Extra Credit: The Black Experience (1970)

The Black Experience (1970) is a 10-foot-by-27-foot mural that was created in 1970 by a group of Black UCLA art students. The mural is located on the first floor of Ackerman Union and is located next to Panda Express. Prior to the course, I had no idea that the mural even existed and was also completely unaware of the fact that such a beautiful and historical piece of art was in close proximity to me. The mural is a testament to the way art remains relevant in today’s day in age, as well as the fact that it serves as a timeless piece documenting the interconnectedness of Black folks and allies since 1970.

Although the The Black Experience depicts achievements of Blacks and African-Americans within the United States, it also addresses issues of racial disparities with a visual representation of the history and experience of the community. One of the contributors to the mural underlined that the art piece was created in response to the “emotional turmoil” that took place at UCLA and other colleges throughout the United States in the aftermath of the Kent State University shootings. Furthermore, The Black Experience is also an embodiment of perseverance within this particular community, since the mural was obscured for 20 years by a false wall erected in front of it during building renovations in 1992. As a result, members of the Afrikan Student Union (ASU) fought for the uncovering of the mural.

One of the most captivating aspects about the mural is the fact that it serves as a timeline for Black and African-American excellence and figures up until 1970. Upon observing it, it is easy to pick up on the intricacy of the piece. The eight figures depicted on the mural are the accumulation of smaller, noteworthy individuals that have served as catalysts for the community. Overall, the mural gave me a better understanding of the importance of artistic initiatives within underrepresented communities. Shifting the paradigm to encapsulate a clear and valid representation of our community members is a matter that requires engagement through artistic processes. In doing so, marginalized communities are able to achieve the conceptualization of their own identities, memories, and histories.

Reflection Post

Prior to the beginning of the course, I did not know what to expect from the class. I was fully aware that it was a class where we were going to dissect and critique prominent Chicana/Latina artists within the community, but that was as far as I knew or at least had anticipated. Chicana Art and Artists M175 was not only my first class with a particular focus on Chicanas/Latinas, but it was also a proper introduction to art―a domain that I had no knowledge in. Fast-forward to the end of the quarter, I can now confidently and proudly say that I gained knowledge in the field of Chicana/Latina art. The course was a humbling experience, as I learned about two important things in particular. First, art is a vehicle through which one can contextualize, historicize, and politicize. Art is a medium that allows for the freedom of expression, while simultaneously also serving as a statement to society. Second, I learned about the importance of contesting the status quo through the reimagination of art. The latter paves the way for the dismantling of the stigmatizations that target Chicana/Latina women. Cultural expression through art forms serves as a catalyst for not only the amplification of identity, but also the expansion of horizons within the artistic domain.

Overall, the course was a learning experience like no other. Personally, I tip my hat to Professor Alma Lopez for always being so encouraging through the process. As one of my peers pointed out, the class gave one the leverage to fail and grow at the same time. The course also provided a better understanding of my role as an ally to Latina and Chicana framework and propositions. The dismantling of preconceived notions regarding women is a matter that concerns community efforts. In doing so, Latina and Chicana women are able to extend feminist visions, create new identities, and, most importantly, achieve liberation from societal expectations.

Classmate Presentation #2: Ester Hernández

An artist that captivated my attention during the in-class presentations is Ester Hernández. Hernández was born in California, specifically in the San Joaquin Valley. She is the product of a Mexican/Yaqui farm worker family―the latter playing a fundamental role in the work of the artist. Hernández attended and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1976. Berkeley played a significant role in the life of Hernández due to the fact that the political atmosphere gave momentum to her own agenda as a student, and also, as a creative. Furthermore, one of the most notable aspects of the artist’s life is her involvement with Las Mujeres Muralistas. Las Mujeres Muralistas was a woman artist collaborative based out in San Francisco during the 1970s. The collaborative served as a catalyst for the beginning of the female muralist movement in the United States and Mexico.

To continue on, I shifted my focus to Hernández because I was completely intrigued by her most-recognized piece titled Sun Mad (1982). This particular screenprint reimagines the iconic red Sun Maid raisin box by replacing the smiling woman on the box with a skeleton. The text under the logo reads, “Unnaturally grown with insecticides, miticides, herbicides, fungicides.” One of the things that I found the most significant about this piece was the meshing of art and memory. This particular work addresses the damage of pesticides to not only the environment, but also, the farm workers of the San Joaquin Valley. Sun Mad is a vehicle through which issues of unjust working conditions and exploitation of farm workers is brought to the audience’s attention. Ester Hernández’s artwork is a gateway to understanding the struggle of farm workers and the importance of serving as an ally to Latina/o and Chicana/o framework and propositions.

Classmate Presentation #1: Diane Gamboa

One of the artists that caught my attention during the in-class presentations is Diane Gamboa. Gamboa has been producing, exhibiting, and curating art in Southern California for more than two decades. Among all of her accolades, one of her most outstanding achievements is the California Community Foundation Individual Artist Grant. The latter not only speaks volumes on the creative’s success in the field, but also, it underlines the fact that Gamboa has been one of the most active cultural producers within the domain of Chicana art and within the city of Los Angeles.

I gravitated towards artist Diane Gamboa not only because I admire her art, but also because of the influence the punk rock scene has had on her work. During the ’80s, Gamboa made her presence known in the punk rock scene of East Los Angeles, and the punk aesthetic turned out to be one of the factors that characterized the beings within her work. Many of the figures are covered in tattoos, clearly demonstrating a touch of the artist’s avant-garde. A second thing that I appreciate from the artist’s artwork is her inclination to include fictional places that challenge the status quo. For instance, a lot of Gamboa’s artwork is anti-sexist, anti-hetero-normative, and anti-racist. By blurring the line of gender and gender tendencies, she underlines the importance of intersectionality within the Latina/o community. In addition, my favorite series by her is Alien Invasion: Queendom Come (2006-2012). Within this series, Gamboa challenges the society-embedded association between the term “alien” and Mexicans. She reimagines the concept of the word “alien” in order to challenge the single-narratives that marginalize Mexicans within the United States.

Judith F. Baca: Mi Abuelita (1971)

Anna Indych-López’s Judith F. Baca is a book that outlines the monumental life of Chicana creative Judith F. Baca within activism and the arts. Indych-López not only contextualizes Baca’s upbringing and her remarkable expertise in the domain of Chicana art, but she also places a specific emphasis on Baca’s role within her community. The artist’s work is a gateway to understanding the importance of engagement within communities, as well as a testament to the way a simple paint brush molds them into fruitful sites of public memory.

One of the works of Judith F. Baca that captivated my attention upon first glance is her mural titled Mi Abuelita (1971). The mural, characterized by simplicity at first notice, was monumental for both Baca and the community of Chicana artists. Mi Abuelita was the first mural created by a Chicana artist―an outstanding feat that set the precedent for the artistic endeavors of others. Through the mural, Baca pays homage to the influence her grandmother had on her life, while simultaneously underlining the spirit of a matriarch. Beyond the complexity of its composition and imagery, there lies a underlying truth that is not illustrated by the mural. Baca utilized public walls of neglected communities, specifically recreation centers and parks, and reimagined them to serve as spaces for youth disenfranchised by local residents. The collaboration of Baca with rival gang members during the process of Mi Abuelita speaks on the dynamism of the artist, as well as on the matriarchal role Baca developed and embodied.

Carmen Lomas Garza: Lotería―Primera Tabla (1972)

One of my favorite works by Carmen Lomas Garza is her print titled Lotería―Primera Tabla (1972). Through this particular work, Carmen Lomas Garza utilizes some of her community experiences as the basis for her own series of lotería tablas. The artist completely reimagines the concept of lotería by intertwining pre-Columbian and colonial work. In doing so, Garza underlines the importance of giving colonization a candid portrayal―one that not only includes the presence of the Spanish, but also one that alludes to indigenous, precontact paintings. The latter is demonstrated through the speech scroll in one of the blocks. The speech scroll is depicted as an action that is coming out of a Spanish man’s mouth in order to illustrate that the man speaks in general. However, the most significant aspect from this particular block is the fact that this image draws a parallel to speech scrolls embedded within indigenous societies. 

To continue on, I gravitated towards this image due to the vivacity of the lotería tabla. The tabla’s color richness was not only rooted in the choice of colors, but also, the clarity of the illustrations. Personally, the most captivating aspect of the print is the artist’s portrayals of both worlds, with the inclusion of the monitos, or little figures, her mother once received. Beyond the fact that Garza was able to contextualize and historicize pre-Columbian and colonial worlds through art, I enjoyed the fact that the artist also incorporated bits of her childhood. The monitos depicted in the tablas underline the parallels between Garza’s community experiences and those of the audience―experiences that demonstrate prevalent commonalities within the Chicano/a and Latino/a community.

Yolanda M. López: Who's the Illegal Alien Pilgrim? (1978)

Karen Mary Davalos’ Yolanda M. López is a book that recounts the trajectory of Chicana feminist and creative Yolanda M. López. Davalos not only dissects López’s humble beginnings and her various contributions to the Chicana artistic community, but she also contextualizes, historicizes, and politicizes the artist’s dignified images and installations―works that pay homage to the Chicana struggle within both a patriarchal society and artistic community. The visual artist’s work serves as a podium that underscores who the Chicana is not, and ultimately one that reimagines preconceived notions of Chicana and working-class women along the way.

One of Yolanda M. López’s works that completely captivated my attention is her offset lithograph titled Who’s the Illegal Alien Pilgrim? (1978). This particular image, also one of López’s most successful expressions as a political artist, is one that encourages the political autonomy of the audience by openly proposing a new model of perceiving immigration of Anglo-Americans during the time of the pilgrimage. As stated by author Davalos, “López makes a joke out of the icons of the dominant culture and uses laughter and ridicule to uncrown power and build insurgent consciousness” (53). The image serves as a testament to the fight against the xenophobia and the sentiment that permeates immigrants within the United States to this day―sentiment that stems from American historical amnesia. Despite the fact that the Committee on Chicano Rights was reluctant about López’s approach on the matter of immigration and xenophobia, the work has proved to be monumental because of its relevance to the United States’ contemporary political climate.

Alicia Gaspar de Alba: CARA Exhibition

Alicia Gaspar de Alba’s “Out of the House, the Halo, and the Whore’s Mask: The Mirror of Malinchismo” is a chapter in one of her works that underlines the way the domain of art is permeated by the roots of patriarchy and the exclusion that exists within the Chicano community. Through her reading and her guest lecture, I learned about the Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation (CARA) and its initiatives. Despite the fact that the exhibit was monumental because of the fact that it conveyed themes representative of the Chicano movement, its history, and politics, CARA was also a testament to the inequality within the Chicano community. CARA highlighted the minimal inclusion of Chicana artists within the exhibit, ultimately demonstrating the deep presence of Chicano work that was displayed within the vicinity. As seen through Gaspar de Alba’s brief quantitative analysis of the CARA exhibition by gender, it is evident that a hundred more Chicano male artists were represented in comparison to Chicanas.

Within the reading, Alicia Gaspar de Alba states, “To ignore gender, however, in the struggle for civil and human rights is to perpetuate the objectification and abuse of women” (122). The latter was something that definitely touched chords due to the fact that civil and human rights are not meant to be unilateral. The male-to-female ratio illustrated that even within resistance to forms of oppression embedded within art, Chicanos’ art was given more validation just based off of the fact that it was curated through the vantage point of a male. As a male, I stand firm on the idea that our sisters within the community need more representation all across the artistic spectrum; a representation of women that can be amplified with the help of men.

Debra Blake: Chicana Sexuality and Gender... Quote

Debra Blake’s Chicana Sexuality and Gender: Cultural Refiguring in Literature, Oral History, and Art is a reading that examines the way Chicana and Mexican women have reimagined cultural symbols to negotiate and contest the individuals that have degraded them. Women within these particular communities completely revert the negative connotations attached to these prominent figures in order to promote self-empowerment and agency within a patriarchal-rooted society.

A prime example from the text that illustrates how Chicana and Mexican women have altered the image and notion of cultural images is rooted in Malintzin Tenepal, otherwise known as La Malinche. Within Chapter 1 of her book, Debra Blake states, “La Malinche disrupts the notion of conquest and resistance as male-gendered activities by inserting a female presence into the male homopolitical relations between the Spaniards and the Mexica and among the indigenous factions” (Blake 43). Once the interpreter and sexual subject of Hernán Cortés, Malintzin Tenepal to this day is seen as the scapegoat for Mexico’s defeat to the Spanish, especially by men. However, Chicana and Mexican women have completely shifted the rhetoric and perception of La Malinche through art. No longer painted out to be the subservient translator of Cortés, La Malinche has been reconstructed to epitomize a self-reliant woman who combated the chains of patriarchal domination exhibited by Spain, Mexico, and the Catholic church.

By connecting visual representations to Chicana and Mexican culture, memories of the past are reimagined into contemporary icons, ultimately dismantling the stigmatizations that target these particular women. Cultural expression through art forms serve as catalysts for not only the amplification of Chicana and Mexican identity in unchartered territories, but also the expansion of horizons within the artistic domain.

Presentation: Consuelo J. Underwood

The artist that I selected for my presentation and paper is Consuelo Jimenez Underwood. Underwood is a contemporary Chicana artist from San Jose, California who chronicles the colonial legacies of the Americas: brutal domination of the land and the indigenous cultures, marginalization of the tarnished environment and poverty, cultural mestizaje, and the maximum exploitation of human capital. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Art at San Diego State University, and later obtained her Master of Fine Arts in Art at San Jose State University. The daughter of migrant workers―a Chicana mother and a father of Huichol descent―Underwood combines traditional textile materials with those not commonly used (barbed wire, plastic-coated wire, safety pins, etc.) to challenge the contemporary distinction between art and craft.

I gravitated towards Consuelo J. Underwood because her installations simply captivated my attention upon first glance. A fundamental aspect of Underwood’s persona and the basis of her creative process is her personal border experiences that include: the interconnectedness of societies and “seeing” the world through her tri-cultural lens. As stated by the artist herself, her engaging materials are interwoven to create large-scale fiber art that is “inspired in equal measures by land, politics, and Spirit.” Another aspect that characterizes Underwood and one that convinced me of her work was the legitimization of fiber art as a decolonial art form that not only challenges the marginalization that has permeated the Americas for hundred of years, but also, one that validates ancestral memory and personal quest.

Pizano, Rogelio (Roy)

My name is Rogelio Pizano, but I also go by Roy. I’m currently a second-year who is majoring in Sociology and Chicano/a Studies. I’m from Ontario, California, which just happens to be a 50-minute drive from Los Angeles. Despite my dedication to my studies within the academy, I’d like to say that the term “student” is not a word that fully encapsulates who I am. I’m a firm believer in the idea that you can build your own empire by putting your creativity to the test. Investing in myself―by submerging my spirit into the arts―has always been at the pinnacle of my priorities. Not only does the artistic realm expand the portals of life, but it also molds tomorrow’s agents of change. With that being said, I’d like to wrap-up my personal introduction with some of the words I live by, words that a gentleman by the name of Rakim Mayers gracefully told me: “Wealth is in the mind, not the pocket.”

To continue on, Sybil Venegas’ “Conditions for Producing Chicana Art” was a reading that contextualized the effort put forth by Chicanas in order to overcome racial and male-dominated boundaries within the domain of art―a field that has always been predominantly white. Within her short essay, Venegas underlines the idea that the Chicana women face more obstacles in terms of recognition and support, in comparison to a white woman or a Chicano counterpart. The implication is that the Chicana archetype of yesterday and contemporary times is one that goes contrary to white establishments that aim to preserve the status quo. Alongside the paving of a new consciousness within an American society, Chicanas today are dismantling the stigmatizations that have hindered their autonomy. In modest fashion, Venegas successfully argues that Chicana art is a testament to the significant change propagated by Chicanas within their respective communities and the artistic realm.