George Navarro, Misty (Week 10)

 Before this class, I had little to no knowledge about Chicanx art and especially about Chicana art and artists. I am so thankful that over the course of this quarter I have been able to learn more about people and specifically about women who have shaped and will continue to shape Chicanx history. 

Something that I learned from this course and that will stay with me is the concept of rasquachismo. Rasquachismo is the instinctual response to the lived conditions of the working class. This concept will stick with me because it finally put a name to what I have seen in my community my whole life. Tomás Ybarra-Frausta explains it is a collection of movidas that holds together an environment that is close to coming apart which beautifully encapsulates the resilience and resourcefulness of Mexican, Mexican-American, and/or Chicanx people. Though rasquachismo may not produce outcomes that the masses deem aesthetically pleasing, it shows our peoples’ ability to keep fighting. 

It was also great to see everyone's presentations and see how much they have learned about their artists over the course of this quarter. I especially enjoyed Perry Hernandez’s presentation of Emilia Cruz. This presentation stood out to me because I was initially introduced to her work through the Netflix show Gentefied. After I saw her work in the show I did a little research and saw pieces she did specifically for the show so it was great to learn more about her and other work she has produced. The piece that stood out to me the most was her piece Am I Too Dark? because it highlights an issue that is incredibly prevalent in Mexican and Chicanx culture which is colorism. Colorism and racism is embedded into our culture because of colonialism and the only way it can be properly addressed is by acknowledging that it is a problem and acknowledging the damage it has caused and continues to cause.

George Navarro, Misty (Week 9)

I really enjoyed all of the presentations this week and I think everyone did a great job, but the one that stood out to me the most was Cristina’s presentation on the artist Josie Del Castillo. When we were first choosing our artist, I came across Del Castillo’s work and I was in awe of what I had seen so I was very happy to be able to learn more about her. 

My favorite piece out of Del Castillo’s body of work is Healing, Learning, and Growing which is about Del Castillo’s journey in navigating trauma and improving herself. Here, she is shown standing in the middle of a savila plant and I enjoyed hearing about why she chose to use the savila. According to the presentation, Del Castillo chose to use a savila plant because she felt that the nopal can sometimes be a little overused. The artist also used the savila to drive home her journey of healing because it is a medicinal plant that can be used to treat wounds or even for general hair or skin care. The figure she included  is shown hugging herself as a means to communicate that she is giving herself the comfort and love that she deserves. Overall, I think this is a really beautiful piece

The other piece that stood out to me during the presentation was Don’t Touch Me, I’m Sensitive. This is another self portrait but it incorporates the imagery of nopales. Del Castillo paints the portrait of herself green and includes espinas around her. Here, Del Castillo is showcasing a time in her life in which she was hurting emotionally and was hurtful to those around here. I think this is a really beautiful way to acknowledge how destructive poor mental health can be not only to yourself, but to your relationships as well.

George Navarro, Misty Week 8

The presentations this past week were all great and each presenter chose amazing artists to write and teach the class about. Listening to how much our peers know about these artists is exciting and makes it that much more interesting to hear. The artist that stood out to me the most was Ruby Chacon whose work was presented by Lilibeth. Chacon’s work was interesting to me primarily because of her inspiration. According to the presentation, Chacon uses her art to express her dual identity as a Utah native and Chicana which she considered to be antithetical identities. Though she was taught to conceal her Mexican identity growing up, she later learned to fuse them into an identity she calls Utahna. After the passing of her nephew, Chacon became more interested in painting her family as a way to reclaim her family’s reputation and she also wanted to resist typical Utah art which typically involved lots of landscapes and desertscapes. Though she is a painter, Chacon is not limited to any specific medium and much of her work which consists of murals and canvas paintings can be found across Utah. 
The piece that Lilibeth presented that stood out to me the most was the mural in which Chacon depicts farm workers, references of La Virgen de Guadalupe in a normal woman, abuelitas, a saxophone player among many other things. This mural also includes a typical Utah landscape. This piece was interesting to me because of the combination of Utah culture and Chicanx culture that Chacon strives to demonstrate. This piece also reminds me of artwork that people can find all of South and East Los Angeles. These murals are important because they are a way of reminding those who see them of the presence and belonging of Mexican and Chicanx people in these different cities. 

George Navarro, Misty (Week 7)

In the essay “Chicanx Graphics in the Digital Age”, Claudia E. Zapata discusses the digital revolution that took place in the 1980s and how it brought influential technological advancements to Chicanx artist production. The author makes a point to recognize that though this has not replaced canonical forms of Chicanx art, technological advancements have helped diversify the work Chicanx artists produce, especially work that is produced for advocacy purposes. The digital revolution allowed Chicanx artists to participate in technological exchange centers, share their work online, and use augmented and virtual reality technology in their work which helped expand the traditional definition of Chicano graphics which usually referred to poster and print. 

This essay helped  legitimize the art that I have had the access to growing up thanks to the internet. When I was younger, and though I look back now and this thought process does not really make sense, I thought that the only art that could be considered “actual art” were the pieces that could be found in museums. Not only were museums not really accessible to me, but when I was able to go the art that I saw was usually not created by Latine people, much less Mexican/Chicana women. It also did not help that Chicanx art or Chicanx history in general was never really taught to me growing up. However, what I did have access to was the internet, specifically Tumblr and Twitter which Zapata highlights in the section Web 2.0. Zapata states that the emergence of Web 2.o allowed Chicanx artists to create and have the unfettered ability to share their “born-digital” work. And it is thanks to this emergence that gave me access to art that I was finally able to relate to, that challenged the societal and cultural norms and expectations that I was being taught, that shed light on political issues that are important to me, and to find a sense of familiarity in an artistic space.

George Navarro, Misty (Week 6)

 When I first began to browse through Xandra Ibarra’s work, I honestly felt a little uncomfortable and had I not read the articles provided, I don’t think I would have understood much of what Ibarra is conveying. However, I do believe it is Ibarra’s intention to evoke such feelings. The work that caught my attention the most was Spictacles II: La Tortillera. This is a live performance developed and performed by Ibarra under the alias of La Chica Boom in 2004. In this performance, Ibarra is dressed as a Mexican housewife while she dances, makes tacos with her underwear, strips down and is left wearing a Tapatillo strap-on. Despite the uncomfortableness I felt for much of the video, Ibarra uses this character she has created to criticize the gender norms and stereotypes that exist for Mexican women and Chicanas. This performance made me uncomfortable for a number of reasons, however, the part that shocked me the most was when Ibarra removed a pair of underwear which had the Mexican flag printed on it, proceeded to place it in a tortilla, and then spit on it. Without further analysis, this could just be seen as something done for shock value, but I think it is a way to acknowledge the fetishization of Chicanas and Latinas in general while her spitting on them can be a sign of rejection of that. 

The question I would like to pose to Ibarra is: When developing these types of performances, do you consider the demographics of your audience and if so, what do you imagine them to be? Since this seems to be a critique or commentary on the issues that people who exist at the intersection of being Mexican/Mexican American and being a woman face, do you worry that people who cannot relate to these struggles may simply consider La Tortillera to be a caricature of Mexican women rather than a critique on societal expectations of them? 

George Navarro, Misty (Week 5)

Carmen Lomas Garza’s Quinceañera was painted in 2001 after she felt the need to connect with a younger audience. In this piece, you can see people gathered outside of a church, this one in particular is located in San Francisco, and they are waiting for mass for a girl’s quinceañera to begin. I chose to write about this piece because of the sense of nostalgia it gave me. This painting reminded me of the church where all of my family’s and friend’s quinceañeras, baptisms, communions, etc. were held and oftentimes had people gathered at the entrance the way the picture demonstrates. 

Though it is not a formal part of any ceremony, waiting around in the front of a church brought me an unbridled sense of community that had gone unrealized until now. I have countless memories that this image conjures up and it often includes teenagers, some of whom are damas and chambelanes, outside interacting in that specifically awkward way that teenagers do; kids running around probably stressing out their parents because they do not want them to dirty their good clothes; and the parents and padrinos of whoever’s celebration it is dressed to the nines who are also probably a little stressed out because they want to make sure everything is in order. I did not notice its significance because when you are in the middle of it, it doesn’t seem important given the other things that are going to happen that day, but looking back now, I realize just how important these moments are. 

This image, like many of Garza’s pieces, are a beautiful display of what Latinx/e, specifically Chicanx communities can look and feel like. And though no family is without their faults, it is important to highlight moments such as these. These moments that may seem incredibly mundane and insignificant to people who do not share this culture. However, those who do may agree that it is an important way that our family and community gathers to show support. 

George Navarro, Misty (Draft for Marcelina Gonzales)

Marcelina Gonzales was born in 1989 in Brownsville, Texas, a bordertown known for its fusion of Mexican and American cultures.[1][2][3] She is a visual artist whose work focuses on her identity as a young Mexican woman growing up in neighborhood that is often marginalized and misunderstood.[2] After completing her Bachelor’s degree, her primary medium became resin collage.[2] She is known for a form of visual art that she calls “puzzling-assemblages”, a term she uses to refer to the fact that her pieces can become 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional depending on where her audience may stand.[4] 

Biography 

Early Life and Education

Though not much is known about Gonzales’ early life and childhood, much of her work reflects and calls back to her childhood and personal experiences.[2] As she was growing up, her poor economic situation, her identity as a young Chicana, and her neighborhood in Brownsville often caused her to feel a sense of shame and inadequacy.[5] She had trouble accepting and loving herself and as a result developed debilitating depression and anxiety.[4] She then turned to art as a form of therapy that allowed her to pursue empowerment in regards to her gender and cultural identity.[1][4]

Gonzales studied at the University of Texas at Brownsville and received a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts in 2013[1][3]

Career

Gonzales has exhibited her work in various parts of the world including in several cities in Texas, Seattle and Los Angeles, California, New York, Germany, Hungary, and Dubai.[1][4][5]

Notable Artwork

Summer of '97 and El Show de Cristina

Side View

Exhibits

Chicas Bonitas, La Retama Central Library, Corpus Christi, TX (2020)

GIRLS will be GIRLS, Rusteberg Art Gallery, University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX (2020)

Be. Long.: I Like Your Work Podcast, Dutoit Gallery, Dayton, OH

DIMENSION XLVII, Meadows Gallery, Art Center of Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, TX

Encuentro en La Frontera, Carlotta K. Petrona Cultural Center, Brownsville, TX

​Building Bridges of Solidarity, Carlotta K. Petrona Cultural Center, Brownsville, TX

​Artspace111: 6th Annual Regional Juried Exhibition, Artspace111, Fort Worth, TX

​A Woman’s Worth, Studio 2500, Birmingham, AL

 Before/After, Lotta Studio, New Haven, CT

AMoA Biennial 600: Textile/Fiber, Amarillo Museum of Art, Amarillo TX (2019)

Mujer-eres, B&E Art Studio, Brownsville, TX (2019)

Stop It!, Rosenthal Gallery, Fayetteville, NC

Chicas Bonitas, La Retama Central Library, Corpus Christi, TX

​The Expectation of Others, Field Projects Gallery, New York City, NY (2019)

Latinos Unidos, La Retama Central Library, Corpus Christi, TX (2018)

500 Expo, 500 X Gallery, Dallas, TX (2018)

ONE: Annual Emerging Artist Exhibit, Cleve Carney Art Gallery, Glen Ellyn, IL (2018)

46th International Art Show, Brownsville Museum of Fine Art, Brownsville, TX (2018)

Chicas Bonitas, La Retama Central Library, Corpus Christi, TX (2018)

Pressure Points, M. Rosetta Hunter Gallery, Seattle Central College, Seattle, WA (2018)

Square Ft. Biennial, Gallery 66, Albuquerque, NM (2018)

Authentic Marks, Zayed University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (2018)

Mujer-eres, Platform 204, Harlingen, TX (2018)

Images of Power, Freight Gallery, San Antonio, TX (2018)

First Come First Serve, Fort Works Art, Fort Worth, TX (2018)

Icons & Symbols of the Borderland Binational Exhibition, Brownsville Museum of Fine Art, Brownsville, TX (2018)​

Object, Galeria 409, Brownsville, TX (2018)

NEVER SORRY, BAM!, Brownsville, TX (2017)

References

1. About. (n.d.). Marcelina Gonzales Visual Artist. Retrieved October 13, 2021, from https://www.marcelinagonzalesart.com/about

2. Laurens, M. (2021, March 24). Q+Art: Marcelina Gonzales Explores Identity and Culture with Intimate Resin Works. Not Real Art. Retrieved October 17, 2021, from https://notrealart.com/marcelina-gonzales-crafts-intimate-resin-works-exploring-identity/

3. Virtual Studio Visit: Marcelina Gonzales. (2020). The University of Texas at Austin Department of Art and History. Retrieved October 16, 2021, from https://utvac.org/event/virtual-studio-visit-marcelina-gonzales

4. Star, R. (2016, August 8). Brownsville Artist Shows in Germany. RGV Life Magazine. https://issuu.com/rgvlifemagazine/docs/rgv_life_magazine_final 

5. South Texas College Library. (2021, March 21). Transforming Our World: Art Self-Care [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASvXUczhYts

Further Reading

El Retorno: El Valle Celebra Nuestra Gloria Anzaldúa Luncheon Symposium Catalogue, Edinburg, TX, 2015

Cure for the Blues, by Nancy Moyer, The Monitor, McAllen, TX, 2013

George Navarro, Misty (Week 4)

Rasquachismo, according to Tomás Ybarra-Frausto, is an instinctual response to lived conditions, particularly to the lived conditions of the working class. When one is rasquache, they are refusing defeat, they may falter, but they do not give up. It is the underdog perspective that it is rooted in resourcefulness but style and stance never falters. This attitude is alive and well in low income Chicano communities across the United States. 

This attitude is built upon Mexican vernacular tradition and has evolved into a bicultural sensibility for Mexican Americans. However, in Mexico and the United States, it is associated with vulgarity and tackiness and frightens those of a higher class who find comfort in “purer” traditions. 

Ybarra-Frauta states that rasquachismo is a collection of movidas that hold together an environment that is on the edge of coming apart and this is made possible through resourcefulness and resilience. This particular section reminded me of my parents. Below is a picture that demonstrates something similar to what my parents do in my home. Plastic containers are repurposed in our garden, and though the people in my neighborhood who make a bit more money than my parents often look down on it, my mom does not care because her plants are flourishing nonetheless. Rasquachismo is also demonstrated by my dad. We were not always fortunate enough to have professionals to solve issues that we had with our plumbing, for example. Despite this, we all knew that we could rely on my dad’s creativity and determination to not give up to handle the problem. Oftentimes, the way he handled problems was by no means the correct way and it hardly ever produced a permanent solution, but he was making do with what he knew and what he had. He was going to get our family by, little by little picking up the broken pieces along the way and figuring out what to do with them later. 

George Navarro, Misty (Abstracts for Marcelina Gonzales)

Colon-Uvalles II, Jose. “Marcelina Gonzales.” BAM Zine Issue #2, 2016, https://issuu.com/bamtexas/docs/finished_zine. 

This magazine article is an interview conducted by Jose Colon-Uvalles II with Brownsville artist Marcelina “Marcy” Gonzales and her solo exhibition, “NEVER SORRY”. Her 2016 exhibition included large paintings of thin and gangly women, some of which are versions of Gonzales while others are portraits of her friends. Gonzales used these paintings to represent, not only female identities, but chingonas who are empowered women that defy society. The exhibit itself is a manifestation of breaking out of what society deems as normal which can be seen in Gonzales’ use of sculptural elements, blacklights, and other unruly elements all of which challenge the notions of traditional art. 

Longoria, Paulina. “'An All-Women Art Exhibition' - the Rider Newspaper.” The Rider Newspaper, UTRGV Brownsville Rusteberg Art Gallery, 24 Jan. 2020, www.utrgvrider.com/an-all-women-art-exhibition/. 

In this article, author Paulina Longoria discusses the 2020 all women art exhibit, “GIRLS will be GIRLS” which was curated by Marcelina Gonzales. Gonzales, whose day job is a health care worker, sought to establish this exhibit in order to demolish societal expectations of women. Once her concept was developed she found 13 artists—including herself— to include in the exhibit. Gonzales chose to feature her piece “Let’s See What That Mouth Can Do” which is meant to draw attention to the objectification of women when men partake in actions such as catcalling. 

Muñoz, Jazmin. “No Estas Sola!”: Reclaiming Space & Place through Transformational Solidarity & Coalitional Healing , The University of Texas at San Antonio, Ann Arbor, 2020. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/no-estas-sola-reclaiming-space-place-through/docview/2475899239/se-2?accountid=14512. 

In her thesis, Jazmin Muñoz, analyzes the Texas zine St. Sucia which includes published work from artists across the Americas including Marcelina Gonzales. Muñoz argues that St. Sucia challenges oppressive ideologies by demonstrating the ways in which power can be created through acts of love and solidarity. Gonzales is featured on the cover of St. Sucia Issue X with her piece “Mi Cuerpo, Mi Futuro”. Muñoz argues that this piece, which includes two women holding each other while other women berate them, is a demonstration of not only the damage that women can do to other women, but the protection and nourishment that mujer-mujer love can provide.  

George Navarro, Misty (Week 3)

As a Chicana who grew up in LA and in a family who practices Catholicism, I am very familiar with La Virgen de Guadalupe. She is often referred to as la reina de los mexicanos. There are pictures of her in my home, there is a small statue of her on my bedside table, I have pieces of jewelry with her on them, she is represented in one way or another in the homes of my  tías and tíos who I visit frequently, and there are murals of her throughout Los Angeles. 

La Virgen is also shown in one of my mom’s favorite shows, “La Rosa de Guadalupe”. This show is about people going through difficult times, they turn and prey to La Virgen, a white rose appears, then their problems are resolved (cue music and majestic wind). Here, she is depicted as a protector and I think this may be part of the reason why I have found so much comfort in her throughout my life . 

She is also used to uphold incredibly toxic gender expectations for Mexican and Mexican-American women, and Chicanas. The norm in my family, especially for the older members, was for girls and women to emulate La Virgen’s devotion, humility, and “purity”. For me this meant I was held to higher standards than my brothers and as the eldest daughter, if my mother was ever not present it was then my responsibility to take on the role of the caregiver for the rest of my family.

Though my mom upheld a lot of these gender expectations, I think it was seeing the ways in which she defied many of them that made me find deeper meaning in La Virgen. My mom is one of the strongest people I know and I think many of the characteristics I attribute to her are the ones I attribute to La Virgen. To me La Virgen de Guadalupe is of course a protector and caregiver, but she is also compassionate, brave, and strong. She encourages me to be less fearful and more outspoken about the things I believe in and I will keep her beside me to remind me of that.

1. Garibay, Britney

2. Navarro, Liliana

3. Del Castillo, Josie

George Navarro, Misty

 

Hello everyone! My name is Misty George Navarro, my pronouns are she/her/hers and I am a fourth year, first generation student. I am majoring in political science with a concentration in international relations and minoring in environmental systems and society. During my time here at UCLA, I have learned more about intersectional environmentalism and environmental racism and hope to learn more about how to create environmental policies that uplift BIPOC communities. As a Chicana who grew up in South Central and Paramount, this issue hits especially close to home. 

I took my first Chicanx Studies class the fall quarter of my second year and was surprised to find out how much I did not know. I have been fortunate enough to take classes for my major that touch on Chicanx and other Latinx/e issues, but most discussions on this topic remained at the surface level or never delved into issues to the extent I wished they could be. This class caught my attention because of the concentration on Chicanas. Most Chicanx history that I have been exposed to has heavily focused on the men and has neglected the specific struggles that women in the community faced (and continue to face). I wanted to learn more Chicana history and how they found ways to express themselves and persevere. 

“Conditions for Producing Chicana Art” by Sybil Venegas was a compelling read mainly because it highlights stereotypes and expectations that Mexican women and/or Chicanas are still expected to uphold. I also found “Where are the Chicana printmakers?” by Holly Barnet-Sánchez, an incredibly interesting read. The part that stood out the most to me was the interpretation of Irene Pérez’s poster for a Third World Women’s Art Exhibit because without the context provided, I most likely would not have analyzed the piece further.