Jimenez-Briseño, Diana: Week 7

Claudia Zapata’s essay “Chicanx Graphics in the Digital Age” offered a new perspective on the significance digital art can hold within the Chicanx and broader Latinx community. Personally, I had thought about digital art as holding a certain level of privilege in terms of the accessibility to use the medium and view the art. Under this impression, I had thought of my family members who are not tech savvy or do not have an internet presence. How would they come to learn of the art that is meant to them, but they cannot see? If art moved to the digital space, how were they to create their own or navigate it? However, reading through Zapata’s essay, I learned that digital art does not always take an obscure path. Digital media in billboards and physical arenas is omnipresent, oftentimes taking up more space than strictly physical art. Digital art is therefore also replicated in areas where Chicanx representation isn’t as vast. The urban spaces that are uplifted and maintained by Chicanx individuals continuously disenfranchise the community through various mechanisms. Art (that is readily seen and consumed) serves as a tool to reclaim identity and power albeit these circumstances. This art also allows Chicanx individuals to vocalize their message in manners that aren’t available through physical mediums, amplifying the variety of voices central to Chicanx issues. Rather than obscure original methods of art creation, digital art serves to accompany the physical medium, projecting purpose through a new lens. Those who wish to participate in the movement may not have access to the physical spaces art occupies, but can still understand the activism through digital means and vice versa. After reflecting on Zapata’s piece, I began to think about all the moments I have been able to see or be part of digital art. Throughout this pandemic, art has been such a vital tool to project the issues, emotional turbulence, and realities we now all face. There are so many things I learned through the digital art space and Zapata’s piece truly does embody the importance it has held since its conception.

Jimenez-Briseño, Diana (Week 10)

I feel extremely grateful to be part of this course, learning about Latinx art every week. I have been so inspired and enriched by our culture and have discovered so many amazing artists in the process. I believe I have come to understand parts of myself that I was unable to express before through sharing the experiences with these talented artists. 

I thoroughly enjoyed Carmen Lomas Garza’s work. I felt so connected and represented by the images of ordinary life. I felt that they were intimate snapshots of my own lived experiences. To see that those moments are worthy of art and celebration means a lot to how I can experience my identity and culture in spaces that are often not created to view chicanismo in this manner. The pieces are images I showed my mother, to show her that our culture and our existence in itself is art. I would love to one day have these works in my own home, to serve as reminders of that beauty in my life. 

In terms of recent artists, I loved learning about Crystal Santillan Olmos’ artist, Britney Garibay. I was so in awe of the meaning and talent of her art at such a young age. Her story is extremely powerful and it was great to see how rich her works are. We had such an amazing selection of artists and art this quarter, and I would say that the “Forgotten Farmers” piece definitely stands as one of my favorite pieces. The concept and execution serve to tell an impactful narrative that allows various individuals to reflect on the realities of farm workers in the US.

Lastly, I was very inspired by Brenda Barrios, presented by Armando. I think her vulnerability in sharing her state of health in creating her art demonstrates a great sense of resilience. In already having the pressure of being a female-identifying Latinx artist in such a critical space, she also faces the burden of autoimmune disease. As an individual with an immune system health issues myself, I appreciate and admire her for being open about the realities she confronts and continuously overcomes.

Jimenez-Briseño, Diana: Week 8 Presentations (Wk 9)

Again, every presenter this week was amazing! I really enjoyed learning about the various Latinx artists, each with their distinct identity and art style. Mara Higuera’s presentation about Sand One was extremely interesting and informative. I loved learning about the message of her art. Looking at the art on its own can convey a different message than the one Sand One portrays. Although the dolls may seem to fixate themselves on the male gaze, Sand One’s intention is actually to remove men from the female narrative. Women should be allowed to present themselves in whatever manner they want, sexualized, feminine, or not. I respect Sand One’s adherence to her particular style despite the fact that critics have not deemed it as art or hailed it as childish. To me, her art is very reflective of the Chicanx style. It’s the type of art I grew up around and admired. The cartoonish style of woman with exaggerated features was what I wanted to be. I also very much admire Sand One’s perseverance through hardship, especially in regards to the ownership issue she had. I think it is quite reflective of the position Chicanx women occupy socially and in art. They are continuously diminished in their capabilities and not allotted the same respect devoted to white or male artists. She rightfully occupies space in the art world, especially having it in the public space, and I look forward to the future of her work!

Jimenez-Briseño, Diana: Public Art Presentations (Week 7)

I really enjoyed everyone’s presentations! Being exposed to that variety of art, all rooted in Latinidad, was very powerful and beautiful. Although I enjoyed all of the amazing presenters and their respective artist’s, I was particularly drawn by Armando’s presentation of Brenda Barrios. I felt a greater connection with the artist due to a specific piece -- the “Vaccines for the Community” mural in San Bernardino. I am from San Bernardino County myself and I think the piece Barrios produced is beautiful and necessary in the community. Much of the San Bernardino population is BIPOC. This population is unfortunately, more vulnerable to the issues of COVID-19, both medically and in the social systems it impacts. Furthermore, given the systematic failures of the healthcare system and society at large, BIPOC communities have justified reason for their heightened mistrust of medicine. By presenting this message through an artistically driven and accessible framework, I think Barrios helps to shift the narrative of vaccines from one rooted in hesitancy to one built on community. Within my own family, many of whom are located in San Bernardino, they did not trust the vaccine until they saw other members of the family/community doing it and promoting it. For people to be able to see themselves and their neighbors in a public art space and notice the welcoming environment Barrios creates, is extremely important to the understanding of the vaccine. Outside of this piece specifically, I love how her pieces center around her community and give a larger voice and platform for her people. 

Jimenez-Briseño, Diana: Week 6

She’s on the Rag quite literally left me speechless. Just looking at the image, the concept of menstruation was clear. Visualizing it under an abstract lens, meant for the beauty it encapsulated, truly captured the essence Ibarra was intent on displaying. As I read over the description however, I was stunned to learn that the work was actually the product of her own menstrual emissions. My reaction was both in awe and perplexity. In complete honesty, I was uncomfortable at first. I then realized that was the exact point of the piece. Ibarra’s art is meant to provoke an intentional discomfort. One should question themselves as to why they are uncomfortable with a natural human process. Is it an issue of blood, or rather an issue of sex/gender? As a menstruating woman, contextualizing the piece within the setting of social norms and my own experiences really helped to cement Ibarra’s motives behind the art.

Ibarra’s art seems to provoke many reactions. I would ask, how exactly does she gauge the reactions of their audience? Does she create her art with an expected reaction, letting it flow throughout viewers naturally or is there a point where she asks people what they think about a piece? I feel letting the piece speak on its own accord is quite liberating. At the same time, as an artist with expressive intentions, it seems reasonable to inquire about how individuals are receiving your pieces.

Jimenez-Briseño Diana: Wikipedia for Lucia Hierro

Wikipedia: Lucia Hierro

 

Lucia Hierro (1987-) is a Dominican American multimedia artist known for soft-assemblage, painting, sculpture, and digital media collages that represent the intersectionality between Dominican American identity, capitalism, and community from a culturally relevant lens. Her most notable works infuse “bodega aesthetics”1 with pop art, minimalism and Dutch still life styles2. She is currently based out of her studio in South Bronx.

Biography

Early Life

Lucia Hierro was raised in Washington Heights and Inwood, home to Dominican diasporas in New York3. Her parents, both Dominican immigrants, were artistically inclined, with her father being a notable singer-songwriter and her mother a vocalist.  

 

Education

Hierro decided to pursue art in high school and began taking free classes at Cooper Union through the Saturday Program3. She received a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Painting & Drawing from the School of Art & Design at Purchase College in 2010. In 2013, she completed a Masters of Fine Arts in Painting/Printmaking from Yale School of Art4.

 

Activism

Hierro makes prints of her works and donates the profits to United We Dream. United We Dream is an immigrant youth Network. This endeavor is done in collaboration with Art of Change5

Art  (or Notable Works or Selected Works. Also Exhibitions, Projects, Collections)

Lucia Hierro was originally trained as a painter. She began working with fabrics (felt) after her formal art education. Originally, Hierro did not consider the medium because of its associations with the labor and her family. Hierro’s family had survived in New York as fabric factory workers. Once she found out that her grandma originally dreamed of being a fashion designer, she was empowered to reclaim the narrative of the medium6

Notable Works

Mercado Series, (2014-)

The Mercado series was seen Hierro’s first solo gallery show. It was shown in the Elizabeth Dee Gallery in 20187. The series originally consisted of large-scale transparent tote bags filled with hand-sewn soft-assemblage structures of novelties familiar to Dominican American communities. The series now includes the same materials found in large-scale single use plastic bags.

The Mercado series serves to highlight the relationship between [Dominican] individuals and capitalism. Hierro’s original inspiration comes from the relationship immigrant Dominicans held with objects from their native land. Hierro’s mother and grandmother would often bring souvenirs back from the DR at the request of nostalgic New York community members6. Furthermore, as an artist at the intersection between the Dominican and American identity, Hierro envisioned the Mercado bags as marking the exchange between her cultures and goods3. As such, Hierro’s pieces touch on how marketing actively shapes and is shaped by identities6. With familiar groceries, bodega items, and cultural reminders in the bags serve as relatable portraits of the community6

The Gates (2021-)

The Gates series is done in collaboration with Luigi Iron Works3. It is comprised of three oversized, free-standing iron gates that pay tribute to the architectural element found throughout Brooklyn and South Bronx. The Gates also nod to Jeanne-Claude and Christo’s Central Park Gates project8. The bags that hang on the gates demonstrate the typical state gates are found in in the Latinx communities in these districts. Additionally, the circulars found on the gates point to the unseen labor of the many immigrants that work to distribute them throughout the neighborhood3

Exhibitions

Tal Cual (September 2021-)

Lucia Hierro’s solo show Tal Cual is currently exhibited at the Charles James Gallery in Los Angeles9

Marginal Costs (June 2021-January 2022)

Marginal Costs, located at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, is Hierro’s first solo museum exhibition. The exhibition includes pieces from the Mercado and the specially commissioned Gates series and wall murals. Marginal Costs is organized by The Aldrich’s Senior Curator Amy Smith-Stewart6.

According to Lucia, the name of her exhibition demonstrates dual meaning. The exhibition is an homage to Latinx individuals who often operate under the belief that they occupy the marginal spaces of the economy while fully participating in the market. On a larger-scale, the works act as critique to late-stage capitalism and the social, political, and environmental costs to its production6.

Marginal Costs is composed of three main components: the Mercado Series, the Gates Series, and wall murals. One wall mural depicts a collage of vinyl decals, including flower bouquets, a prayer card, a Hennessy bottle, a milk crate, and a Jesus statue, cradled atop one another. This mural depicts a sidewalk shrine. Created during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lucia dedicated this shrine to the people, disproportionately BIPOC, that have passed because of the illness. Hierro mentions noticing shrines and/or flowers at almost every building in her community inspired the work. The other mural is an homage to the resilience of Hierro’s community during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in reference to street vendors. The colorful wall is filled with images Hierro photographed on walks throughout her community – street food carts, for lease signs, and outdoor boutiques among others6.

Objetos Especificos (2019)

Objetos Específicos was curated by Joseph Wolin and showcased in Sean Horton and included sculptures, vinyl decal collages and Anchoring, a specially commissioned mural4.

The exhibition is a nod to Donald Judd’s “Specific Objects” essay10. The essay touches on minimalism, and especially on spare, repetitive forms. Throughout Hierro’s exhibition, it is apparent that the artist incorporates the minimalism style as vinyl decals and sculptures are stand alone and sparsed throughout the exhibit. However, the pieces also go against the narrative as they infuse very branded and obvious pop-art elements.

Vecinos/Neighbors (2020)

Lucia Hierro’s solo exhibition Vecinos/Neighbors was exhibited under Primary Projects in Miami, Florida4.

The Cost of Living (2019)

Lucia Hierro’s solo exhibition The Cost of Living was exhibited at the Wallworks Galley in collaboration with Latchkey Gallery in Bronx, New York4.

Aqui y Alla (2018)

Lucia Hierro’s solo exhibition Aqui y Alla was curated by Luis Graham and exhibited at the Casa Quien Gallery in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic4.

Mercado (2018)

Lucia Hierro’s solo exhibition Mercado was curated by Larry Ossei-Mensah and exhibited at the Elizabeth Dee Gallery in Santo Harlem, New York4.

 

References

1. Cortes, Ash. “Lucia Hierro: Con Una Taza De Chocolate.” Sculpture, Sculpture, 1 July 2021, https://sculpturemagazine.art/lucia-hierro-con-una-taza-de-chocolate/.

2. Read, Bridget. “Coveting Lucia Hierro's Irreverent, Bodega-Inspired Pop Art.” Vogue, Conde Nast, 6 Apr. 2018, https://www.vogue.com/article/lucia-hierro-red-bull-house-of-art-detroit-mercado-interview. 

3. Marius, Marley. “In ‘Marginal Costs," Artist Lucia Hierro Mines the Space between Objects and Personal Histories.” Vogue, Conde Nast, 3 June 2021, https://www.vogue.com/article/lucia-hierro-marginal-costs-aldrich-contemporary-art-museum.

4. Hierro, Lucia. “CV.” Lucia Hierro, http://www.luciahierro.com/page-cv.

5. Moore, Charles. “Artist Lucia Hierro Interrogates Everyday Aesthetics.” Cultured Magazine, Young Curators 2021, 24 Aug. 2020, https://www.culturedmag.com/artist-lucia-hierro-interrogates-everyday-aesthetics/.

6. Smith-Stewart , Amy. “Virtual Artist Talk: Lucia Hierro.” The Aldrich Contemporary Museum, The Aldrich, 26 Aug. 2021, https://thealdrich.org/exhibitions/lucia-hierro.

7. Dávila Arlene M. Latinx Art Artists, Markets, Politics. Duke University Press, 2020.

8. Farr, Kristin. “Juxtapoz Magazine - Lucia Hierro: Fuck up the Algorithm.” Juxtapoz Art & Culture, Juxtapoz Magazine, https://www.juxtapoz.com/news/magazine/features/lucia-hierro-fuck-up-the-algorithm/.

9. “Charlie James Gallery: Lucia Hierro – Tal Cual.” CHARLIE JAMES GALLERY | Lucia Hierro – Tal Cual, CGJ, https://www.cjamesgallery.com/show-detail/lucia-hierro-tal-cual.

10.  Zotos, John. “Pop Art and Identity Politics Spark Lucia Hierro's Dallas Show of Uncommon Depth.” Dallas News, The Dallas Morning News, 23 Sept. 2019, https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/visual-arts/2019/09/23/pop-art-and-identity-politics-spark-lucia-hierro-s-dallas-show-of-uncommon-depth/.

 

External links

·   Official Website

 

Some notes: Still looking for further reading and external links; not sure whether to include teaching and curatorial experience and residencies; will be contacting artist about reproducing images – on that note can I ask the artist to verify if what I put looks correct (incl. interpretations and pronouns)

 

Jimenez-Briseño, Diana (Week 5)

Looking through Carmen Lomas Garza’s art, I genuinely felt the relatability of her images. As I flipped through the pages, I caught myself reflecting on my own memories and experiences growing up as a first-generation Chicana. Although I found myself in most of Garza’s pieces, Earache Treatment really stood out to me. My mom has suffered from earache pain her entire life and as such, this remedy has become a staple of our household. I remember my mom starting conversations with random people at the swapmeet and a couple days later being at their houses so they could do the ventosa treatment on her. She’s been in strangers’ living rooms and in porches that resemble that of Garza’s work. That is the nature of ventosas to me. They are a testament to the power of traditional remedies as well as the community of our culture. As Constance Cortez delineates in the book, las ventosas serve as a vessels of the “knowledge born of cultural practice” (54). Ventosas do not fall under the Western framework of treatment, but rather reside within traditional medicine. As such they are often discarded as myth or placebo practices rather than “real, scientific” remedies. Recently, I read through an article that mentioned the only thing ventosas were good for was creating an ash deposit in the ear. If that is true, then why is it that ventosas have been one of the only treatments that have saved my mother from the agony of earaches. I love how Garza makes the painting so poignant. As do her other paintings, the work is a casual tribute to the everyday lives of Chicanx communities. They are the experiences we often think not much of, but are unique and powerful in their connection to our lives. This Earache piece brought back such a deep memory of helping my mother and it makes me all the more connected to Garza’s art.

Jimenez-Briseño, Diana Wk 4: Rasquachismo

Rasquachismo is defined by the attitude one holds. It is however, not an attitude an individual assigns to themselves. Rather, it is one ascribed to them by the larger social scheme. A person that follows the rasquache narrative does not conform to the usual social conventions of behavior or aesthetics. As Tomas Ybarra-Frausto delineates, rasquachismo is a deviation from the “el que diran” that normally confines individuals to certain ideas and actions. Essentially, individuals that fall under the term rasquachismo are not as concerned with following certain “acceptable” standards as they live their experiences through an uninterrupted lens. 

Rasquachismo also extends itself to conveying a sense of resourcefulness. Individuals work with functionality and creativity to make do with what they have. My mom calls this “el mickey mouse”. We fix things or use things in an unconventional manner, but at the end of the day, it ends up working out. The expression “fregados pero no jodidos” can help to bring more context onto the origins of rasquachismo and why this attitude persists in, but is not limited to Chicanx communities.

Rasquachismo is typically associated with the underdogs, which often translates to working class individuals. Given the historical and socioeconomic context of Chicanx communities, rasquachismo is often embedded into the everyday life of Chicanx individuals. As such, rasquachismo is understood as normal -- it defines a standard lifestyle that one wouldn’t assume to have a particular term assigned to it. While I was reading Ybarra-Frausto’s piece, I came to realize that rasquachismo is extremely common and regular in various aspects of my life. Rasquachismo is having that one plastic bag that is filled with other plastic bags strung across the cabinet or stored carefully under the sink. It is filling the oven with cazuelas and ollas and having to scatter them across the kitchen when we use the oven once per year. To me, that aspect was just part of the Mexican/Chicanx identity. Even then, it felt that the experiences of rasquachismo were shared across various minority/ethnic communities. 

Jimenez-Briseño, Diana: Abstract for Lucia Hierro

 Zotos, John. “Pop Art and Identity Politics Spark Lucia Hierro's Dallas Show of Uncommon Depth.” Dallas News, The Dallas Morning News, 23 Sept. 2019, https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/visual-arts/2019/09/23/pop-art-and-identity-politics-spark-lucia-hierro-s-dallas-show-of-uncommon-depth/. 

John Zoto’s piece on Lucia Hierro “Pop art and identity politics spark Lucia Hierro’s Dallas show of uncommon depth” for The Dalla Morning News highlights the relationship between community, capitalism and art theory central to Lucia’s work. In both an ode and rebellion to Daniel Judd’s minimalist aesthetic, Lucia’s exhibit reflects on a few key elements while making her art pieces extremely recognizable: plantain chip bags and soda bottles. Zoto describes how Hierro’s emphasis on items distinct to Latin Caribbean culture in New York demonstrates the ties between identity and consumerism. Namely, Hierro questions whether late capitalism is simply part of cultural identity or if capitalism actively shapes how communities relate to their personality, race, and education.The familiarity with “Objetos Especificos” directs viewers to recognize this interplay themselves. 

Natale, Brittany. “This Larger-than-Life Bodega Art Questions Class and Privilege.” i-D, VICE Media Group, 18 May 2018, https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/qvnbkd/lucia-hierro-bodega-exhibition-mercado-red-bull-detroit

“Lucia Hierro’s oversized bodega art questions class and privilege” by Brittany Natale for VICE dissects Mercado, Hierro’s first solo exhibition featuring a self-constructed assemblage of items common to the New York City bodega. While bodega items are central to Hierro’s pieces, they are also intermingled with highbrow items that point to a different identity, class and race: green juices and glossier lip balm. According to Hierro, the juxtaposition of these elements serve various purposes in conveying meaning to her artwork. Firstly, they reflect the hypergentrification of the Washington Heights and Inwood area she grew up in. Secondly, as a first-generation Dominican American, they represent conflict in identity and preferences, where there is a constant battle between not being Latinx or American enough to being too much of one particular identity. Hierro expresses this not only as a community conflict, but also a personal issue in understanding identity through the items one chooses to consume.

Read, Bridget. “Coveting Lucia Hierro's Irreverent, Bodega-Inspired Pop Art.” Vogue, Conde Nast, 6 Apr. 2018, https://www.vogue.com/article/lucia-hierro-red-bull-house-of-art-detroit-mercado-interview. 

Bridget Read’s interview with Lucia Hierro in Vogue’s “In Detroit, Finding Art on the Shelf at Your Local Bodega” explores Hierro’s motivations and conflicts in producing art. The bodega items in the clear tote bags tell stories, but Hierro’s process in producing them also reflects on her identity as a Dominican American. Originally, she did not want to work with fabric; it was a medium that conveyed the labor her family had gone through in order to be in this country. However, through accidental fate, she was confronted with the medium, and through working with her vision and family, was able to reinterpret the meaning of the fabric and her relationship to it. Instead of a burden to her identity, it stands as a reminder of the culture she portrays through her pieces. Furthermore, Read states the essential New York nature of her pieces delineates her need to make New York work for her in place of the city not working for her past family. Representation is fundamentally embedded in her work, from conception to design as Hierro attempts to create an image of her community outside of the “ghetto” stereotype it is often portrayed as.

Jimenez-Briseño, Diana (Week 3)

    The image of La Virgen de Guadalupe has been very strong in my upbringing as a Mexican Catholic. My neighborhood was primarily Latinx and the Catholic church in the area reflected that as La Virgen often stood as the central figure not only in terms of iconography, but also prayers and events. However, as a child, I never really understood her as the mother of Jesus. To me, the woman named Mary was Jesus’s mother. La Virgen de Guadalupe was not her; she was distinct in her own presence and importance. Furthermore, her distinct cultural identity made her elusive and exclusive. She was a centrally Latinx religious figure. She represented not only the Catholic church, but Latinx heritage and pride. You could find community in those who also believed in La Virgen de Guadalupe; you shared experiences with one another as a Latinx Catholic. There is a beauty in noticing the people with their Virgen de Guadalupe necklaces, bracelets and automatically finding connection: similar cultural experiences, quinceañeras, December 12th celebrations. 

    Although her image has been extremely powerful in my understanding of religion and culture, my family’s relationship to her has not always been as strong. During a period of their life, they shifted over to Christian religion. That church strongly urged against any iconography, saints, or really, any religious figures that were not the Holy Trinity. My family moved away from the December 12th celebrations and the images originally hanging around the walls. I didn’t think much of it until an AP Art History course in high school. We were going over Miguel Gonzalez’s pearl The Virgin of Guadalupe work and my teacher asked about her history. We were all Latinxs in the class and while most of the class could recount her history and their relationships with her, I could not. I only had the memory of it. That experience really made me question my identity as a Mexican and particularly a Mexican Catholic. How could I not know about the defining point of our culture: a symbol in religion, art, music, festivities. Also, in analyzing the image, the instructor analyzed the image from a logistical framework. She broke down La Virgen's meaning as solely a Spanish tactic to unify Mexicans into accepting the Spanish Catholic Church (protested at the time). Although the history made sense, the deconstruction of her significance to sly manipulation frustrated me. She was and is a culture.

    Since then, I have tried to understand religion from a more cultural standpoint. Recognizing the beauty of la Virgen through mandas, madrugadas, and celebrations on its own and joining them has made me appreciate my family and heritage much more. The images of la Virgen are powerful and I believe that the renditions by artists only serve to emphasize her significance as a figure for the people, especially our community. 

Hierro, Lucia

2. Lopez, Nicole

3. Guadalupe Maravilla

4. Claudia Peña Salinas

Jimenez-Briseño, Diana

 

Hello! My name is Diana Jimenez-Briseño and my pronouns are she/her/hers. I am a fourth year Human Biology and Society major with a concentration in Medicine and Public Health and a minor in Chicanx/Central American Studies. I hope to become a physician in underserved communities, especially my Latinx community, and understanding both the direct elements of health as well as more of my cultural identity through these academic programs has solidified and strengthened my passion for medicine. Currently, I am part of a clinical research lab that focuses on a variety of issues concerning renal health. Kidney disease disproportionately affects Black and Brown communities both through structural racism and direct healthcare inequities. As a Latina transplant recipient myself, understanding this reality through my own narrative and the stories of others, as well as research and academia, has been vital in my perception of healthcare and my hopeful place in it. 

Outside of that part of myself, I absolutely love art, both for creation and appreciation. I have always loved to draw and paint, but I never understood the depth art held until I took an art history course in high school. The beauty of art draws one in, but the significance behind it truly makes a piece meaningful. Unfortunately, that course mainly focused on Eurocentric works that although beautiful, did not call on my identity. Reading “Conditions for producing chicana art”, I already felt represented in that the modern Chicana identity is one that I feel I am exploring. As a first-generation Chicana, there is so much beauty in our culture, but in entering and holding relationships with new spaces outside of traditional realms, I sometimes meet it with conflict. I am extremely interested in how Chicanx art represents this narrative.