There isn't one particular reading, artist, or talk that was my favorite. Many of the topics we covered helped me find the language I've been looking for most of my life. The language to help have agency over my creative practice and the language to celebrate my experience as a Chicanx.
Much of my work centers brown and black creative embodiment and the space between transformation and identity. English does not have a word for this space. Being given the word Nepantla has opened a new dimension.
Rasquache is another term I did not know but is in full bloom in my life and family home. It describes my grandpa's attitude toward objects and his love of going to and selling at the swap-meet. He definitely had a working class sensibility and aesthetic.
One of the most important essay's was Border Arte by Gloria Anzaldúa. I thoroughly enjoy the way she writes. She glides through information and the personal smoothly. I know her book Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza is highly regarded. I can't wait to read it.
This is my first Chicanx class I've taken. I did not have access to Chicanx courses growing up on the East coast or in undergrad. I've also never had BIPOC instructors/professors till attending UCLA. I can see how this has deeply affected my education and self image. This is one of the reasons I decide to pursue my MFA and teach.
Hi Amina,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I want to point that you brought so much to this class from day 1 by sharing with us. I am so excited to hear that you want to pursue teaching because I can really see it. The thought of spreading some of what we learned in this class and the impact your teaching is going to have on others is just so awesome.
Hello Amina,
ReplyDeleteI'm so pleased to read this reflection post and how the course was a fruitful experience for you. I also found the course to be really insightful and an interesting sort of guide in further understanding a language for art from the Chicanx/Latinx perspective. It was also really great to have you and your input present in this class and I'm hoping to continue to cross paths more frequently in the near future!