Week 10 Reflection

This quarter of Chicana art and artists has expanded a lot of my knowledge regarding the context behind the various artistic practices in the Chicana community. I was able to be exposed to mediums that I hadn’t previously known about including silk screening, and some of the methods behind making graphics. I really appreciated the artist who were able to bridge the gap between the spiritual realm and the earthly room, making sure to pay homage to the cultural iconography while simultaneously being critical of it. Each artist that we were able to explore had continuity but also their own distinct style across the board which made the narrative aspect behind the course even more invigorating. I think my favorite artist of this quarter was Martha Ramirez Oropeza as her art is a direct reflection of what it means to be a part of the counter culture, to challenge hegemony and colonialist practices. I also very much appreciated the mix mediums across the board that my classmates presented to us, it really highlighted the talent and consciousness necessary to express oneself based on their experiences. It also beautifully showcases the vastness of the Chicana experience. I found it also very enlightening, too analyze some of the social implications which guided these artists for example understanding  Rasquachismo and Chicanx feminism. I am grateful that I was able to encounter artists who are very community oriented and arts activism focused, because a lot of the time, the power of art is underestimated. The panel events through the Smithsonian brought me much closer to understanding various narratives and I was so grateful to hear the continuities and difference amongst the various artists who shared their stories.  There is so much more meaning behind the ways that art is a tool of resistance. Graphics were not graphics for the sake of just being a piece of paper with words on it, it was exposing communities to liberation and action.  If I could say one thing, I wish we could have gotten a bit more into ways for us to create art in response to one of the artists we were fascinated by, and just analyzing art as a resistive tool, it would be very fun to explore and build upon the people who came before.