The content of this course has been super engaging and I really appreciated the focus on activism throughout the course and the assignments. Coming into this class I knew very little about Chicanx and Latinx art so many of the concepts were new to me. Reflecting on my time in the class I can point to the concept of Rasquache and our conversations surrounding the significance of the Virgin of Guadalupe as parts of the class that piqued my interest. Rasquache art was super interesting to learn about because it was both a unique art form and a sort of attitude or aesthetic. Growing up there were a lot of “Art-cars” in and around my neighborhood/city but at the time I had no frame of reference for understanding the cars as art I just knew it was eye-catching and unique. I also think that while perhaps it didn’t begin as a commentary on environmentalism, Rasquache art can be an extremely effective form of conveying messages related to sustainability and climate change in addition to class and race and really anything else the artist chooses. In addition to the concept of Rasquache, I learned a ton of new information about La Virgen de Guadalupe. Growing up in a Spanish immersion school and traveling to Central America I had encountered images of La Virgen many times but I only ever really associated it with catholicism. Coming into this class and learning a bit about the history and the continued significance of La Virgen was very eye-opening. I really enjoyed our class examinations of art re-imagining La Virgen because, at least iconographically, La Virgen herself is a reinterpretation of the Virgin Mary through a post-Columbus indigenous lens. It's amazing to me how images such as La Virgen de Guadalupe can remain so culturally significant and recognizable even through such drastic changes to society. Overall I really enjoyed my time in the class and I feel that the format of the course allowed us to explore a variety of topics and artists in a succinct and engaging way.
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