class reflection

When I first signed up for this class I was expecting a normal class where the lecture was the predominant force behind the learning of the subject, but I was pleasantly surprised by the incorporation of the actual art aspect of the class. I am in no means a good artist, but the weekly aspect of creation in this class is calming.

(TRIGGER WARNING) [sexual assult]

This Quarter has been the worst time of my life personally, Two friends of mine passed away, one from cancer and the other was kidnapped and murdered, I was raped by someone I thought cared about me, going through the motions of PTSD and not being able to handle physical contact from anyone (not even a hug from my mom)as well as other personal issues back home, but I always found myself spending time drawing in the sketchbook, either for fun or for the grade, and I can not express how therapeutic it was to be able to, essentially turn my brain off and just draw my hands over and over again and use watercolors. I'm sharing what happened to me because it is part of my life, and I am at the point where I'm not fully over it, but I'm getting there and having a platform to just write about anything is good for me.

Don't get me long the class was long at times, especially during the presentations, but learning about new, previously unknown, at least to me, Chicana artists was a great experience.

Week 9

Another artist that really captured my attention from those presented this week was muralist Judy Baca. Her ability to create large and intricate works of art is truly astounding. In particular, I was drawn toward her piece "The Great Wall Of Los Angeles." Baca's ability to create narratives around the history of the region and that of Latino/as into a large work of art is astounding. Every single image placed on the wall has significance towards it, and often those images tell the story of people who are either forgotten or are not taught in schools. It is also incredible the way that Baca was able to bring together I believe more than 300 artists to work together on this singular project for the enrichment of those who live in the region. After seeing the presentation about the wall in class I asked one of my friends, who is a local to LA if he could take me, and seeing the Wall in person is a humbling experience. During the presentation, there was only a small portion that was shown, which is reasonable since the mural is almost 3000 feet long. While parts of the wall are beginning to fade, which is reasonable due to its age and refurbishing, the striking images of history remain as the images of "Farewell to Rosie the Riveter", "Development of Suburbia", "The Red Scare & McCarthyism", "5000,000 Mexican Americans Deported", and many more explain not only the history of the region, but also of the time and struggle felt by the people who live in Los Angles.

Week 8

I found it exceedingly exciting to be able to view other Chicana artists chosen by other students, as well as it was to see their selected pieces on the various art styles. One artist that really stood out to me was Liliana Navarro. Each one of her paintings was vibrant and used such bright colors in a way that showed the happiness of the piece. The use of roses and bright reds and pinks make the pieces such a beautiful example of Chicana/o art as it incorporates the use of bright colors, with imagery of Latino icons such as Juan Gabriel, as well as other, newer icons in Chicano Media such as her artwork done for Cuco's album "Para Mi." Looking at her other artwork we can see that her artwork is very special and otherworldly, using subjects that are surrounded by almost a full background of color. Specifically, on the painting of Cuco, there are culturally relevant images that are spaced throughout, both being the use of El SOL and LA LUNA from the bingo game LOTERIA. These elements make for a piece that is culturally relevant to the Chicano experience as not only has Cuco broken into mainstream culture, but his music, incorporating both Spanish and English, has the ability to be a part of a greater conversation about the creativity of Chicanos, and the collaboration between Cuco and Navarro is testament to the ability for Chicanx artists to elevate each other in a positive way.

Week 7 artist

The artist I chose to present on Is Kathy Vargas, a lot of her work has a kind of spooky aesthetic about it that I enjoy that comes from her use of double exposure and morbid topics. One of the reasons I wanted to choose her as an artist was because she studied under The Who's Photographer. She has had major installations all over the world in places such as Europe and the united states.  A part of her work and the main focus of my presentation and essay on her comes from her ability to use photographs in a manner that addresses the reality of death while interweaving themes of commemoration tot he subjects. Three photos that I found exceedingly interesting were her series of Valentine's day/Day of the Dead that includes images of both hands and a ribcage that appear to be done through an X-Ray, as well as the singular piece from her pair of works Hospice: Bill and Don (Don). In Hospice (Bill)  the subject's photograph is superimposed over their own death certificate, creating a haunting visual. In all three pictures, she commemorates the lives of three friends of hers who all passed away from AIDS. I like her images because they are more than just photographs, they are a way of immortalizing people in her life. she addresses themes of life and death in a way that accepts the inevitability of it but also celebrates the life and the time those around her had with her.

Week 6-Cover

For my cover I have decided to make two things. The first being the stencil of a tattoo I am going to have done, and the other is that of a pack of cigarettes. To me, the relationship I have with my mother is the most important one I have. I call her every day to tell her I Love her and to let her know that im doing okay. Growing up I always had an admiration for my mother due to how kind of a person she is. One thing she would always do on Mother day would be that she and I would pick roses from the bushes we had in our yard and we would walk to all of our neighbor's houses to give each of the mothers in the neighborhood a rose and tell them Happy Mother's Day. That memory of her and I walking up and down our street and making other people smile is one that I cherish more than anything else in the world.

My second stencil is that of a box of cigarettes with flowers coming out of the top. When I was younger my family was very poor, and my father would work two full-time jobs to make ends meet, and because of this we hardly would ever see him. Growing up in the desert the days would be hot and the nights would be cold, but at some point in the day it would be nice enough for my older brother and I to go outside and play games we would invent. It would be around this time that my father would come home from one job, change, eat, and have about an hour or two to spend with us before he left for his other job. Almost daily he would come home to us and go straight to the backyard where my brother and I would play and just watch us.  He would smile at us and smoke cigarettes. We would be so happy to see him for that one or two hour period that we would get close to him and talk about our games and the stories we would make up. Often times my father would cry while he watched us because, while we were extremely poor, we were still able to be happy. My father and I do not have a good relationship now. We had a falling out years back and have not recovered. At this moment I do not want a relationship with my father, but because of him I smoke cigarettes. I smoke the same ones he does because when I do it reminds me of all of the happy memories i had before him and I had a falling out. All of my fondest memories smell like Marlboro and that's why i chose the box of cigarettes.

             The Image Quinceañera, by artist Carmen Lomas Garza is one of celebration. It depicts the tradition of a Quinceañera from the perspective of an onlooker, peering into an intimate moment in the life of a young girl. The painting reminds me of when I was a Chambelan in two of my cousin's quinceañeras. It brings back the anxiety my uncles had as they prepared the venue, dances, outfits, and event itself. The painting outlines the disconnect between the young men and women who were apart of it as the men are laid back and casual while the girls are fixing each other's hair, and running around doing last minute things. The family of the young girl is also on the steps between the Damas and Chambelanes, talking to either each other or the children, and in this, we can see the close familial bonds that are formed in the  Mexican and Chicano household. The part that makes Lomas Garza's painting so relatable is its relatability to Mexicans and Mexican Americans.  A quinceañera is an intimate event with the girl's closest family and friends, and to express that in a physical form, in a painting portrays a side of Mexican American culture that is often not seen in public. it is a departure from the constant image of invasion that Mexicans are portrayed as. 

Rasquachismo

Raquachismo, as defined by the reading, is more of an attitude and state of being instead of a formal modem of art. Being a form of resistance toward the majority of the anglo dominated art realm, Raquachimo allows for the declaration of a counter-narrative toward the Anglo narrative of fine, refined art, and the acceptance of a more Chicano focused and centered values. With Raquechismo and the concept of domesticana serve to create a realm where the established ridged norms of the Chicano/Latino household are both suspended and deconstructed. 
The ability for artists, to deconstruct their afflicting culture and use it in a creative way that shows the inner machinations of the Chicana identity and its qualms against the sexist establishment of Chicanismo. 

Portrait of the artist as La Virgen De Guadalupe

The artwork by Yolanda Lopez is astounding, her use of religious imagery mixed with feminist iconography  brings together the symbolism of La Virgen as a quiet sufferer into the modern era where instead of being a bearer of hardships the image is now replaced by one of forwarding movement and advancement. Specifically speaking on her trio of works that use La Virgen De Guadalupe and replace the physical Virgen with the artist's Grandmother, mother and herself. Her portraits tell the story of sacrifice as her grandmother and mother are stationary as they sit stationary. Her grandmother sits on the Virgen Shawl symbolizing the sacrifice made by her for her family. Similarly, the portrait of her mother sees her mother sewing the shawl her grandmother had in the previous portrait, and it is not until we see the portrait of the artist that we understand why she is sewing. The final picture sees the artist in motion, carrying the shawl around her and smiling. Additionally, she is carrying a snake by its neck, a well known Mexican symbol, the importance of which symbolizes the carrying of the Mexican heritage into contemporary times through a much more feminist lense. 

Kathy Vargas

The artist I want to present is Kathy Vargas.

In Alicia Gaspar's work "Out of the House, the Halo and the Whore's mask", the author brings to attention the lack of representation in the field of art, and more specifically the CARA Exhibition.
In the peace gasp outlines the lack of representation due to the insufficient amount of Chicana voiced represented. Due to their denied space, Chicanas have been left out of both art and political discussion, and due to this lack of representation the work produced by her, and other Chicanas, is a view into the realm of underrepresentation.

2020Garcia, Joel

Hello Everyone, my name is Joel Garcia, and my pronouns are he/him/his. I am a fourth year History Major and Chicana/o studies minor at UCLA and I transferred from College of the Desert in Palm Desert. I chose to minor in Chicana/o studies because until I arrived at UCLA I had never been exposed to the field, and taking these types of classes allows me to become more comfortable being who I am as a person who feels torn between their Mexican roots and their American life. 

As a History major my field of focus is on the 1960-70s Vietnam war/Civil rights era with an emphasis in music (I know that sounds pretentious), and due to this I am currently working on a book that connects the use of music and social movements in the realm of the American War in Vietnam. I focus on both the race aspects music of the time as well as the cultural influence songs had over protest and vice versa.

I am excited to learn about Chicana Art and Artists because, even though I consider myself a Chicano, I still see the lack of representation on that of the Chicana and Chicanx side