the creation of the movements and art that characterized the Chicana/o community.
One of the most interesting points that stuck with me was Ester Hernandez’s discussion of Chicana artists and the need to create visual images of ourselves. She notes that in media we are either portrayed as people to fear or people to pity, and that the act of self-representation can begin to tackle this misrepresentation. It is extremely important to have representations of Chicana/x’s by Chicana/x’s, and I feel that a lot of Chicana/x’s play with this idea in their work in an effort to create a more accurate representation of what it looks like to be Chicana/x.
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