Extra Credit, Yolanda López: Portrait of the Artist

The exhibition at MCASD of Yolanda Lopez titled, “Yolanda López: Portrait of the Artist,” reifies the idea of Yolanda as a pioneer in reimagining what it means to be a Chicana. Through her portrayal of herself as a running body, she paints an image of strength and independence with a grin of provocation in her awareness that she is free. Yolanda’s work depicts the woman in a different light, is one that is not traditionally “feminine,” but rather one who is strong, free, and running with the speed of her own will, without the cloak weighing her down. In the image the woman holds her own, and is not tokenized or iconized, she is not frozen in time or place because she is woman but rather runs free by her strength. Further, Yolanda’s work highlights the mundaneness of normal women, and that women do not exist merely for the high polished eye candy at men’s right arms. Women exist for their own and are not constrained nor by beauty standards, body ideals, or moral stances. Thus I think her work being featured in the Feminist Art Coalition section of the exhibit is very fitting. While Yolanda’s work may speak to the Chicana woman, it also speaks to women in general who are constrained by gender norms and cisheteropatriachial norms. I found it interesting after looking over the Museum’s website that Yolanda’s work is still heavily underrecognized despite being such a prolific figure to the Chicanx art movement and Feminist art as well. However, I was pleased to see her work and was excited to see it in person after having studied her during our time with this course. It is even more monumental in person, feeling the strength and joy in her work, than it was from learning about her the first time in the book, which in itself was very mind-boggling. 

Week 10 Blog (Chavez, Lilibeth)

Although we have covered many artists over the course of the term, I wanted to write about Crystal Santillan’s presentation on Britney Garibay this past week because the artist project has really opened up my world of Chicana art, both in the art itself and in the identity of what it means to be a Chicana artist. The work of Britney caught my attention, at only 18, Britney has sparked great attention to her work for using her art as a platform of remembrance for a Chicano history that often gets lost in standard educational modes of learning. In addition, in each of Birtney’s pieces, there is a distinct personal sensation that emanates from her work, creating an additional layer of humanness to her art. Britney really takes control of the narrative she wishes to portray of her experiences and culture through art doing so in a very emotional and thought-provoking way.  My favorite piece of hers was the one titled, “Forgotten Farmers,” in which a case of strawberries entraps various Latino middle-aged figures any of who could resemble a loved one of our own. It was very moving in the way that farmworkers are often held under poor conditions by their work in this country and many times in fieldwork. I believe the title is very appropriate not only in that fieldworkers are the forgotten group in lines of production but also in how little legal and political representation they receive. I think this was especially the case at the onset of the pandemic when the whole world had to be put on pause but field workers could not stop production, thereby putting their own lives at risk for the benefit of the capitalist greed. I also took note of the color scheme of her work, which in my opinion is very somber, highlighting the reality of Latino struggles in the US. Through this project, I have grown my own interest in new artists and find myself researching artists with who I would otherwise probably not cross paths as well as has made me rethink my identity as a Chicana, and Chicana artist. This project has put all the knowledge we have learned into real-life contexts with people who grew up spatially near me as well as similar to me. This is why I wanted to write about Britney for my discussion post.

Chavez, Lilibeth (week 9)

I really enjoyed Hector Diaz’s presentation on Martha Ramirez Oropeza from this last week. I found her work to be very relatable in my life and especially of interest because she spent a lot of her life living in the San Fernando valley to which I am a native. Martha Ramirez is a muralist, painter, performer research, and culture preservationist. I found her work with sustaining Nahua culture and language fascinating as sustaining communities is a work of culturally sustaining pedagogies. Her dual participation in academic research in combination with artistic expression really spoke to me, because while I consider myself an artist it is not necessarily the characteristic I first identify by, instead, I would consider myself an academic on the forefront and an artist secondly, so to see someone like Martha who has advanced her academic career profoundly while also being a recognized artist is admirable. I really enjoyed her work “Mother Nature,” where the figure of a woman is blowing life into the plants because it emanates such a natural peace that I relate to when I’m connecting with nature. It also is a reminder that at the center of everything is mother nature. I really enjoy Martha’s style of art as it is very simple and easy on the eyes while simultaneously engaging one’s mental and spiritual scape. Overall, I found Martha to be very fascinating in her academic and artistic endeavors. I am so glad that Hector introduced me to a new artist who is not only from our UCLA community but from my own community of Pacoima. In the conversation, I also learned about the mural mile located in Pacoima as well, so it was very insightful to find art and artists in my community when for long I considered art to be a thing of the upper class.

Chavez, Lilibeth (Week 8 )

Armando’s presentation on Brenda Barrio was striking as it highlighted Chicanx art in our own playing field, UCLA. When thinking of art and “notability,” it is easy to get lost in a perspective that views art and artists as something that is not necessarily within our lifetimes or within our communities. Generally when thinking of art it is more so thinking of art more classically, in a museum or preserved for decades before actually displayed. However, Armando presented beautifully on how Brenda’s work not only defies all the barriers and misconceptions of art, but also misconceptions of Chicanx communities while also highlighting disabled bodies. I thought it was very insightful to hear how her work was fueled by her own autoimmune disease and to use art as a form of representation for the disabled world that generally has gone unnoticed. Likewise her attention to health care inequities in her work like “Medicare For All,” is even more impactful considering it has been displayed in hospitals. It serves a major refutation of systems that generally turn away minority communities who tend to suffer from lack of access to health care. Overall her work was beautiful and I think embodied the mind of a young Chicana scholar interested in proscial movements in the sense that her work displays her community and her identity as a Latina but also the intersection between her identity as a Latina and the reality of life in the United States as a Latina/o. I am interested in seeing more of her work and hopefully on UCLA’s campus, as someone who was born and raised in the area it is invigorating to see artists of around my age group making their name and their work known in our same neighborhoods, as well as beyond. 

Chavez, Lilibeth (week 7)

Claudia Zapata’s work titled, The Printing Revolution, delineates the role that technology has played in the development of Chicanx art. Prior to reading her work I was unaware that the historical understanding for chicanx graphics was considered to almost exclusively print based in forms of posters and two dimensional work on print paper. However as technology and media has evolved, it has expanded how Chicanx artists can begin a dialogue “between the artist and their chosen medium,” (Zapata, 129). I found interesting how Zapata makes clear that technological advances and its interplay with Chicanx art should not be considered a dissolution of the traditional print media associated with Chicanx art, but instead as an additional opportunity to display art of political resistance. As mentioned by Zapata in her work, “you're not going to walk into a protest with your computer monitor,” implying that despite the present high technological state, print media is still necessary to print digital artwork. The internet and media has opened a new field of recognition not only for artwork, but for political causes as well. The case of Al Gore mentioned by Zapata poses a great example. His use of the internet and media during his campaign was considered at the time revolutionary, garnering a whole new crowd and demographic of support. In the case of Alma Lopez, and her work Our Lady, technology allowed her to disseminate and magnify the reach of her work through digitized postcards, photographs, and digital graphics. I found it interesting how Zapata proceeds to refer to this as “digital rasquachismo,” such that it allows the artist to make the most of their work by manipulating not only the reach but the capacities that media offers. For many artists, it has become easier to circulate work in current day as a result of social media platforms like instagram. I find that I come across at least 3 different prosocial or political artwork pieces circulating through my follower’s stories, and at least double that number on my explore page on a daily basis. As a result I have become more informed not only about certain political and social causes but also have come to know more artists who otherwise I would have had to travel to an art museum to come to know.

Chavez, Lilibeth (Week 6)

Xandra Ibarra’s piece, Side by Side (Couple), (2020), is interesting in her direct correlation of people and cockroaches, specifically people of color. Likewise it is interesting how through depicting the dead cockroaches she indicates a corollary in human relationships as a social union such that they occur for a defined amount of time. In researching Ibarra’s work, I saw a heavy theme of cockroaches throughout her pieces as well as the idea of molting and life span. I thought it was really interesting how she readapts the stigma of people of color as cockroaches who are generally associated with disease, cleanliness, and infection. Instead Ibarra reclaims the idea and shows how even after molting a cockroach remains a cockroach in a similar way that even if a person of color sheds an identity entirely they too will still just be a person of color underneath. It is hinting at an inescapable reality. What I found particularly interesting about this piece was the way she described both cockroaches dying side by side, and sharing their last moments of life together. I grew up with the idea that we are born alone and die alone but in this case it is a clear depiction of life cycles and the gestation of relationships in ways I had never considered. Also Ibarra highlights the cockroaches in an almost luxurious light, something that would be unthought of normally. Ibarra raises many different aspects of not only race but life and the intersection of stigmas. I would ask Ibarra how people around her respond to her art? I know coming from a very traditional Mexican household, my parents would reject her works as they wouldn't understand it, has she encountered this experience, or would she say she has a less traditional Mexican upbringing in that those around her are more open minded?

Wiki Draft (Chavez, Lilibeth)

 Ruby Chacon 

Ruby Chacon, is a self proclaimed “Utahana,” artist, using art as a medium to express her dual identity as a Utah native and its intertwine with her identity as a chicana. Chacon was born in 1971 in Salt Lake City Utah, where she continued to reside for the majority of her life, dedicating her artistic career to through community engagement through the arts and artivism. Chacon is an artist, a mother, a daughter and a familiar face in the community, engaging actively in community events but also in her public display of murals. Chacon works with several mediums however is best known for her work with murals. Chacon’s work has been displayed across utah and even abroad internationally. 

Early/ Personal Life 

Ruby Chacon was born in Salt Lake City, Utah where she continued to live throughout her upbringing. Chacon is amongst the youngest of six children, but the first to have graduated from High School and pursue a higher education. Chacon later attained her Bachelors of Fine Arts from the University of Utah. She has always had a close tie to her family, using them as a basis for her own work as she progressed through her artistic career. Her mother and father divorced three years into their marriage however continued intermittently seeing each other resulting in their six children and some, like Ruby herself out of wedlock. Her mother was a house and hospital cleaner who grew up on the west side of Utah, or as what is known as the “Brown side,” and her Father began his career in mining in Montecillo but later moved to the east side to start his family. Although, Ruby was aware of her heritage, she was not very familiar with her Mexican identity, and when questioning her father about it, he replied only with reminding her she was from Utah. Chacon eventually came to an intertwine of both identities which later influenced her work, naming herself a Utahana. 

 Chacon lived in a working class family, where she recalls sleeping in the living room, because she her house was not large enough to accommodate for everyone. However, she draws inspiration for her work from her family, who all played an important role in her upbringing and many had artistic ties themselves such as her Uncle Covito who as a painter himself would allow Ruby to be creative by drawing on the walls. Ruby’s ancestry is traced to Pueblo Indians who speak the Tewa language, and on her spanish side lays stake to claim in utah for hundreds of years. After the tragic passing of her nephew Orlando Chacon, who was murdered by her sisters boyfriend, Ruby became more interested in painting her own family as a direct rejection of how the media attempted to portray them. At 20, Ruby had her own son and married Terry Hurst. One day the pair suffered a car accident however that did not affect Ruby’s pursuit of artivism. 

Artwork 

Ruby Chacon is a painter, though not specific to any particular medium. Her artwork consists of Murals and canvas paintings. Her murals are displayed all throughout Utah, Wyoming, California, and abroad in Thailand and Morocco. Earlier in her career, chacon wanted to pursue a career in teaching drawing classes, however Chacon was interested din depicting lowriders, and the chicano zoot suit, however this was frowned upon. Chacon’s canvas paintings are mostly oil paintings, although she tinkers with acrylics as well. All of her murals however are done in acrylic to maintain lower production costs. She does not like to frame her canvas work because she believes that those who purchase her work will likely reframe the piece, making her extra effort redundant. A commonality through her art works is signing the piece in very significant locations on the work which she attributes to buyers wanting to ensure authenticity. She also signs her name in red after her name, Ruby. Ruby considers her art to be not unlike typical Utah art because although her style veers from the traditionalist landscape artwork associated with Utah, Chacon depicts real people of Utah. Ruby seeks to humanize through her work, painting people of her direct family but giving them a humanness others can easily relate to. 

Chacon has been featured in many shows, both local to Utah in addition to tours, and has been presented with many awards for her work. She was featured at the Hispanic Festival as well as Salt Lake City Airport, University of Utah Medical Center, Westminster College, Kimball Art Center in Park City, Art Access Gallery, and her murals have been displayed publicly at Horizonte, 1300 South Main; 500 North and 600 West; Northwest Multipurpose Center; Catholic Community Services, 200 South 745 East as well as in other states. Her work has also appeared on the cover of the University Neighborhood partners and at the TRAX station of North Temple and 900 West in Salt Lake. In 2007 she received the Mayor’s award for her role with visual art and in 2021 she will receive the mayor’s award again but this time for her collective, MICA. Chacon has also been featured on books such as  “Transforming Educational Pathways for Chicano/a Students” by authors Dolores Delgado, and granted awards Utah Governors Mansion Award for visual arts, Humanitarian Award as well as Distinguished Alumni at the Salt Lake Community College, and was named one of Utah’s 15 most influential artists.

Notable Art 

• SLS mural displayed at the School of Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University as part of a participatory arts collective with other educators  

• Artwork displayed in the Arte Latino exhibition at the Kimball Center in Utah 

• Her piece Undocumented, was featured Constructing Self: Thirty Self-Portraits exhibit as part of the 30th Anniversary Utah Art Festival 

• Catholic Community Service Outdoor Mural, 2007, located at 745 E. 300 South

• CIHUACOATL AND GOLDEN RULE OUTDOOR MURALS  500 N 600 W Salt Lake City, UT Public Art Commissioned by UAC, Neighborworks and Department of Education

Activism/ Artivism 

Ruby’s identity as a “Utahana” serves as a focal point for not only her art work but her work in the community as well. Ruby speaks of the struggles of being first generation student, and representing an identity so commonly misrepresented. Ruby works directly with youth in the community providing a space to heal through art and community. Much of Ruby’s public murals in Utah draw questions of whether they belong in Utah as a representation of the community but it is this same critique that displays Ruby’s reason for painting, to visibilize the long term presence of Latinx people in the United states beyond the history taught in typical discourses. Chacon sought to highlight the Chicano on all fronts, through her art and through elevating their voices in the communities. As a result, she opened a venue called Mestizo which would combine a coffee house along with a place for Chicanos to commune and speak of their trauma. However in 2002 Chacon’s endeavour fell short lacking a business plan. However Chacon along with her husband Terry did not stop there and founded the nonprofit Mestizo Institute for Culture and Arts or MICA for short. The building was separated by walls offering a coffee shop, art gallery and open space for community members to gather. MICA was built on the west side, the place where Ruby’s mother grew up known for its heavy immigrant population. At MICA people can speak freely about their lived experience or merely share the company. 

Chacon also works alongside Bad Dog Rediscovers America and other programs that fund, and introduce art to latino youth. Ruby has also visited Juvenile Intervention centers and Female units to provide art as a form of healing and expressing oneself. Ruby wants to help youth understand their trauma and to not feel shame in the life they come from. Ruby relays this message further by working with youth and teaching them her way in mural painting, guiding 4 teens for a project funded by Bad Dog, where together they created a design for a mural and painted it together. Aside from this particular work, Chacon has helped other young artists delve into Mural painting. During her time at the University of Utah, Ruby discovered the power of art as a form of education as well as activism at which point she knew she had to redefine how the Latino experience was being portrayed through art.  

Resources 

• [Bernal, Dolores D, and Enrique Aleman. “Transforming Educational Pathways for Chicana/O Students.” Google Books, Teachers College Press, 2017, https://www.google.com/books/edition/Transforming_Educational_Pathways_for_Ch/BCQdDgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=ruby%2Bchacon&pg=PA18&printsec=frontcover.]

• [Buttars, Lori. “Sharing Her Voice.” The Salt Lake City Tribune [Salt Lake City], 13 September 2001, archive.sltrib.com/article.php?itype=storyID&id=100E9163127B3D40. Accessed 05 10 2021.]

• [Dicou, Natalie. “The Colors of Community.” The Salt Lake City Tribune [Salt Lake City], 27 November 2008, archive.sltrib.com/article.php?itype=NGPSID&id=11081159. Accessed 05 10 2021.]

• [Chacón, Nanibah Nani, et al. “Artists' Statement.” Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, University of Nebraska Press, 25 July 2019, muse.jhu.edu/article/730160/pdf.]

• [Daniels, Garth. “Ruby Chacon.” NowPlayingUtah.com www.nowplayingutah.com/artist/ruby-chacon/.]

• [Guidos, Rhina. “Chacon's Ruby-Red World.” The Salt Lake Tribune, 17 Aug. 2003, archive.sltrib.com/article.php?itype=storyID&id=100D37D062164718.]

• [Hunter, Rosemarie, and Anne-Marie Fischer. “Creating Sustainable University-Community Partnerships in Research Intensive Universities.” Memorial University Research Repository, 14 June 2013, https://research.library.mun.ca/1825/.]

• [Iwasaki, Scott. “Ruby Chacón's Culture and Identity Is Shown through Art.” ParkRecord.com, ParkRecord.com, 31 May 2017, www.parkrecord.com/entertainment/ruby-chacons-culture-and-identity-is-shown-through-art/. ]

• [Macias, Jennifer. “Latinx History Outside the American Southwest and Borderlands.” American Quarterly, Johns Hopkins University Press, 26 June 2017, https://muse.jhu.edu/article/663339/pdf.]

• [Martin, Sue. “Ruby Chacon: Art of Healing, Art of Humanity.” 15 Bytes, Artists of Utah, 23 Mar. 2018, artistsofutah.org/15Bytes/index.php/tag/ruby-chacon/.]

• [“Mayor's Artists Awards.” Utah Arts Festival, uaf.org/mayor. ]

• [Staker, Brian. "Mixed use." Salt Lake City Weekly, Jul 24, 2008, pp. 26. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/mixed-use/docview/363197543/se-2?accountid=14512.]

• ["UTAH'S ALTERNATIVE PIONEERS." Salt Lake City Weekly, Jul 23, 2009, pp. 20-25. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/utahs-alternative-pioneers/docview/363200149/se-2?accountid=14512.]

• [Welch, Michele A. “The Utah Women's Walk.”]

Chavez, Lilibeth (week 5)

 

Carmen Lomas Garza’s work, Hammerhead Shark on Padre Island, (1987), relays an interesting message about dreams. While dreaming is generally considered a thing of fantasy generally surrounding very dreamy idealistic states of life, Garza reminds us through this work that even to dream could be dangerous. In such there is a reminder of reality even in the ideal, and as the image shows, there is danger in the same waters we play, or wish to play in. So in that regard even in places that conjure up beauty and feelings of desire, there is still hidden dangers hiding in the shallows. Still it is interesting that in her image children surround the beached shark, and while clearly timid, still remain very curios. This implies that even the dangers however once exposed draws curiosity. In that regard, being aware of the dangers does not necessarily imply that one should be entirely dismissive of the possible forgone dream. Another point of interest in this work is different peoples’ reaction to the shark, some are more intimately affected while others walk on merely with a side eye to the shark. This could signify the way certain dangers are more real for some than they are for others, so while the shark may be very remarkable to some beach goers, or in other discussions dreamers, it is very unremarkable for others. Nonetheless, Carmen Garza brings awareness to the multidimensional aspect of dreams and the idealized as well as the paths we follow and the inherent but unseen dangers to them. Even the paths we may take in pursuit of a better future hold dangers within them we remain unaware of. Although our pursuit of higher education or professional careers are not necessarily dreams it is something we look forward to for our future, an image of a life we have pictured for ourselves. Garza’s image can thus be considered a reminder to be afraid that there is always something lurking beneath or a sense of strength to push on knowing there's always been danger but nonetheless we persevere. 

Chavez, Lilibeth Rasquachismo (week 4)

Rasquachismo is as Tomas Ybarra puts it a view from “los de abajo,” or the underdog. It refers to other people believed to be of lower class or status than one is. However rasquachismo is not necessarily an insult as it refers in a way to a sort of resourcefulness and sort of dark horse that will rise from ashes forming a source of power and fuel for resistance. As said by Ybarra, “the rasquache is to be down but not out (fregado pero no jodido),” (86). “Fregado pero no Jodido,” is a phrase near and dear to my heart because it is the way in which my parents describe their existence in this country. When asked how my dad is doing on any particular day it is his go to response. But in general, my parents have also used it as a mantra through which to raise me. My mom likes to say, “Fregadas nacimos, pero ni madres que estemos jodidos, de alguna manera sacamos la puerca del agua.” I see in their attitudes the idea behind rasquachismo of the underdog attitude. My parents know their capacity and their worth, and while their status may not reveal it, their power lies within. Likewise, growing up acutely aware of money, resourcefulness was the name of the game, “haciendo un mickey mouse,” as my mom would say as she would make shift contractions to again, “sacar la puerca del agua.” Nonetheless I relate to the idea of rasquachismo understanding both the power of the underdog as well as the feeling of vulgarity is the identity, with the general “pureness,” generally associated with scaling classes. However it is the same underdog capacity that allows for the transcendence and upward mobility. In many regards the sometimes subliminal embarrassment felt by the need to make do is eclipsed by understanding that making do afforded you a different life even if its not polished gold. 

Chavez, Lilibeth- Chacon, Ruby (Abstract)

Dicou, Natalie. “The Colors of Community.” The Salt Lake City Tribune [Salt Lake City], 27 November 2008, archive.sltrib.com/article.php?itype=NGPSID&id=11081159. Accessed 10/05/2021.

    The newspaper article, local to Salt Lake City Utah, covers a mural that had recently sprung up

in the community and the struggles of finding a wall to display it on after an initial volunteer 

business backed out once he saw the design. Ruby Chacon along with Bad Dog worked 

alongside 4 young teens of the community to create the mural. Ruby Chacon guided the teens 

and taught them her way of approaching murals, and expressed that murals are a way to make art accessible. The article also mentions Ruby’s upbringing, that as a working class family could not afford seeing art through traditional mediums like museums and exhibits.

Lara, Irene. “Sensing the Serpent in the Mother, Dando a Luz la Madre Serpiente Chicana Spirituality, Sexuality, and Mamihood.” Fleshing the Spirit, The University of Arizona Press, 2014, Part 2.

    The book Fleshing the Spirit, engages conversations on spiritual consciousness and social 

activism as well as the healing of the spirit in Chicana. The chapter Sensing the Serpent in the 

Mother, Dando a Luz la Madre Serpiente Chicana Spirituality, Sexuality, and Mamihood 

discusses the concept of Serpentine consciousness as a way of connecting Chicana women to 

resemble  the dual duality of Quetzalcoatl, in their many existences. Ruby Chacon is mentioned 

in this section for her art. Relating her to the Serpiente Consciousness through her works, “Self 

with Serpent” (2001) and “Self as Cihuacoatl” (2001).

Martin, Sue. “Ruby Chacon: Art of Healing, Art of Humanity.” 15 Bytes, Artists of Utah, 23 Mar. 2018, artistsofutah.org/15Bytes/index.php/tag/ruby-chacon/. 

    15 Bytes is the art magazine of Utah, featuring Utah native artists. The article covers Chacon’s development with art as well as her many awards for her art. However, the article focuses on Ruby’s use of art to create healing spaces for members of the community. She specifically takes note of Utah as her people’s land before westward expansion and in a time when utah was still Mexican domain. Ruby has created spaces in immigrant communities where people can gather and share their stories. Ruby also participates in youth programs to allow art to be a means of healing for younger generations. 

Chavez, Lilibeth (week 3)

 All of my life, growing in a traditional Mexican and heavily Catholic household, my mom has turned over all of my struggles, and all of my pains to her devotion to the Virgen de Guadalupe. She is sacred not only in religion but in my house. To me the image of the Virgen de Guadalupe has been the way my mother shows her love for her family, and her deepest desire for our wellbeing and success. Although I am not as religious as my elders, there has always been an evocation of emotion for me surrounding la Virgen de Guadalupe. Drawing from my deep connection to my matriarchal lineage, the image of la Virgen de Guadalupe signifies the anchor of my mother’s and grandmother’s strength to carry out the weight of my family. While I had never analyzed the image itself, beyond what her significance is for my family, I recognize the image of la Virgen insinuates an image of purity and womanhood that is not entirely representative of womanhood in the broadest definitions of what it could be to be a woman. Further I recognize the problematic the image of the Virgen poses in discussions of colonial powers, the reign of Catholicism and its direct link to erasure, the imposition of cis male Europeans in the discussion and adaption of “the idealized woman.” And while in many ways, the image of La Virgen may draw attention to the institutionalized oppression of women, for the women in my family, La Virgen de Guadalupe fills them with a feeling of power and strength, which granted may stem from the possibility that they are unaware of the brutalities of history as well as those of modern society. 

Chacon, Ruby

 2. Amina Cruz

3. Paloma Montoya 

Chavez, Lilibeth (Lili)

 Hello all! My name is Lilibeth Chavez, but my preferred name is Lili. My pronouns are she/her/hers and I am a fourth year political science major with a minor in Chicanx studies pursuing a career in law. During my time at UCLA I have focused the bulk of my course load for my Chicanx minor mainly on the intertwine of law and Chicanx studies, never really delving into physical manifestations of Chicanx representation through art. It wasn't until this past spring quarter when I took a class on the music of Latin America that I realized how much more different mediums of art tell of sociological and legal issues I had been studying from books. As an aspiring lawyer, understanding mindsets, intentions, and thought processes widens my perspective on the needs of different communities in terms of legal representation. 

The text, Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists? by Linda Nochlin, poses a multifold problem of questioning and quantifying not only the capacity of Women in all aspects of art and academia, but as well as the unspoken of standardization that qualifies art as great. I considered this point to be of great interest, because in the same way we expect works of art to be free manifestations of the mind judged on its own merit and not by societal expectations we should expect the same of how we view people regardless of race, sex, gender, etc. However, in establishing that there is a category of "great" that is based on societal standardization we see a similar qualification of people and quantification of their worth by means of society's perception of great. Unfortunately, the reality seen is that "great" is not commonly the first descriptive word used in the discussion of diversity, or diverse communities. Consequently, it is imperative to break down language as was done by Nochlin, in addressing both the societal problem, in this case suggesting women are not great artists, and addressing how language itself suggests further hidden stigmas, such as the implication by the word great that there is an institutionalized standard by which to quantify worth.