Week 10 - Reflections

When I saw a class was being offered about Chicana artists I knew there was no way that I could pass up the opportunity to enroll. Even while pursuing a Chicana/o and Central American Studies minor, Chicana/o art is often glossed over and not much time is spent dedicated to the subject alone. This course really felt like a great starting point, offering a historical foundation about what Chicana/o art was and what it is evolving into. What I came to realize is that Chicana/o art itself really parallels the Chicana/o identity. Chicana/o art, like the identity of a Chicana/o/x, really blossomed out of a strong passion for social justice, as well as a reclamation of one’s roots in the face of white supremacy and racism. While early Chicana artists really emphasized these points in their artwork, often offering their art making skills for political posters to further the goals of a given movement, I feel that Chicana/o/x art in the 21st century is really expanding definition.

As a Chicana artist myself, I often walk the line and feel torn between being a “Chicana artist”, or one who uses their artwork for socio-political issues and explicitly depicts activist-themes in my work, and being a Chicana who creates art. I loved discussing issues like this with peers in the class who also felt this same struggle between making art for their community or a certain audience, and those who just wanted to create art as a creative outlet. Although this class was online due to Covid, I felt really lucky to share space with other Chicana/o/x artists who are passionate about the same things that I am. I hope that eventually Chicana/o/x art will take up more space in both Art History and Chicana/o and Central American Studies discourses.