Chavez, Lilibeth- Chacon, Ruby (Abstract)

Dicou, Natalie. “The Colors of Community.” The Salt Lake City Tribune [Salt Lake City], 27 November 2008, archive.sltrib.com/article.php?itype=NGPSID&id=11081159. Accessed 10/05/2021.

    The newspaper article, local to Salt Lake City Utah, covers a mural that had recently sprung up

in the community and the struggles of finding a wall to display it on after an initial volunteer 

business backed out once he saw the design. Ruby Chacon along with Bad Dog worked 

alongside 4 young teens of the community to create the mural. Ruby Chacon guided the teens 

and taught them her way of approaching murals, and expressed that murals are a way to make art accessible. The article also mentions Ruby’s upbringing, that as a working class family could not afford seeing art through traditional mediums like museums and exhibits.

Lara, Irene. “Sensing the Serpent in the Mother, Dando a Luz la Madre Serpiente Chicana Spirituality, Sexuality, and Mamihood.” Fleshing the Spirit, The University of Arizona Press, 2014, Part 2.

    The book Fleshing the Spirit, engages conversations on spiritual consciousness and social 

activism as well as the healing of the spirit in Chicana. The chapter Sensing the Serpent in the 

Mother, Dando a Luz la Madre Serpiente Chicana Spirituality, Sexuality, and Mamihood 

discusses the concept of Serpentine consciousness as a way of connecting Chicana women to 

resemble  the dual duality of Quetzalcoatl, in their many existences. Ruby Chacon is mentioned 

in this section for her art. Relating her to the Serpiente Consciousness through her works, “Self 

with Serpent” (2001) and “Self as Cihuacoatl” (2001).

Martin, Sue. “Ruby Chacon: Art of Healing, Art of Humanity.” 15 Bytes, Artists of Utah, 23 Mar. 2018, artistsofutah.org/15Bytes/index.php/tag/ruby-chacon/. 

    15 Bytes is the art magazine of Utah, featuring Utah native artists. The article covers Chacon’s development with art as well as her many awards for her art. However, the article focuses on Ruby’s use of art to create healing spaces for members of the community. She specifically takes note of Utah as her people’s land before westward expansion and in a time when utah was still Mexican domain. Ruby has created spaces in immigrant communities where people can gather and share their stories. Ruby also participates in youth programs to allow art to be a means of healing for younger generations.