Morfin, Yessica (Week 10 Reflection)

I came into the class knowing extremely little about Chicanx artists, but I’ll be leaving with the knowledge of so many! This class was refreshing because although I don’t consider myself to be artistic or to know much about art, I was so tired of learning about white men artists. I was so over it. To know that there are so many Chicanx artists is empowering and refreshing. One of my favorite artists that I learned about has to be Yolanda López. I was instantly drawn in to her work and asked myself how I didn’t know about her beforehand. I was sad when I found out she recently passed away and that normally you (Prof.) have her as a guest speaker. It would have been amazing to be able to hear from her firsthand and listen to her stories and her experiences. I really want to see the exhibition of her work at the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego before it closes in April of next year (2022).

It’s hard for me to get “into” art, but I was drawn to Yolanda López’s work. Her activism is partly why her work speaks out to me, but also the colors she uses and her way of styling her pieces. I really enjoyed how she’d put not only herself but her mother and her grandmother in a mandorla (I think that’s what it’s called). All her images are so powerful and radiate strength and break stereotypes and barriers. She truly was (still is!) an icon. I’m thankful for this class because it introduced me to Yolanda López. I’ll try to keep an eye out for more Chicanx artists.

Morfin, Yessica (Week 9)

All the presentations were so wonderful and informative. The one that stood out to me was Sand One by Mara. I think Sand one stood out because I’ve actually seen some of her work around Inglewood. One day when driving around with my boyfriend, we came across one of Sand One’s paintings and that’s when my boyfriend introduced me to her work and he told me she’s a local artist who does “sick” doll paintings. When driving around Los Angeles I always make sure to keep an eye out for one of her dolls.

I enjoyed learning about her backstory and how she’s proving people wrong that she isn’t dumb just because she didn’t go to college. She’s smart and extremely artistic. I enjoyed learning that every doll has a backstory and that the dolls are those underrepresented, such as single mothers, and they make a stand against racism and classism. I found the teddy bear addition interesting because the teddy bears represent the idea that “boys are toys” and she doesn’t paint men in her at. I really liked hearing that Sand One genuinely enjoys and welcomes feedback from her fans and that she asks for input from them in order to help build a sense of community.

It was sad to hear that a piece of her art was stolen by a man, but I was glad to hear that a fan helped her get it back. I thought that was powerful.

Morfin, Yessica (Week 8)

I was interested in Armando Perez’s presentation on Brenda Barrios. I was instantly drawn to the images and intrigued by what fellow classmate Armando had to say about the artist. The three images he showed were all amazing. I particularly liked the essential worker’s piece with farmers in the field and the fire in the background. That piece is powerful and speaks volumes. The workers are working in an obvious hazardous environment, yet are still working and aren’t receiving any hazard pay because that is what is expected of them. Essential workers need to be treated as essential instead of just being labeled as essential.

The images are really bringing attention to what’s currently going on and how people are being marginalized even during a pandemic. People of color are the ones who do the essential work, yet don’t get treated as essential. The image “Medicare For All” stuck out in its simplicity, medicare should be made accessible to all. A lot of essential workers don’t have access to healthcare, which is a shame because they’re the ones doing the nitty-gritty work making sure everything is in motion. The activism in the piece is prevalent and the message it’s telling people needs to be heard.

Armando’s presentation was very insightful and informative. He did a really good job sharing information and showing the class why he chose that artist and the images he chose to present were all very powerful.

Morfin, Yessica (Week 7)

In Claudia Zapata’s “Chicanx Graphics in the Digital Age,” she talks about the advantages that digital media has when it comes to art activism. Something that stood out to me was when she quoted Carol Wells and said that stuff will still need to be printed regardless of how hi-tech the times are. Her point was that in order to protest, people will need signs and with digital media you can’t have signs unless you print them. In this case, digital media works hand in hand with analog media. Both forms work together for political resistance. I thought this was interesting because no matter how advanced technology will be, things will still need to be printed. The benefits of digital media are that more creative posters/signs can be created and be massed produced with technology, as opposed to hand painting/drawing one poster at a time.

Another thing that caught my eye was Julio Salgado and how he used digital media, blogs, in particular, to reach out to undocuqueers and ask for their stories. Being able to put something online and have other people around the world see it is just so fascinating. Digital media is allowing voices to be heard, it’s allowing people to realize that they’re not alone in their struggle and that there are communities to help them. Julio Salgado also realized that producing street art put those who were undocumented at a higher risk of exposure, so he turned to digital media to allow more individuals to post freely, even anonymously if they chose to. It’s amazing what digital media can do for people.

Morfin, Yessica (Week 6)

To say the least, I was surprised when I looked through Xandra Ibarra’s website and saw her art pieces. Definitely not something I’ve seen before. A piece that stood out to me was “Turn Around Sidepiece (2018)” because of the distinction she said about naked bodies and nude bodies. It’s not something talked about much, but I have noticed that “nude” has always been more acceptable than “naked” and I believe it’s because someone nude is perceived as artistic, but someone naked is perceived as vulgar and sexual. I looked up the artists she mentioned and saw what she meant by them putting them to the side. Interesting how those artists can have nude bodies and it’s perceived as art, but when a female artist or artist of color (or both) does it, then it’s suddenly shocking and not considered art.

Ibarra definitely doesn’t shy away when it comes to art and it takes a lot of strength to do what she’s doing. She’s challenging standards for what is considered to be “acceptable art.”

A question I would ask her would be,

Did you ever second guess an artistic choice? If so, why?

Morfin, Yessica (Week 5)

There were so many relatable pieces done by Lomas Garza, but one that called out to me the most was Sandia/Watermelon (1986). I think that one, in particular, stuck out the most because I can recall a lot of happy childhood memories. It was always a thing that whenever my parents, most often my dad, would “partir” the watermelon, they would yell “que ya está la sandia” and my siblings and I would go to the kitchen to grab a slice. Something about watermelon that would bring the house together. The same thing would happen when we’d visit family for whatever reason. My dad always liked to take a watermelon whenever we’d visit mis tíos/as. When it was time to cut it, someone would always yell that it’s ready.

The boy sitting on the steps eating a slice while having another one in his hand is something I’ve done too. And the little girl taking a slice to the grandmother is something I see in my family as well. The family together around having watermelon is very relatable to me and my family.

With Lomas Garza’s Sandia piece, it brought me joy that this experience was and is a shared experience that many people and families go through. Something so simple as watermelon is enjoyed as a family. It’s so pure and innocent, it’s watermelon, but at the same time, it’s not just watermelon. To me, the watermelon can be seen as a tool that brings the family together. For it being just a piece of fruit, it does more than satisfy a craving.

Morfin, Yessica (Week 4)

Rasquachismo can be defined as unclassy. It’s the “lower-class” perspective and it’s not mainstream. When it comes to art, rasquachismo means reusing things instead of throwing things away. What stuck out to me was the idea of “haciendo las cosas rendir” because I heard that a lot growing up. My parents were big on making this lasts and not letting things go to waste and I still practice that today. Instead of buying rags to clean with, my parents would use old t-shirts that were torn up and were going to be discarded. They found a new use for something. Instead of throwing away empty yogurt containers or empty salsa containers, my mom would reuse them to store leftover food or freshly made salsa. It’s about doing what you can with what you have. Quite efficient if you ask me.

Art, along with other forms of entertainment, can be very elitist. The stuff that’s “good” is usually stuff enjoyed by higher class people that are not typically accessible to the working/lower class. It’s like how opera and ballet are considered classy and respectable, but rock and hip-hop aren’t. Rasquachismo seems like the way to go because it’s more environmentally friendly and the fact that someone was able to make something out of unrelated, used materials is amazing.

Instead of buying plant saucers to collect water, I reuse the metal lid from my tampon bin and use it as a saucer. It’s not quite rasquachismo, but I am making do with what I have.

Morfin, Yessica (Amina Cruz Abstracts)

“Meet Amina Cruz: Photographer.” SHOUTOUT LA, 4 Jan. 2021, https://shoutoutla.com/meet-amina-cruz-photographer/. 

Shout Out LA highlights local artists, businesses, entrepreneurs, and anything that makes up the local community. They’re part of VoyageLA which is a magazine about getting to know LA through a community lens. The magazine focuses on authenticity and helps push people’s stories out to the public. This issue is a conversation they had with the artist, Amina Cruz.

Boshier Rosa. “‘We Paid For This Town’: The Legacy of Chicanx Punk in LA.” Hyperallergic, 3 August 2020. https://hyperallergic.com/579836/we-paid-for-this-town-the-legacy-of-chicanx-punk-in-la/

Hyperallergic is an online platform dedicated to showcasing radical art as well as playful art. They go beyond the surface and delve into real issues that aren’t usually displayed in mainstream media. They don’t just focus on art, they focus on culture as well and on a global aspect.

Morfin, Yessica (Week 3)

 As a Chicana who grew up Catholic, I’m familiar with La Virgen de Guadalupe. Growing up, my parents had an image of her in almost every room, the same goes for my tias and tios. As I grew older, I realized that religion plays a significant role in culture. We’d attend events dedicated to La Virgen honoring her and thanking her. The church my family would go to would have plays followed by danzas and a parade with floats all in honor of La Virgen. My mom would make us attend a parade in Oakland almost every year and we’d walk for miles and hours until we all reached the Diocese of Oakland where a mass and ceremony followed. All in honor of La Virgen. 

I didn’t like being forced into attending events, but the food vendors who’d be at the events made it bearable. To this day, my family still honors La Virgen and they have an image of her everywhere they go. My parents don’t like that I don’t have a framed picture of her in my room since I moved out. I do, however, have a necklace of her that I wear all the time that my godparents gave me on the day of my quince. I wear it because it brings me comfort, not necessarily because I worship her, but because it’s what I know and it reminds me of my parents and helps me feel closer to them.

I’m still unsure about what exactly my relationship with La Virgen is, but I do know that she does have a place in my heart because I can’t just erase that part of my childhood. I’d like to explore more, but maybe in the future.

Sand One

 2. Cruz, Amina

3. Kathy Gallegos

Morfin, Yessica

 Hello! My name is Yessica Morfin and my pronouns are she/her/hers. I'm a returning transfer student majoring in gender studies. Being raised in a Mexican household definitely made me question gender dynamics and why things are done a certain way. I tried to fight the machismo going on as much as I could, and I still am fighting it, but unfortunately, it's not as easy as having a simple conversation with my tias/tios. It's a mindset that they grew up with and their parents grew up with and their parents and so on. It's a tough road. I hope with this class I'll be able to learn about how Chicana/x Latina/x artists used art as their voice to fight for rights. 

I think it's amazing how a piece of art can spark a fire in so many others that feel like they don't have a voice. I want to learn about Chicanx/Latinx artists and how their art was able to help so many others and fight the injustices they saw around them.

Like many of you, I did not learn about Chicanx/Latinx artists growing up. The public education system chose not to teach us about them, so now it's our turn to teach ourselves.