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     I genuinely enjoyed thus class and loved that it was different from other Chicana/o classes that I have taken. Although the topics were similar, the approach and interpretations were different. The fact that art was incorporated also made it more enjoyable. It also made me realize how much I missed the artistic side of me. When I was younger I was always creating stories or writing doodles and somewhere down the line I stopped doing that, but now I think I will start being more artistic again. What I really enjoyed from this class was researching the artist Laura Aguilar. I am interested in photography and actually was once interested in becoming a photographer but for some reason I went down another path. I am still very much interested in photography and Aguilar is an inspiration. Her photography is about loving one’s body and embracing it and as someone with body image issues, I found her work to be exhilarating. She is a big, brown, beautiful women and I hope to be able to look at myself the same way. It is wonderful to realize that not only do I now know more artists than the first day of class, but I know Chicana artists! This class is on of the most interesting classes I have taken thus far and what I have learned will stick with me.

Thanksgiving

The image I drew is of the table set up before we sat down together. This is my second year spending Thanksgiving with my significant other’s family. This year his younger brother’s girlfriend was also with us. I have been living with my significant other and his family for almost three years now. With my immediate family I am the one who cooks everything for Thanksgiving so it has been nice to have someone else cook for once. Thanksgiving with my significant other’s family is probably the only time that everyone sits at the table together and eats together. I like spending Thanksgiving with my significant other and his family because they are more of a “traditional” nuclear family than my family. So it’s nice to be around a different family dynamic. The reason I drew the table set up is because this is my favorite part about Thanksgiving. I love the food and just having everyone sitting around the table enjoying each others company. This is also why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I look forward to it each year. I hope that in the future my family and my significant other’s family will be coming over to our house and we’ll have one giant Thanksgiving together.

Natalia Anciso

One of the artists presented this week that stood out to me was Natalia Anciso presented by Roxanne Morrison. In general, I love her work and what if focuses on but the one I liked the most is the one with the three officers in full gear pointing a gun at a young boy. This image depicts the militarization of the police force and how innocent of people of color are not safe from them. This is reminiscent of what has happened in the past year in Ferguson and many other cities that have faced unrest due to people of color being targets and the injustice they face. I also chose this because it reminds me of a movie I recently watched in my Latin American Societies class called Burn! In the movie, the native people are treated as if they are all guilty of something. They were innocent people but the dominant forces did not discriminate on who they shot at or imprisoned. This image also reminds me about how people are quick to target a whole group of people with some commonalities even when they are innocent. More specifically, with the Paris attacks in Paris people some people have been quick to blame all Islamic peoples for what some terrorists have carried out. This image for me, not only depicts the militarization of the police force but of how innocent people become targets when they have some commonalities with a certain race, class, religion, etc.

Kathy Vargas

One of the many artists that I found interesting from the past weeks presentations is Kathy Vargas. Some of her images seemed very dark to me but they were about death and love. The image that I have chosen from her work is titled I Was Playing Out My Fantasies When Reality Reared its Ugly Leg #2. Created in 1990-1991, this image is a gelatin silver print with hand-coloring and collage and is 24 x 20 in. This image is a part of a series called Seafood Saints which commodities and consumerism. When speaking of this series, Vargas states “I was forced to a humorous confrontation of my own conspicuous consumership…” (Lippard 18). The top of the image depicts frog legs in a tattered tutu while at the bottom frogs are playing instruments with their hands nailed onto them. There are dollar signs and music notes; Vargas says this represents the modern day reality where we all are victim to the money mania.

This work reminds me of Yolanda Lopez’ work titled Mexican Bag. Like Vargas, Lopez discusses how capitalism and profit are the reality of modern society. For Lopes, tourism has pushed out authenticity in order to profit. Both Lopez and Vargas target capitalism and how money has become more important in modern times.

Carmen Lomas Garza - Peace

In the chapter called “Politics and Life in Tejas: From Tejana to Chicana”, Cortez begins with Garza’s childhood. Garza grew up in Kingsville, Texas where institutional racism greatly affected Mexican Americans in their education, work, and where they lived. When Garza faced discrimination in school, her family provided the support she needed to keep going and she developed a sense of social justice. While in high school, Garza decided to become an artist and ultimately went to Texas A&I University. While there, she joined MAYO and was selected to organize MAYO’s first art exhibition where she was able to exhibit her artwork. One of the images she displayed is called Peace which was made in 1967 on linoleum block print and measuring 9 x 9 inches. The image is of two figures reaching out to a dove with an olive branch while a third person is slowly picking themselves up from the ground. This image is “…a response to domestic and international conflicts, this work celebrates the struggle and determination for peace…” (Cortez 17). It was through images like this that Garza realized she could bring her message to a wider audience. Peace made me feel like not giving up and picking myself up when I am down.

Rosie and Rocky Stencil

The image I chose for my stencil is of my dog Rosie. I printed out a black and white image of her and taped it onto a manila folder then after I cut out the black parts of the image, I used red paint to make her outline appear on my sketchbook. I have had her since she was a puppy and she is now five in people years. Rosie is a dachshund mix, she has glaucoma in her right eye and will most likely get it in her left eye. I call her my fur-baby and treat her like she is a human being. I spoil her a lot and love to dress her up. My main reason for choosing her is that she is a great source of comfort for me. Whenever I have felt sad or angry, her presence calms me down and makes me feel better. I feel like even though she cannot talk to me in my language, she shows me a lot by simply snuggling next to me or licking me. For me, home does not feel like home unless she is there. Rosie is very protective of me and since she is blind in one eye, she tends to bark at strangers a lot.

On the back of my sketchbook I will be adding a stencil of Rocky who is my boyfriend’s and his family’s dog. He is a pug mix who is going to be three in people years. Rosie and I live with my boyfriend and his family back in our hometown Oxnard. Since we are away at school, Rocky takes care of Rosie even though he is younger than her. Rosie has separation anxiety and gets sad when I am gone, but having Rocky makes her more comfortable and happy. Rosie and Rocky are really important to me and I love them more than anything. I personally am more of a four legged creature person than a two legged people person, so that’s why I am incorporating Rosie and Rocky on my sketchbook.

Laura Alvarez

The image I chose from Laura Alvarez’s work is the one titled Blow Up the Hard Drive. It is an 18” x 26” limited edition silkscreen that she finished in 1999. I chose this image because it depicts the maid in her attire and shows her sneaking onto the computer. She is also about to blow up the hard drive which conveys that she may look like a maid, but her life is full of action and excitement. Alvarez’s work really resonates with me because when I was younger I wanted to be a spy. Being an ordinary person who blends in, I felt that it would be easy for me to be a spy since no one would suspect me. This is similar to Alvarez’s work in that no one expects a maid to have a secret life. I also admire her work because I interpret it as not judging people as you see them. In this image, you see an ordinary maid until you realize that she is about to blow up the hard drive and now you realize that she is anything but ordinary. This is why I wanted to be a spy when I was younger, to show that I may look “ordinary” but there is more to me than what you and that is why I love Alvarez’s work.