Orozco, Emily

Out of all the presentations I saw on Thursday one of the presentations that resonated with me was the one of Carmen Linares-Kalo. I find myself very amazed at muralist work because of how big their space is to work. I feel like the lack of limitations involving workspace allow for the artist to say a lot in one artwork. The fact that Linares-Kalo’s piece took so long to plan and then approximately took about 2 weeks to finish demonstrates how much thought planning artists put into a mural. Not only does Linares’ Kalo work represent Chicanx folks and their culture, but also pays homage to the Indigenous people that live/lived in the San Diego area. This artist used several colors and animals to represent emotions and people to tell several stories about Chicanx ancestors. I believe works like these are very important because they tell alot about history. I also believe I particularly liked this mural because it is located in Chicano Park. I have visited Chicano Park in the past and I was very impressed with the size of the artwork as well as the significance of each piece. Being able to walk around and see art that towers over your head is such a different experience opposed to walking into an art gallery. While there I even got to see Indigenous peoples perform a sacred ritual where they danced in Indigenous clothes seemingly showing appreciation for their ancestors. Having witnessed this, I feel like Linares-Kalo’s work shows exactly what places like Chicano park are supposed to emulate. It is a compilation of culture, history, and emotions.