Final Post

I had such an amazing time in this course. I never realized the amount of Chicana artist that are out there. Before this class I only ever knew of Frida, but then I didn't know what defined a Chicana artist prior to this class. I really enjoyed the discussion we had. It was very interesting to hear so many different perspectives on each of the topics we talked about. When sign up for this course I was not expecting all the hands on work that we had to do I thought it was going to be more of a history aspect so when I heard about the art project I felt kind of in different toward it because I had never drawn prior to this course. Once I actually started my book I still felt somewhat resistant towards it, but then when I got more into it, it became a stress reliever a way in which I forgot about everything for a little while, it became my therapy. I am truly grateful I got the opportunity to have taken this class.

Week 9

In the article we read "¿ Donde Estan Las Grabadistas Chicanas?" by Holly Barnet-Sanchez we read about how this Chicana women print makers, these artist have given themselves agency. Sanchez continues to write about how these artist have used imagery to reflect on the struggles against, racism, classism, sexism, basically anything against the invisible they have to face because of this Sanchez made me immediately think about Barbara Carrasco. Carrasco has an image titled "Pregnant Women in a Ball of Yarn", I feel like this image embodies exactly what Sanchez was talking about when the she write about giving women agency. Carrasco's print shows how Chicana women are viewed within the Chicano community if they become pregnant out of wedlock or at a young age. She is able to express the restrictions women have to their sexuality, to their voice. Women within the Chicano community are expected to take on the obligations of the family therefore becoming pregnant out of wedlock is frowned down upon. Carrasco is able to show within this image the disparities these women have to face and that's why I believe she correlates with Sacnchez's article.

Carmen Lomas Garza

Carmen Lomas Garza's painting Quinceañera portrays the traditional Mexican event of turning fifteen. She is able to show how it is possible to have a traditional event in a busy city. You can see the culture very strongly through this image. I love how she incorporate the low rider into the image because low riders are usually associated by the media as being gang affiliated and not family orientated at all , but Garza is able to show low riders as a part of a culture in a peaceful aspect because she shows the low rider as a part of family since the actual Quinceanera is getting dropped off by the vehicle. I also love her incorporation of the children because it reminds me of when I was a child at my family parties when my cousins and I would run around being mischievous. The way she has the individuals outside of the church all involved in different conversations or interactions reminds me of how we can all be in one place attending the same thing, but yet we are able to make such different connections. This image makes me miss being a child and attending those big family events.

Week 7, Letter to a artist

Dear Laura Aguilar,

My name is Natalie Del Cid and I had a couple of questions and comments for you. I was wondering how is it that you were able to deal with the issues of depression and still have the courage to continue on working because I happen suffer from depression myself and I happen to have days were I find it hard to do anything and the fact that you have been able to make such beautiful art yet have to deal with such a dark issue. Is there a specific routine you do in order to get inspired? I love how you use nature as one of your healing methods because I feel that when I am outdoors camping or running is when I can actually be at peace with myself. The fact that you embrace your body and are comfortable within your own skin is inspiring because I know so many women that deal with insecurities because their bodies have been the sources of prejudice, stigma, and hardship. I want to thank you for having the courage to do what you do and I really hope you continue to make beautiful art because you are truly an inspiration. 

Week 6 classmate commentary ( Lucero Duran- The Human Body)

For this weeks blog I choose to talk about Luceros' post "The Human Body: Isis Rodriguez and Laura Aguilar". I love how Lucero was able to expose the similarities of Laura Aguilar and Isis Rodriguez have and the way they both used the female body. I agree with Lucero nude figures are still frowned upon our society. We could see a male walking around all day without a shirt and it be completely normal yet if we see a women without a shirt for example, breast feeding her child it happens to be the end of the world or like Lucero said if "a female wears a sports bra or a bikini top she is labeled as promiscuous". It's not that women want to be walking around topless, but it would be nice you just have the right to do it just as how men have the right. I like how Lucero breaks down Isis art and talks the double standards when she writes about how the one in power at a strip club is typically a man and the victim usually being the female therefore Isis is illustrating the inequality within genders. 

I also liked how Lucero broke down Laura Aguilar. It is true Laura does not use her body to advocate sexuality, but instead she use her body to advocate comfort within once skin no matter what, even if your not what society deems to be "sexy" because no matter what you should be comfortable in your skin because you are sexy and beautiful.

Week 5

I was really taken by the art work of Laura Aguilar. It is really fascinating and inspirational how she is a self-taught photographer. I love how through her artwork she wants to give awareness that the ideal body of a women does not have to be a skinny, that the female body can be on the heavy side and still be just as beautiful. She makes me think about how we should not take into account the ideologies that the media has brainwashed us with toward what the perfect women is because we are all beautiful no matter our appearance is. What makes Laura even more inspirational is that even with the challenges she has faced in her life she had a determination to make amazing art ( which she did) and with it also found an outlet as well. My favorite pieces that she has are the outdoor black and white ones because I find it beautiful how at least for me she is able to convey the beauty of humanity within nature, that we are all as one. She is a beautiful human and I am grateful that I was introduced to her art, I hope that I can have the opportunity to see more of her artwork.

Margarita Cabrera

The artist I picked that was presented this week was Margarita Cabrera. I chose Margarita because I thought her pieces were very unique and innovative. I really admire the cause that she stands for. It was very witty of her to use an actual uniform of border patrol officer to make a nopal because not only did she use a plant that is identified with Mexican culture, but to make it even more significant she used a uniform of a border patrol officer, the very thing besides the fence that stands in the way of immigrants getting into the country. The other piece of hers that stood out for me was the Hummer made out of vinyl in order to show how the military is so integrated into American culture to the point that we even see owing a military vehicles as luxurious and as a prestige. The other piece that stood out for me was the piece in were the used confiscated border patrol guns as material and how they were pounded down. That to me shows that even though we can be seen a minuscule to them we can take their materials and pound them to something even more minuscule and powerless.

Stencil, Week 3

The symbol I choose as my stencil was the equality sign, which is used to signify exactly was the equal sign means equality. The equality sign is used primary by the LGBT community to show that we all deserve equal rights. The reason I decided to go with this image was that I myself am a member of the LGBT community and I myself have suffered through the misfortune of neing treat as “less than”, treated unequal whether it has been from someone close to me or a stranger. The biggest reason this image means so much to me is that when I in high school going through a very though period of insecurities with my sexuality and fearing to come out I happened to come a come across this image when my best friend and I went to our very first pride. Coming across the equality both gave me a sense of security that there were people out there looking out for me and not judging me for being ME. As I got older I started to see the symbol more and more especially on people’s cars and that gave me such a sense of happiness to know that whether people were gay or straight they were still proud of rocking the symbol, but not only that actually believing in what the symbol stands for. This symbol has followed me into me adult life ultimately leading me to my major. I want to fight for our equal rights that we all deserve and I wish that one day we can wake up and have being homosexual be part of the norm, even if it isn’t in my lifetime I want to help it move forward, we have come so far already in the past few years.  

Del Cid, Natalie

La Virgen de Guadalupe

Growing up I was raised by a very religious Catholic mother who firmly believes in what the Virgin of Guadalupe stands for. My mother would always tell me to pray to her if I felt lost or need help, that she would be there to protect me and I would do so. As to what she meant to me as a child was a protector; a savior, but at the same time you cannot be certain of anything we you are young especially for you have been mold to think in a certain way. Now as to what she means to me as an adult I cannot really put into words because I am not a very religious person so I do not really think about what she means to me anymore, but I do believe in a higher power just not in a bible. Sometimes I ask myself if I would still be a believer is I wasn’t socialized to be one. When I saw the ways these female artist from CARA depicted La Virgen, the images really spoke to me because this was the first that I actually saw images like these and I really took them in with an understanding that it was not a disrespectful way to portray her in these versions, but instead a way to see Chicana women outside of the mold, the “pedestal” that we are expected to be in because of iconism/expectations La Virgen represent for the women of Latin communities. The feminist interpretations made me feel proud that there are Chicana women out there willing to question the mold we are put into. 

Del Cid, Natalie

Hello everyone! My name is Natalie Del Cid. I am a third year transfer student from Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga. My major is Social Anthropology with a minor in Chicano Studies. After reading “Out of the House, the Halo, and the Whore’s Mask: The Mirror of Malinchismo”, there were a couple questions that came to mind. Why is that as women we have to fight against each other instead of trying empower one another? This question arose for me because you have third world feminest accusing white feminists of gender bais and inherent racism. Is the cause not fighting for women’s equality? Another question that I have involves Amalia Mesa-Bains piece of Las Tres Marias because of the how the image is dipicts males as the “saviors” and the women as cleaning up the mess in order to show the patriarchal traits of machismo. My question being as a society now would we be able to depict the message that this image is giving us or would we see past it? My third question is based off the “There’s No Place Like Aztlán",
reading. Is it possible for us to get lost in a mythical story because we feel lost with our identities? Since the United States has inhabitants of various cultures, many things can get lost in translation when individuals experience dual cultures.

I have picked Barbara Carrasco for my presentation