Orozco, Emily

In the essay for this week, Claudia Zapata discusses how digital platforms changed the Chicanx movement for the better. Zapata explains how the digital revolution is responsible for the increased recognition and distribution of Chicanx art. This type of media gives the artistic more control over how their art reaches their audience as well as how the audience interacts with it. This level of interaction between the art work and the audience adds a level of depth that wasn’t possible for the digital age. 

This article truly opened up my perspective on how art reaches its audience. Subconsciously, when I hear “art” I still think of painting and drawing, but this essay served as a friendly reminder that art does not necessarily have to be confined to a canvas or paper and pencil. Art can be digital and/or displayed on a digital platform. In many ways, with all the smartphones and dependence society has on electronics, digital is probably the easiest way to reach people. This can be very valuable for politically driven art such as the type of art for the Chicanx Movement because it can reach masses of people in a matter of seconds. In addition, Zapata mentioned how many artists opt for digital art because they do not always have the money for materials. Digital art is cheaper and therefore more accessible for not only its audience but for the artist as well. Personally, I think that using technology to their advantage is in their best interest for their message and craft. In the age of social media and graphic design, using digital art at some point could only add to an artists’ work.