Week 10 Reflection

This quarter of Chicana art and artists has expanded a lot of my knowledge regarding the context behind the various artistic practices in the Chicana community. I was able to be exposed to mediums that I hadn’t previously known about including silk screening, and some of the methods behind making graphics. I really appreciated the artist who were able to bridge the gap between the spiritual realm and the earthly room, making sure to pay homage to the cultural iconography while simultaneously being critical of it. Each artist that we were able to explore had continuity but also their own distinct style across the board which made the narrative aspect behind the course even more invigorating. I think my favorite artist of this quarter was Martha Ramirez Oropeza as her art is a direct reflection of what it means to be a part of the counter culture, to challenge hegemony and colonialist practices. I also very much appreciated the mix mediums across the board that my classmates presented to us, it really highlighted the talent and consciousness necessary to express oneself based on their experiences. It also beautifully showcases the vastness of the Chicana experience. I found it also very enlightening, too analyze some of the social implications which guided these artists for example understanding  Rasquachismo and Chicanx feminism. I am grateful that I was able to encounter artists who are very community oriented and arts activism focused, because a lot of the time, the power of art is underestimated. The panel events through the Smithsonian brought me much closer to understanding various narratives and I was so grateful to hear the continuities and difference amongst the various artists who shared their stories.  There is so much more meaning behind the ways that art is a tool of resistance. Graphics were not graphics for the sake of just being a piece of paper with words on it, it was exposing communities to liberation and action.  If I could say one thing, I wish we could have gotten a bit more into ways for us to create art in response to one of the artists we were fascinated by, and just analyzing art as a resistive tool, it would be very fun to explore and build upon the people who came before. 

Updated Chicana Artist : Roxana Dueñas

 For my artist spotlight, I aim to present and research Roxana Dueñas, who is not only a fabulous artist vital to social justice in recent times, she is currently recognized in the Smithsonian's "Printing the Revolution!" exhibition for her printmaking.  She is a UC Santa Barbara and UCLA alum and works in Boyle Heights as an inspirational and uplifting Ethnic Studies teacher at Math, Science, and Technology Magnet Academy at Roosevelt High School. She teaches her students the importance of community activism, self advocacy, education justice, and for this she was also awarded the UCLA Award for Community Service. Her face is most notable in the most recent LAUSD teacher strikes as seen below: 

https://boyleheightsbeat.com/inspiring-boyle-heights-teacher-gets-her-inspiration-from-students/ 

This is thee source by which I received a lot of initial information about her! 

Week 8- Afro Latinidad x Printing the Revolution

    This past Thursday's "Printing the Revolution" Panel discussion brought to light conversations of intersectionality which is vital to understanding cultural artistic histories and continuities. The three artists who presented all shared a common experience of drawing inspiration from the shared experience of oppression and simultaneous fight for liberation and autonomy.  Malaquias Montoya, Moses Ros, and Favianna Rodriguez, all from various cultural groups and states, they found a connection to the art of poster making to bring awareness to social movements that were affecting their communities, to "bringing people together and doing positive things" as Ros says. I also value the various temporal contexts in which the artists' works arose, or the events which inspired their art arose, and how the movements inspire each other. It feels like ancestry. The Afro Peruvian speaker from Oakland expressed how they were inspired by the work of feminists such as Audre Lorde and and Gloria Anzaldua, and developed an affinity for poster making and honoring Indigenous heritage both across the African diaspora and the Latinidad. I really appreciated the discussion about the physicality and visceral nature behind print making, how creating and putting in the body's labor is a liberating process.  Hearing these intersections of stories and art styles provided a sense of empowerment within me and reinforced my love for art created by BIPOC people.

Week 6: Domesticana

 According to Amalia Mesa-Bains, domesticana is the female version of rasquachismo, an identity of culture and resistance but more so describing the experience of Chicano artists. Within both rasquachismo and domesticana however lies the day to day experience of making creative use of what few resources one has to express themselves and also to survive. However, they differ in the sense that rasquachismo restricts women, so domesticana came about as an liberatory and reclamatory process of identity. This process very similarly reflects that of the differentiation between the terms "Chicano" and "Chicana", however it is important to note that domesticana and Chicana, and the qualities associated with them must be removed from the context of patriarchy. One important aspect of Chicana domesticana that holds a lot of power in regards to identity is the use of family at the center of their work whether through photography, ofrendas, etc... to pay homage to their roots and simultaneously to reclaim and reject femininity through juxtaposing imagery. I inserted one of Patssi Valdez's works, which showcases this juxtaposition and ambiguity between "femininity and almost desolation of the domestic site" as Mesa-Bains mentions. The woman featured in this image exists in nature with birds, but is holding cloth and what appears to be a needle and thread.  It seems to be making reference to Cinderella, except there is no outright joy or stereotypical jovial feminine singing. Rather, we are standing amidst power and reverence for this woman, as she appear to be in charge. Answering to no one! 

Week 5: La Virgen de Guadalupe

    I always looked at La Virgen de Guadalupe as an angelic, ethereal and holy figure, though growing up I did not know much about her. I'd see images of her printed on tall candles at stores, on gold necklaces that I can recall some of my neighborhood friends wearing on their collars, and often around Christmastime where some of my neighbors would display a beautifully decorated shrine. I did not grow up Catholic, but always had several admirations and questions about their important figureheads. I always understood that there was a purity associated with La Virgen, whether in Catholicism or Christianity, however I was not taught to I guess prioritize her in my prayers. It was Jesus Christ or the Father to pray to, and Mary or La Virgen was more so a vessel and the than a saint. This was very interesting to me that in Catholicism, a woman was at the forefront of worship, but of course rather than the typical very patriarchal figureheads within the Western theological canon. But to see the backlash that artists such as Yolanda Lopez received for their reclamation of both holiness and femininity was perplexing in a way. I was also taught growing up that no images of God or the Lord were supposed to be depicted, so La Virgen always stuck out to me because it was like she was the exception, but I didn't know much about her or have a strong connection to her. I look forward to reading about people's experiences and relations with her. 

Week 4, Blog Post Denver Art Museum

     The Denver Art Museum's panel on Mexican Modernism provided an intricate lens into three panelists, Pablo Helguera, Damian Ortega, and Alma Lopez. The moderators, of course to add to the individual artists' storytelling, added that Mexican Modernism is both instructive and politically engaged. Additionally, for the flow of the event, they split up the topics of discussion into three main categories: 1. Public Art as Activism, 2. Layered Identities, and 3. Reclamation and Appropriation. I enjoyed hearing each of the artists' back stories and sources of inspiration, taking it all back to express the motives behind their present, past, and possible future works. Everything was presented beautifully chronologically, and I'd like to start with my admiration of Pablo Helguera and his love for muralism and performance art, which led to his paying homage to the impact of Mexican telenovelas globally, specifically in Eastern Europe. I also appreciated when understanding his layered identities, especially as a white Mexican man, he used theatrics to create art,  imagining himself with different worldviews and experiences to inform his art. Damian Ortega also paid homage to various political cartoons and even store front advertisements that you''d see in front of many Mexican owned stores, and just truly spotlighted the ways that art manifests in the least "likely" of places.

Week 3: Graciela (@turayodelsol)

 My project will be on Graciela who also is known on Instagram as (@turayodelsol) or (@rayoworks). She is a Chicanx artist who works in fabrics ans fashion, her works ranging from embroidery, bag making, earring making, in addition to collage work,etc... Her works have been shown at various art shows and she has done work with South Central, Los Angeles Black and Latinx  brand: Sincerely, Ghetto Bird. 

I have yet to conduct more research on her, however this was the information I was able to pull. 

Blog Post #2 Claudia Zapata

 What is the future of internet/virtual galleries and access within the education system? How has the digital sphere expanded the possibilities for artists to engage and express themselves? 

Answer: As expressed in the text, there was originally some vitriol regarding how the digital sphere would lessen the creative range that artists had. But of course, this does not consider how because of the rise in mass communication world wide, there could 1. be a widespread sharing of artistic practices and art styles and 2. makes room for collaboration with other artists. One thing when reading this piece that I thought about was definitely this notion of access. Because while the internet increases access to multiple spheres, worlds and peoples, we have to think about who then also has access to the internet. I think in terms of education, the future holds a space for all people to access it, and within this education system and all inclusive understanding of various world cultures and phenomena. Upon learning about the use of virtual reality to expose people to places they wouldn't otherwise have been to is so important in the connecting of people. Ignorance is gasoline to the fire that is fear and I wonder if this is something that the key stakeholders within the education system will ever consider. Rather than funding school police, can they fund more virtual field trips if not real field trips. This also brings a lot up for me considering we are in the midst of adjusting to virtual learning, where people have been robbed key social experiences, so similar to the art scene, there should be a rise in using the tools of technology to promote widespread access to artistic tools of expression. 

Diop, Aminata

 

Hey everyone! My name is Aminata Diop (she/her/hers) and I am a current 3rd year double majoring in World Arts and Cultures (WAC) and African American Studies. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California (on the land the Tongva peoples).  You can either call me "Ami" or Aminata (pronounced: ah-me-nott-uh), both work for me. I identify as a multi media artist in the sense that I have in the past and would love in the future to explore different areas of art ranging from music (singing/songwriting), musical theatre, acting, painting/drawing, poetry, dance, screenwriting, and even stick and poke tattooing. But to be fair, I'd say that my primary medium is writing and singing. I am a part of a neo-soul duo called JORDAN, and prior to the pandemic, we were blessed with opportunities to  perform at the Museum of Contemporary Art in DTLA, in events with March for Our Lives and Black Lives Matter, and even at shows around the UCLA area. ( We have our debut album coming out in the next month which I am extremely excited for and would love to share with folks if interested). A few random fun facts, I am a Leo sun, I am a dog mama to my little terrier Astro, I am an empath, my current favorite song is "You, at the End" by Lafawndah, and I will NOT ever eat a strawberry. (Also if you love plants, let's be buddies!)

I have always been extremely interested in all types of arts and especially arts from various cultures would be such a blessing to engage with and learn about the various mediums that can be explored and the cultural origins that influence them. I, as an Arts Activist stream in my WAC major am also a huge advocate of art and expression being forms of resistance, and even more, a form of liberation. I want to be inspired and am very excited to learn about Chicanx and Latinx artists especially considering that I live in LA and am surrounded with so much art, but have not had much knowledge about the amazing people behind it. 

I plan to graduate Spring 2022 with two Bachelors degrees (God willing!!), and I hope to work in spaces that prioritize community healing and arts activism, centering on holistic wellness, access to healthy foods, mental health awareness, and youth programs. As a musician it would mean everything to me to be able to work and give back to the places that made me who I am today, and to start a few projects with collaboration with other artists and activists. I really look forward to meeting everyone, but also making valuable connections and expanding my art family.