Week 10: Reflection (One Artist I Learned About...) - Xandra Ibarra

One artist that incredibly inspired me during this course was Xandra Ibarra, especially during our discussion with her during class. Though I am a big fan of her performance art, I was especially struck by how she explained her work and creative process since it taught me a lot about artistic practice on an intimate level. Specifically, my understanding of her art was predominately enhanced by her focus on art as a raw, personal, and detailed act. I appreciated her honest explanation about performance art as a medium that can energetically charge and drain the artist. Her explanation demonstrated art as an act that is so rich with personal emotion, ideas, experiences, and frustrations. I found her inspiration to be very refreshing and inspiring, since she prioritizes her own complex emotional release and expression.  Though many artists ground their work in solely serving others, Ibarra allows her creative practice to serve herself. I admired her unapologetic artistic inspiration, specifically her desire to act freely without always adhering to external pressure or expectation, whether it is from curators, the public, or other institutions. Our discussion reminded me that an artist is not restrictively tied to any form of projection from others, but must be allowed to openly express internal ideas. Ibarra does not define her work as strictly “Chicanx” or “activist,” but instead defines her work as her own. Though she is an artist who is Chicana and is proud of her identity, she doesn't want her art to be merely reduced to her race. She refuses to let others fetishize her without creating a response or explicitly exposing its injustice. She defends her personal relationship with her own work, which I believe is immensely liberating and profound. Though she does not intend to serve an activist agenda, she still invites her audience to have their own interpretations and draw whatever can benefit their own liberation. Her stance evokes a certain dimensionality that I believe benefits evocative art making and authentic dialogue about art itself. She allows herself to be entirely who she is while also welcoming the larger impact of her work. Though I’ve viewed art as an essentially liberating practice, there is certainly an institutional criteria that is often imposed upon it. However, her art work exposes the illegitimacy of this oppressive limitation, by completely working outside of external assumptions. Ibarra’s radical art form reminded me that art can truly break all barriers in order to relay its message. This was one of the most profound ideas that I learned during this quarter. I am very grateful that I was given the opportunity to speak to her about her life and artistic process.

Week 9: Presentation- Mara Higuera on Sand One

    One presentation that I found very insightful and noteworthy was Mara’s presentation on Sand One. I have seen her paintings all over Los Angeles for many years, so I really appreciated seeing someone take the time to explain the artist and her work. The personal background details provided in the presentation really helped contextualize Sand One’s work and inspiration. I had always wondered how the artist’s work was received by the art community, so I was fascinated by Mara’s explanation about Sand One’s experience with public scrutiny because of her self-taught technique. Personally, I believe her “non-professional” self-taught artistic background lends her more authenticity and notability as a creator. Though her experience was very disappointing to hear, it was not surprising given the fact the Chicana artists (and women in general) are constantly subjugated. I am then compelled to assume that any public criticism actually stemmed from the systemic belittlement of Chicana artists and their potential. Because her subject matter is not centered around the white male experience, it is unfortunately looked down upon, which is why I really appreciated Mara’s celebratory discussion of Sand One's career. Specifically, I was interested in the presentation's feminist reading of her paintings. The illustrated themes, such as daddy issues, gender roles, and “boy troubles”, shed light on personal every-day issues faced by women of color. Through a vulnerable lens, the artist places these issues directly in the face of the viewer, thus calling them to acknowledge the invalidity of discriminatory their gendered construction. Her creative portfolio acts as a radical aesthetic recognition of female-centered experiences that are not talked about enough. As Mara effectively touches on, the artist is very much destabilizing the expectation that women are one-dimensional figures, by artistically declaring that they are complex beings that refuse to fit into a dichotomy. By depicting dolls with complex personalities and characteristics, the artist proclaims that women’s “cuteness” does not negate their empowerment. I loved that the presentation focused on analyzing her art as a declaration that women can be whatever they want to be, both beautiful and strong. I also liked listening to Mara’s discussion about Sand One’s personal artistic practice, specifically her openness to listen to her audience as she creates paintings. It gave greater insight into her collaborative character as an artist and showed that she is always willing to learn. Overall, I think that the presentation did an excellent job at offering rich information about the art and the artist.

Extra Credit: La Revuelta

After witnessing La Revuelta’s performance entitled Manifesto Armado, I was struck by the symbolic power of the cutting imagery. Specifically, I was inspired by the performer’s declaration, “When I cut I move. When I move I grow,” which celebrates the beauty and strength found in releasing pain and overwhelming negativity. This theme is so profound as it identifies the fulfillment in emptying oppressive ideas of credibility. It also suggests that there is greater inclusion to be found through excluding prejudice, shame, and doubt. The sound and force the performers make as they use the knives to figuratively cut oppression is very powerful. The sensory quality of the performance reflects the potential power of this activist method. Another interesting idea was presented during the reflective discussion. They offer the valid argument that an art history written by men is not a true history of art at all, which is notably embedded within the piece. They wish to cut out the feelings and powers that exclude women from resistance and active change-making. The women further the artistic theme of inclusion by committing themselves to inviting and uplifting unheard female voices. Notably, this theme is mirrored within the collective’s official manifesto. Specifically, it inspires the group’s mission to find spaces and dialogue that tell the history of art from a gendered perspective. Therefore, by cutting out masculinist productions of knowledge, they invite a network of female artists to have their voices heard. They refuse to hold onto this patriarchal mode of knowing and shed light on the work of women now, then, and tomorrow. The cutting is then a way of allowing women to freely reach out for each other and offer support. This informed the group's artistic cutting of fruits labeled with feelings such as “culpa” or guilt, thus shedding certain emotional weight and cutting out certain falsehoods so that women can begin to heal personally and communally. Overall, I was in awe of their performance art and its radical upholding of inclusion.

Week 8: Presentation- Lilibeth Chavez on Ruby Chacon

One presentation that I found very insightful and interesting was Lilibeth’s presentation about Ruby Chacon. She provided thorough background information about the artists, which helped contextualize the meaning and intention of her art. This information was relevant and established her mission to honor her family and community. This made the analysis portion of the presentation much easier to comprehend, which I appreciated. Her examination of Chacon’s murals was very detailed, since she looked at precise elements and symbols. For instance, her analysis of “Cihuacoatl and the Golden Rule of Outdoor Murals” valuably noted the depiction of normal people as possessing vibrant potential. The young woman at the forefront of the mural has a luminous light around her, which symbolizes the aureole that the Virgin of Guadalupe radiates in many paintings of her. As Lilibeth effectively notes, this similarity in depiction suggests that any woman can hold the power of hope. She proposes that mankind has profound capabilities and perseverance, without the help of any special right. She celebrates the everyday lives and roles of people, in order to pay homage to their hard work. Lilibeth connects this theme to two other artworks, which presents a more comprehensive interpretation of Chacon’s work. For instance, the chalk painting entitled “Grandpa Cosme Chacon” visualizes a personal homage to her own family, thus underscoring the importance of ancestry and familial legacy. Lilibeth does a great job connecting this image to the Chacon’s interest in honoring regular people whose stories are often excluded. The artist uses their medium to showcase not herself, but other people whose lives or image deserve to be recognized. She uses detail to make the subject’s identity and livelihood more vivid to the viewer, which Lilibeth successfully point to in her presentation. Overall, I think she chose distinct paintings that all related to each other, thus offering a better understanding of Chacon’s focus as an artist. 

Week 7: Claudia Zapata "Chicanx Graphics in the Digital Age"

The essay entitled “Chicana Graphics in the Digital Age,” written by Claudia E. Zapata, honors new technological alternatives to artistic expression, ones that challenge the exclusivity of “fine” art within a white-centered discourse. It inspired, within me, many new interpretations of what defines this artistic mode and its artists. Digital media is not only more accessible to the general public, but also embodies the resilience of the Chicanx community that has continued to adapt, grow, and resist in the face of isolation. I was particularly struck by the way the text portrays digital art as much more than a tool, but also acts as a profound interaction between the art and the deeper representation of their medium. Digital artists not only use the internet or digital programs to create art with more ease, but they also interact with every aspect of technology beyond the web. Technological advancement has introduced a variety of tools that touch the physical and digital (i.e. computer parts, photography, and computer applications). It’s offer of diversity is unprecedented. Zapata brilliantly presents these insightful understandings. I think her discussion of Alma López’s work exemplifies her innovative view of Chicanx graphics. Though I am very familiar with professor López’s work, I had never thought to deeply explore the purely digital aspects of her work. Though digital apps have been used to create images of perfection or ideal within the present, López’s piece entitled Our Lady imagines a reality where Chicana women and queerness are respected for their inherent beauty and autonomy. Out of all of the possibilities that technology can create, Alma López refuses to adhere to images that enforce women’s docility and submission. Instead, she takes this tool, filled with potentiality, and shares an image of open feminine love and empowerment without shame. The digital essence of the piece allowed it to be shown quickly on a wide scale, which is helpful to the extent of its impact. I believe that, though this image garnered controversy, its prevalence was crucial to effecting the minds of a greater audience and vividly revealing the issues highlighted within the digital collage. Its vast viewership exposed horribly sexist opinions that the piece sought to challenge. This may have not been as efficiently achieved within the internet. This is the very element of the digital sphere that cultivates art on a broader level, which has especially strengthened the identity of Chicanx art (i.e. print, posters, and other graphics). 

Week 6: Xandra Ibarra

Upon reviewing the work of Xandra Ibarra, I was fascinated by the way she manipulates symbols of degradation applied against the Chicanx and Latinx community, especially toward women. She presents their vulgarity on full display through her striking performance art. One performance that I was most drawn to was entitled La Tortillera, the second installment in her Spictacle series. Many of the presented symbols address the gendered issue of fetishizing Chicana and Latina women as “exotic” or “spicy”. As Xandra performs under her alias La Chica Boom, she creates an image that bluntly places this salacious social code in the face of the audience. Her dancing in housewife attire appears to reflect the expectation of docility and domesticity among Chicanas and Latinas who are taught to serve the pleasure of men. Additionally, he periodically annoyed or angry facial aggressions suggests that she is aware of the oppressive cycle she is caught in. This is also demonstrated by her foreword glance at the viewer as she momentarily shows displeasure in between her exaggerated smiling. The act of taking off her underwear and placing it into the tortillas also visualizes the fetishized consumption of Brown women’s bodies. The underwear with Mexican flag print further shows the eroticization of the Mexican identity as something that can be consumed or exploited. She literally strips herself of these symbols while simultaneously acknowledging their presence. Lastly, the Tapatio strap-on that she wears explicitly illustrates the sexist trope of Chicana and Latina women whose supposed foreignness makes them more attractive or “spicy” to the white male gaze. I would interested in Xandra’s decision to wear the phallic symbol, since it facilitates her active reclaimation of erotic pleasure and control. Her work then both critique the discriminatory racialized and gendered relations, while also imagining women as capable of experiencing sexual pleasure. Overall, my one question to Xandra would be: What informed your decision to perform under an alias (La Chica Boom) during the Spictacle series? What is the deeper meaning behind the name and identity?

Week 5: Carmen Lomas Garza

Among Carmen Lomas Garza's intimate and vivid depiction of Chicanx cultural memory, I was particularly fascinated by her painting entitled Cakewalk. Personally, I believe this image epitomizes her pursuit of honoring the Chicanx community, both present tradition and future progress. As the children and adults fundraise and connect together, they are not merely celebrating the present, but also ensuring the prosperity of the future generation. The painting is intimate with its distinct variety of people and actions, thus depicting each person with a profound sense of authenticity. The amount of elaborate detail, including the suspension of physical movement and personal interaction, makes this piece appear nearly life-like to the viewer. The mixing of generations during an event seeking to fortify the education of Mexican children reinforces the collaborative and loving essence of community. The precise depiction of each figure also conveys her effort to highlight the complexity of her community. Though they are literally 2-D images, Garza effectively portrays them as much more than superficial characters. They are based on real people who made real decisions, which is shown through they depiction in activity. They are not only actively celebrating in casual fun, but also actively protecting the future of the children in the image.  Another aspect of the image that I enjoyed was the familiarity of the color scheme. As a Chicana woman, the images of yellows and reds reminded me of my home, my grandmother, and my cultural atmosphere (i.e. familiar decorations). The large amount of people (all doing different things) reminded me of every family gathering I went to as a child. Upon first seeing the image, I was in awe of her ability to sincerely illustrate the Mexican culture and the personal feelings often associated with this distinct cultural memory. There is a prosperous and thriving energy to the image that reflects the event portrayed and the Mexican-American culture as a whole. 

Wikipedia Article Draft (Lucila Villaseñor Grijalva)

Lucila Villaseñor Grijalva is a Chicana visual artist who was born in Los Angeles, California. She is most known for her work as a muralist and her involvement in the Mechicano Art Center, which was one of the first Chicanx art collectives in Los Angeles. Though she primarily painted murals, Grijalva also designed posters for the Mechicano Art Center using silkscreen. Her art is inspired by the graffiti culture of gangs in the surrounding area. 

Early Life and Education

She was born in Los Angeles, California and was raised in a Mexican Catholic household. As she grew up in the Maravilla area, a predominately Chicano neighborhood, she maintained a strong connection to her Mexican heritage. She attended Catholic schools for the duration of her K-12 education, including Sacred Heart Highschool in Lincoln Heights. She graduated from high school in 1953 then immediately entered a year-long art apprenticeship with Fred Giglioli, an Italian American artist. She then attended East Los Angeles College and graduated with an associate degree in 1961. Afterwards, she attended the Otis Art Institute, where she met Carlos Almaraz, a well-known Chicano artist during the early Chicano movement. She then transferred to Cal State Fullerton, where she briefly studied sculpting and earned a bachelor's degree. 

Art & Activism in Public Organizations

Her artwork was inspired by gang-affiliated characteristics found in urban graffiti art, especially the inclusion of placas, which are initials or slogans that signify one’s individual identity or association with a certain gang. She took specific interest in learning about the artistic graffiti culture of Little Valley, an East Los Angeles gang. She asked permission to attend their meetings to gain insight and authenticate her inclusion of distinct graffiti elements in her murals. She painted a mural for Little Valley and also completed a mural on one of the first walls in the Mechicano Art Center, which were both inspired by her appreciation of placas. Her affinity for this creative element stems from its ability to honor Chicanx people’s desire to be immortalized after experiences of exclusion. Her work with this style has been compared to that of Willie Herrón and Chaz Bojorquez, who are both well-known Chicano muralists that popularized “cholo-style” graffiti art. Her artistic activism has been greatly associated with her work at the Mechicano Art Center, specifically its Highland Park location, where she displayed her own solo exhibition in 1976. During this time, she collaborated with many popular Chicana artists, including Isabel M. Castro, Sonya Fe, Judithe Hernández, and Susan Saenz. Notably, her visual art sought to educate and connect her community, which she achieved through encouraging creative expression to discourage gang violence and fortify positive self-identity. She also created art for L.A. Xicano, a group of five exhibitions that highlighted the work and impact of Los Angeles visual artists of Mexican-descent. Specifically, Grijalva showed her work at the exhibition entitled Mapping Another L.A.:The Chicano Art Movement, which focused on the urban networks between Chicanx identity, traditional Mexican themes, and modern American style. 

References

1. “Curatorial Strategies on the Art Scene During the Feminist Movement: Los Angeles in the 1970s.” Curating Differently : Feminisms, Exhibitions and Curatorial Spaces, edited by Jessica Sjöholm Skrubbe, Cambridge Scholars Publisher, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucla/detail.action?docID=4535042.

2. “Oral History Interview with Lucila ‘Lucille’ Villaseñor Grijalva”, interview by Denise Lugo, August 8, 2018, transcript, John Spoor Broome Library Institutional Repository, http://hdl.handle.net/10139/5464.

3. Ribera D’Ebre, Rodrigo. “An Urban History: The Influence of Street Gangs in Contemporary Art.” Los Angeles Review of Books, 14 December 2015, http://lareviewofbooks.org/article/an-urban-history-the-influence-of-street-gangs-on-contemporary-art/. Accessed 11 October 2021. 

4. Davalos, Karen Mary. “LOOKING AT THE ARCHIVE: Mechicano Art Center and Goez Art Studios and Gallery.” Chicana/o Remix: Art and Errata Since the Sixties, NYU Press, 2017, pp. 63–96, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1gk090z.8.

5. Noriega, Chon A., Terecita Romo, and Pilar Tompkins Rivas. L.A. Xicano . Los Angeles: UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Press, 2011. Print.

6. https://planning.lacity.org/StaffRpt/InitialRpts/reports/CHC-2020-5211.pdf

Further reading

• Hernandez, Robert. “Mapping Another L.A.: The Chicano Movement”, Museum and Curatorial Studies Review, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2013

• Roberts, Lauren. “‘Mapping Another L.A.’ Traces City’s Chicano Art Movement,” The Daily Bruin, 17 October 2011. 

• Zetterman, Eva. “Claims by Anglo American feminists and Chicanas/os for alternative space: The LA art scene in the political 1970s” American Studies in Scandinavia, 48:1 (2016), pp. 61-83. 

• Fajardo-Hill, Cecilia. “The Invisibility of Latin American Women Artist: Problematizing Art Historical and Curatorial Practices,” Radical Women: Latin American Art, 1960–1985 Digital Archive Hammer Museum, pp. 21-27, https://hammer.ucla.edu/radical-women/essays/the-invisibility-of-latin-american-women-artists. Accessed 22 October 2021.

External links

• https://www.kcet.org/shows/departures/mechicano-art-center

• https://www.kcet.org/arts-culture/two-former-chicano-arts-buildings-approved-as-l-a-historic-cultural-monuments

Week 4: Rasquachismo & Domesticana

    From my understanding of the reading, rasquachismo is a perspective or framework that emphasizes the empowerment in reclaiming aesthetics and elements that are often deemed less respectable or reflective of lower status (especially the Chicano working class). This attitude asserts the validity and attractiveness of these elements in order to deconstruct mainstream (often white upper class) understandings of artistic beauty. This framework both witfully challenges oppressive norms that preemptively disregard the Chicanx experience, and redefines potential modes of aesthetic and historical narration that affirm Chicanx identity. In order words, it takes what has been deemed conventionally unworthy and strategically reinvigorates it with worth. A notable element that is often carefully crafted and/or presented through a rasquachismo attitude is the every-day (symbols and customs), as it is often the target of control and a space of deep emotional memory. The most striking aspect of this attitude is its foundation in innate feeling, playfulness, and deflation of conventionality. It’s a powerful manifestation of satire in a manner that is vibrant, intense, and self-affirming. 

    An example of rasquachismo that I have personally witnessed daily since I was child is the modern installation of gang-affiliated graffiti art and its inclusion of gaudy placas, or markers of identity. Its current-day prevalence stands as a homage to classic graffiti art, and continues to validate desires to preserve legacy and Chicanx identity. Against the subjugation instilled by systemic racial stereotyping, this rasquache artistic expression vividly reclaims identity, honors Chicanx desire for belonging, and establishes pride in community. 

    Domesticana is the feminist implementation of the rasquachismo viewpoint. It maintains a feminist, decolonial lens that looks out not just at race and class, but also specifically gender. It intensely reclaims sites and symbols of gendered oppression. For instance, this framework has been noted as not merely denying spaces of domesticity, but instead reinventing the narration of these spaces in a way that honors the livelihood, memories, and existence. It illuminates symbols and sites such as the home altar and the bedroom in a way that redefines women’s liberation, reevaluates social roles, expands their potential, and renarrates Chicana experiences. 

Maciel, Sarah: Research Abstracts for Lucila Villaseñor Grijalva

“Curatorial Strategies on the Art Scene During the Feminist Movement: Los Angeles in the 1970s.” Curating Differently : Feminisms, Exhibitions and Curatorial Spaces, edited by Jessica Sjöholm Skrubbe, Cambridge Scholars Publisher, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucla/detail.action?docID=4535042.

In this chapter from the book entitled Curating Differently: Feminisms, Exhibitions and Curatorial Spaces, the author investigates the construction of exhibitions and art organizations through alternative methods and feminist frameworks during the 1970s in Los Angeles, particularly those enacted by self-identifying Chicana artists. The source explores the development of feminist art spaces that marked the 1970s art movement, which eventually inspired the Chicana art scene and its focus on intersectional oppression. The text notes the stylistic evolution of this movement, especially its affinity for murals—a reflection of Chicana feminism’s dedication to collaboration, collectivity, and community building. This valuable information contextualizes the formation of Chicanx art centers in Los Angeles, which Lucila Grijalva, as a mural artist, was greatly involved in and supported by. Notably, the chapter confirms Grijalva’s primary involvement in the Mechicano Art Center and the existence of her solo installation at the venue. The text also discusses the history and work of the organization, including its pursuit of community building and creative activism against racism. Ultimately, by detailing the intention of Mechicano Art Center, this resource also simultaneously describes Grijalva's intention as a participating muralist. 

Davalos, Karen Mary. “LOOKING AT THE ARCHIVE: Mechicano Art Center and Goez Art Studios and

Gallery.” Chicana/o Remix: Art and Errata Since the Sixties, NYU Press, 2017, pp. 63–96,

http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1gk090z.8.

In this chapter from a scholarly book entitled Chicana/o Remix: Art and Errata Since the Sixties, written by Karen Mary Davalos, the author discusses the valuable social context in which the Mechicano Art Center was erected. The text explains the organization’s dedication to offering various artistic programs to educate and inspire the Chicanx community by offering a space for creative expression. The broad range of collaboration allowed for greater inclusion of female Chicana artists, including Lucila Villaseñor Grijalva, which Davalos notes was a rarity during the given time and social climate. According to the chapter, the accessibility of the center made art education more available to the community, which notably reflects Grijalva’s proclaimed desire to develop the minds of Chicanx community members in Los Angeles. The chapter details the ambition of the organization that Grijalva worked closely and shared aspirations with. Overall, the text verifies her participation in the Mechicano Center and discusses its social development in detail.

“Oral History Interview with Lucila ‘Lucille’ Villaseñor Grijalva”, interview by Denise Lugo, August 8, 2018, transcript, John Spoor Broome Library Institutional Repository, http://hdl.handle.net/10139/5464. 

In this transcript of an oral interview from the Broome Library Collections, Denise Lugo, the interviewer and a professor at Cal State Channel Islands, investigates the personal and artistic life of artist Lucila Villaseñor Grijalva. The resource provides insight into her familial upbringing, artistic apprenticeship, and education. Specifically, Grijalva speaks about her Catholic yet open-minded Mexican household, her attendance at the Otis Art Institute, and her transition into the public art sphere. The interview mainly discusses Grijalva’s experience working within the Mechicano Art Center, a groundbreaking Chicano Art organization in Los Angeles, including testimonies regarding her creative inspiration and the center’s effect on the community. Notably, she remembers feeling supported and accepted by her fellow artists within the center, including Carlos Almarez, who was a trailblazer of the Mexican-American art movement. Also, Grijalva explains that her involvement was inspired by her desire to help educate the community about art and its activism. She emphasizes her affinity for incorporating and reinventing placas, or gang-affiliated graffiti initials, as a way of empathizing with the social dynamics of the barrio, the desire to be remembered, and the goal of challenging exclusion. Overall, the resource offers an insightful and intimate narration of Grijalva’s life and creative experiences.  

Ribera D’Ebre, Rodrigo. “An Urban History: The Influence of Street Gangs in Contemporary Art.” Los Angeles Review of Books, 14 December 2015, lareviewofbooks.org/article/an-urban-history-the-influence-of-street-gangs-on-contemporary-art/. Accessed 11 October 2021. 

    In this essay from Los Angeles Review of Books, a literary review magazine, Rodrigo Ribera D’Ebre, a published author and director, contextualizes the development of graffiti style within the Chicanx mural movement in Los Angeles and discusses its roots in a long history of gang resistance against systemic oppression. Specifically, the essay details the history of racism and stereotyping against Chicanx peoples, which inspired resistance through art. D’Ebre describes how this exclusion led to the development of distinct characteristics within graffiti art, particularly its inclusion of placas or markers of gang affiliation and other elements of personal identity, which was heavily present in the work of Lucila Villaseñor Grijalva. The writer defines this style as a way of refusing erasure and protecting one’s legacy and identity, since it utilizes symbols that establish and defend one’s existence as a Chicanx person. As the essay explains, these distinct artistic elements were employed by popular Chicanx mural artists, thus demonstrating its prevalence in the movement. Most notably, the writer refers to Grijalva’s artword as a key example of gang-style art, thus depicting her as an exemplary figure in graffiti-style mural building. Overall, this resource serves as an important explanation of this style, which was profoundly relevant to Grijalva’s work within a unique period of the Chicanx art movement.

Week 3: Virgin of Guadalupe

Though I identify as a Chicana woman, my relationship with the Virgin of Guadalupe has always been rather distant yet loving. Her image was always present in the homes of my relatives, so I always perceived her as an omnipresent and observant figure that offered a level of protection or guidance. Still, I very rarely took time to connect with the deeper meaning of this iconic figure. However, interestingly, the origins of my life are very much rooted in the hope that this symbol offers. As I grew older and learned more about my family history, my mother explained to me the comfort that the Virgin of Guadalupe offers, especially to women and mothers. As my mother struggled to have children, she often prayed to the Virgin of Guadalupe for the opportunity to have children, especially in her most somber moments. Throughout a seven-year period of struggle, she often wore a gold pendant of the saint, which she held to her heart in times of fear and doubt. Once I learned of this, I continued my adolescence with an altered perception of the symbol. She became less distant to me and I felt deeper gratitude toward what she represented to my parents, my family, and my culture. Though I still seek to learn more about her background, I understand why the Virgin of Guadalupe is such a prevalent figure. Her symbolic meaning, as an image of maternity, femininity, and love, offers faith and strength to those who lose hope due to hardship. I am grateful for the comfort that this symbol bestowed to my mother. As I walk past images of the Virgin of Guadalupe across many buildings in my neighborhood, I realize that my community looks to her image for hope just as my family did. This figure then not only cultivates personal strength but also fosters solidarity and collective hope in peace, love, and justice. I hope to continue learning how this symbol has continued to fuel pursuits of resistance in the face of fear.

Lucila Villaseńor Grijalva

2. Melissa Depaz

3. Laura Alvarez

Maciel, Sarah

 

Hello everyone! My name is Sarah Maciel and my pronouns are she/her/hers. I am majoring in American Literature & Culture in the UCLA English department. As a Chicana woman, I have always been eager to connect with and learn more about the history, art, and activism of the Chicanx culture. This is what has pulled me towards any courses that shed light of Chicanx voices, which is what brought me to professor López's course entitled "Art on Trial" during the last school year. After that course, I wanted to learn more about specifically Chicana artists, which we had got a glimpse of in the class. I am familiar with many Chicana artworks, but I unfortunately know very little about their origins and the identities of the women who created them. I hope to gain greater insight into the significance of these artists and their creative expression, so I may have a deeper connection to my own culture. I plan to take this knowledge and hopefully apply it to my own research in K-12 education within Los Angeles, which hosts strong Chicanx roots. I want to carry any knowledge that I gain from this course and use it to educate and enrich any students that I connect with in the future.

While reading "Why Have There Been No Great Female Artists", I found Nochlin's insight and analysis about the definition of "great" artists very profound, since she deconstructs the Western mainstream understanding of what "great art" is (or rather how it has been defined). Specifically, I appreciated her argument that gendered classifications of artists are restrictive and confine female artists to definitive boundaries to their success within the limits of the status quo. This system is built to otherize women and place them outside the realm of consideration for artistic "genius". Therefore, the question, as the author suggests, is not questioning the greatness of women, but instead is questioning the validity and fairness of the system. This main point was very inspiring, as it reminds the audience to truly evaluate the conditions in which women have been intentionally placed within a grander hierarchal framework, in order to cultivate real progress in overcoming the gendered and racial struggle.

While reading "Conditions For Producing Chicana Art", I related to Venegas's analysis of the expansive Chicana art movement and its more historical origins, as she accounts for the changing status quo that greatly shifted in the . Similar to her observations, I have personally experienced and witnessed how Chicana women have been stereotyped and expected to act as obedient, domestic, and "pure" servers of Chicano men. This is especially clear within the older generation of the Chicanx community. It is then clear why they have historically experienced subjugation and isolation from artistic recognition. Though this problem has existed and still exists, the writer also recognizes the change made by the evolving Chicanx community as Chicanas continue to envision their lives beyond social expectation. I also give credit to the Chicanx youth that has made strides in promoting inclusion, autonomy, and independence since the 60s. If art can act as a reflection of reality, then it is no wonder that the challenging of social norms and conditions has greatly influenced and ignited the growth in Chicana art after being belittled or ignored for far too long. In 2021, I'm sure growing social revolution will continue to inspire inclusivity and equity in radical artistic ways.

While reading "Where Are The Chicana Printmakers", Venegas's ideas are reflected, as the author details and analyzes the specific effects of a Chicana community that strove to expand creatively beyond a male-centered framework and touch other communities as well. The most interesting aspect of the reading was Barnet-Sanchez's discussion of presence and absence in Chicana art, which comes up through the text. I found her analysis insightful as it exemplifies art as a medium that is much deeper than what is present on the surface. For instance, Lucero's print, though portraying a sense of sisterhood, implies that there is force that is stifling the strength of this connection, through the absence of direct eye contact. It then suggests that Chicana art can do much more than say something, but also call upon the audience to learn and analyze a deeper truth that would then build more empathetic connections to Chicana legacy and gendered issues in the greater Chicanx community.