Alexander, Nyah

Hi Everyone! My name is Nyah Alexander (she/her/hers) and I am a third year here at UCLA! I am a World Arts and Cultures and Communications (WAC) double major in the school of Arts and Architecture. As both a WAC major and a Black woman, learning about the art and the cultural significance outside of the dominant white European standard and outside of my own culture is important and interesting to me. I am interested in ethnographic research methods and studies that allow me to directly interact with and learn from the groups that I am educating myself on. Talking and working directly with people from cultures that you are studying is an invaluable research experience that is one of the few ways to accurately portray the group, culture, or individual that you are researching and writing about. 

Growing up in the Bay Area, activism has always been an integral part of my life and I was always surrounded by activists and protests. In San Francisco especially, different communities are covered in amazing art pieces that are significant to the community and the people that have lived there for generations. This course’s focus on Chicanx/Latinx art was really interesting to me because I spent a good amount of time in the Mission District looking at the various murals and always having an interest in them and the artists behind them. Additionally, the concept of art as activism and the evolution of culture through art really interest me. I love the vast mediums of art and how not only the final product, but choices in material and process allow artists to convey a powerful message about their identity or broader messages without words. I am also interested in the accessibility of art and art activism compared to academic texts, and the merit of art in comparison to literature. 

In the reading, “Why no great women artists?” I really enjoyed the commentary on typical answers to that question, especially because some of them are similar to how I may have responded to the question. When studying art history for the AP exam, it was incredible how until the contemporary pieces, women were rarely considered to be a part of the great works and even still female art is not at the forefront of the industry. The conclusion that art making is not so free and up to the artist was really interesting for me. I definitely agree that within the art world if you want to gain notoriety, and if you want to have a profitable career, you are not simply making what you want to make. You are thinking about what will sell and what others want  to see. This led me to think, do artists who never show their art or don’t care for fame also feel this same pressure and influences?

I am so excited to continue discussing the readings and learning with you all this Fall!