In the reading, rasquachismo is described as an "attitude or taste" (85) because rasquachismo cannot be forced into the confines of a strict system. Rasquachismo encompasses the "underdog perspective" (85) which is often that of the resourceful every day person. The reading describes that for these reasons, rasquachismo is deeply rooted in the working-class perspective and experiences of working-class people. An example of this in art is seen with Yolanda Lopez's work. In a drawing Lopez did of her grandmother, she drew her grandmother on butcher paper which reflects her working-class upbringing as she utilizes the resources that she has available and has a "make do" attitude tied to her art. In this way, rasquachismo offers a seemingly endless amount of possibilities as people "make do" with what they have on hand in their every day lives. This translates into art as people create and reuse things in resourceful ways making it so that rasquachismo also represents freedom within art. When Tomás Ybarra-Frausto described reusing items as something that can be considered a form of rasquachismo it resonated with me. Reusing items and making items last has always been something that my family has practiced growing up and I continue to repurpose items such as aluminum cans by turning them into pencilholders. Ultimately, Ybarra-Frausto describes that given the nature of rasquachismo there is no singular way for art to be rasquache given its inherent complexities (89). Therefore, rasquchismo allows for honesty and a spirit of not being taken too seriously.
photo shows an aluminum can decorated with a page from a magazine and nail polish. the aluminum can is now used to store knitting supplies
I really liked your piece of rasquachismo. I took have something similar in my house that I use for makeup brushes. I also like how you describe it as a sense honesty.
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