Week 10 - Reflection

Approaching the end of the quarter always comes with a bittersweet feeling. I am really glad that I made the decision to take this course. I have not had many opportunities to take other art courses before much less a course like this one, that is primarily focused on Chicana and Latina artists. I am grateful for all the new artist that I was able to discover through this course. The way I view art and the conditions that are needed to make art has also changed forever. After reading literature such as Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists? or The Conditions for Producing Chicana Art, I have been able to reflect on the circumstances that allow individuals to produced art. I now understand that the ability to produce art depends on so much more than just the personal talent of an individual. 
I was glad that this course also allowed us to work on our personal art skills. I have never been particularly good at drawing or painting so it was a little intimidating to do at first. However, I felt at ease knowing that we would not be judged based on the level of our skills. Drawing the American sign language alphabet was also a really interesting assignment. It was fun to get the opportunity to draw each of the hands using a different technique or medium. 
I value everything I learned in the course. It has definitely influenced me to pay more attention to  artists and art making. I will also continue to draw and practice my watercolor painting. It was a nice way to destress and take a break from everything that I have going on.

Week 9

I really enjoyed being able to hear from my fellow classmates during their artist presentations. It was interesting to see the different artists that each person had chosen. Everyone seemed very passionate about the artists that they have been researching and had a lot of knowledge about the art pieces they chose to discuss. The artist that stood out to me the most was Judy Baca. Baca is a painter, muralist, monument builder, and former UCLCA professor. The artist’s creations are very intriguing and inspiring. Her work reflects the lives and concerns of populations that have been historically disenfranchised, including women, the working poor, youth, LGBTQIA+ and immigrant communities. Her public works projects are often created in impoverished neighborhoods as a way to help revitalize these areas. She is well known for her mural The Great Wall. Unfortunately, I have never seen it in person, but I hope to do so one day. The mural depicts a mile long multi-cultural history of California. It was created in collaboration with over 400 at risk youth and their families from diverse social and economic backgrounds, historians, and scholars. 

Week 8

I was really happy to be able to hear from all the students that presented during class this past Friday. It was interesting to see the wide range of artist that my fellow classmates had chosen to research. It helped me become exposed to new artists that I may not have heard or known much about before. It is nice to discover new artists and experience the different works they have created.

The artist that captivated my attention the most was Liliana Navarro. Her unique style and use of vibrant colors immediately made me take notice of her tremendous talent. I had actually seen her art before without realizing it. I had previously seen the painting of the singer-songwriter CUCO, who I am a fan of, that she produced. I didn’t know who had painted it before now, but I am glad I was able to find out through Adilen’s presentation. I have visited the artist’s website and her social media and continue to be impressed by all the work she has produced. It is inspiring to see a young Chicana artist working to represent brown people in celebratory ways. It is nice to see Chicanx being represented in art in a way that celebrates our lives and culture. When I visited Navarro's website I came across this image and really enjoyed it. I like the way that Navarro juxtaposes both masculine and feminine symbols with the hoop earrings, mustache, and sombrero. I think it is an interesting way to bend gender norms and expectations. 

Week 7: Sonia Romero

Sonia Romero a Chicana artist well known for her paper-cutting and printmaking aesthetics. She was born in 1980 and was raised in Echo Park. She obtained a formal education at the Rhode Island School of Design and later returned to Los Angeles, California. Romero creates work that reflects the cultural diversity found in the communities she grew up knowing. 

One of her artworks which I find particularly captivating is Year of the Straw (2018), which is part of her “Nest” Series. Romero created the piece in in response to the social media campaign calling for the ban of plastic straws. In the image we can see a small infant laying in a nest of discarded straws. The baby appears to be floating in the middle of the ocean, aboard an island made from single use plastic straws and lids. Romero has stated that the infant is a portrait of her son, Sky. The art piece allows the viewer to reflect on the consequences that humans have on the environment. The expansive consumer culture which exist has led to the development of trash islands, such as the Great Pacific garbage patch. With this image, Romero uses her art to speak about pressing environmental issues, which affect us all. 

Week 6: Sketchbook Cover

I have had a hard time deciding what to place on the front cover of my sketchbook. I wanted to choose something that was meaningful and representative of who I am and what I like. I tried to find an image that I liked, but settled on making a stencil of a quote instead. I am not making this stencil exactly, I am modifying it to make it my own. I chose to add this image as a reference. I am still not done cutting out my stencil but I hope that the text will look fine in the end. The quote I have chosen is by Albus Dumbledore, a fictional character in the Harry Potter franchise. I have always loved Harry Potter. Till this day I watch the movies every time I am feeling sick, need a little pick me up, or if its raining and I’m having a cozy day in. I can probably recite 97% of the dialogue from all of the films. I have lost count of how many times I have watched each film. The first time I heard this quote it struck me as extremely beautiful. I have never been able to forget it. I find inspirational and comforting when I am going through hard times. 

Week 5: Ofelia Esparza

It was a pleasure to get to hear from Ofelia Esparza. I was glad to learn more about her upbringing and the experiences which have influenced her art making. The artist highly honors women power, indigenous heritage and spirituality, which is evident in her art. Esparza explained that she grew up with very strong female role models, which ultimately shaped her view of the world and the art which she makes. It is inspiring to see how much pride she takes in her work. She was born in East Los Angeles and has lived there her whole life. Her art enriches the Chicanx community which she has grown up around and has been a part of. Her altar making pays homage to the past people and events. Esparza's altars range from personal ofrendas to assemblages that address larger issues facing the Chincx community. Her work has been exhibited widely and has even been a part of the first Day of the Dead exhibit in Glasgow, Scotland. She has been recognized for her tremendous works and contributions, and in 2018 became a NEA National Heritage Fellow. It was very exciting to learn that she served as a cultural consultant in the film Coco. Her daughter explained that the film producers took into account their vision of altares and ofrendas serving as a bridge that connects us to our ancestors. They incorporated into the film a bridge which connected the world of the living and the world of those who had passed. I am very thankful to have gotten a chance to hear from the artist herself. Both her work and personality are extremely inspiring.

Week 4: Rasquache and Domesticana

In “rasquachismo” by Tomás Ybarra-frausto, he describes rasquachismo as “a consciousness seeking to subvert and turn ruling paradigms upside down.” He explains that rasquache is influenced by the working class sensibility and the fact that things are often coming apart, meaning that people have to make due with what they have. The author mentions that due to their limited resources, people don’t often throw things away, but instead save and recycle different items. People come to use old tires as plant containers, empty black bottles as garden ornaments and old coffee cans as flower pots. It is interesting to see how people turn regular items at their disposal and give them another purpose. Although some associate it with vulgarity and bad taste, once you take a moment to further examine rasquache, you are able to see the complexity and ingenuity it involves. 
In “Chicana Domesticana”, Amalia Mesa-Bians explains that it was clear early in the Chicano art movement that serious differences were being made among men and women. Chicana artist have long been concerned with the roles of questioning gender relations. The author explains that there was a expansion of feminine rasquachismo, which worked to establish a sensibility for the struggle for identity, sexuality, and power felt by Chicanas. Chicana artists have been able to produce rasquache works in order to form a resistance against the subjugation of women in the domestic sphere.  

Week 3: Yolanda López

Yolanda López used her art to represent the struggle for equity among women, people of color, the poor, and workers. One of López’s artworks that stood out to me was The Nanny (1994), created as a part of her Women’s Work is Never Done Series (See image 2). The installation is composed of three main images. On the left is an advertisement for the wool industry, which depicts a light-skinned woman standing tall in the forefront of the image and a dark-skinned woman in the shadows holding a basket filled with watermelon on top of her head. On the right is an advertisement for Eastern Airlines travel to Mexico. The travel ad shows a dark-skinned woman bowing at a light-skinned brunette, who appears to be wearing a traditional Mexican embroidered skirt. In the center of the installation, there is a white folding screen, a nanny’s uniform, and laundry basket filled with clothes. 

Yolanda López’s work encompasses different issues such as domestic labor, gender, cultural difference, and ethnicity, which all intersect to create uneven power relations. It is interesting to see how the artist uses visual representations to critique certain aspects of society which have  become normalized. The Nanny installation, is meant to show how Mexican women are an integral part of society but are often overlooked as silent workers. I appreciated learning more about her art from and the meaning behind her different pieces.

Sonia Romero

For my paper and presentation I have chosen to focus on the artist Sonia Romero.

Week 2 reading response:

In chapter 3 “Out of the House, the Halo, and the Whore’s Mask: The mirror of Malinchismo”, Professor Alicia Gaspar de Alba offers a critique of the CARA exhibit. Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation, or CARA, was a a traveling exhibit of art produced by Chicano/a artists. The exhibit was presented in different cities across the United States from 1990 to 1993. Gaspar de Alba highlights the fact that although it was a triumph for the Chicano art movement, it lacked gender inclusivity. Many important artists such as Mujeres, who worked to challenge sexist and stereotypical notions within the Chicano Movement, were left out of the exhibit. Chicana artists used their art to resist and critique class and race oppression, much like their male counter parts did. In addition, however, many Chicana artists used their work to affirm their differences and fight some of the oppression they felt from within the Chicano movement. Many of the men involved in the movement, and a few women, thought that a push for gender equality was not necessary. They ostracized those Chicanas who called for greater gender equality and labeled them as traitors to the movement.

Gaspar de Alba explains that, following the gendered trajectories of the Mexican revolutionary movement, Chicano men assigned attributes to the feminine gender within the Chicano movement. Women were given the attributes of motherhood, virginity, and prostitution, and were primarily valued for their biological contribution to the movement. It is disheartening to see that the although the Chicano movement was meant signify greater inclusion for Chicanxs, who were oppressed peoples, the movement itself worked against Chicanas and did not valorize their contribution as much as men’s. This is why it is important that we question the inclusivity of the movement and recognize the voices and stories of all those involved. 

Daniela Flores

Hello, my name is Daniela Flores. My preferred pronouns are she/her/hers. I am a fourth year Political Science and Chicanx Studies double major. I am also completing a minor in Geography/Environmental studies. I have a passion for helping people, animals, and caring for environment. 

I am a first generation college student. I am really excited (but also a little scared) to be graduating this June. I hope to receive my diploma and make my family proud of me. It is hard to believe that my time as an undergrad at ULCA is coming to an end. However, I am excited to join the “real world” and explore who I aside from being full time student. 

I previously took Chicano M136: Censored! Art on Trial with professor Lopez and I really enjoyed it. I have never thought of myself as the artistic type but the class allowed me to explore art and tap into my own creative potential. Creating something, whether it be drawing, taking photographs, making prints, ect., can be very therapeutic. Since taking that class, I have become more inclined to doodle or use water colors to create little art pieces for myself. I am excited to see what this class has to offer and excited to learn more about Chicana and Latina Artists.

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