Week 10: Final Post

When signing up for courses, I found the course name interesting which led me to enroll. However, once I saw the syllabus, I almost dropped the class. I was afraid of having to draw since I have never been very good at drawing nor had I really drawn anything for school since middle school, over ten years ago. 

I found the beginning of class very interesting, especially when discussing La Virgen de Guadalupe. Aside from a brief lesson during my Mexican history class, I had never really learned about her as I did not grow up in a religious environment. From the images we saw of hers in class, my favorites are “Our Lady” and “Lupe y Sirena.” When we saw them in class, I immediately became fascinated with them and showed a few friends, although to my naïve surprise, not all of them found them very tasteful. I went on google and searched for more Virgen de Guadalupe art and ended up finding some I really liked. Some that stood out to me from my google search were “Goddess” by Alfred J. Quiroz and “Pray for our Sinners” by Elrod among others. I also enjoyed learning about La Malinche and La Llorona through a different perspective. Normally, they are made out to be villains, but there's a lot more to them than the myths and folk stories our friends and family members told us growing up. 

Once we began using our sketchbooks, the fear of drawing left me. Although life outside of class is hectic, drawing in class became a stress-reliever. It really helped me clear my mind. Surprisingly, my drawing skills improved, I learned new techniques, and learned a lot about the artists presented in class. I plan on doing some sort of artwork during winter break. I can't wait. These artists not only influenced me in the “art” section of class, but their ideas have also impacted me such as those of Delilah Montoya, Isis Rodriguez, and others. I’m really going to miss this class.  

Week 9: Family Drawing a la Carmen Lomas Garza

For my a la Carmen Lomas Garza image, I drew my family surrounding the kitchen table about to eat cake. I decided to draw this image because it means a lot to me since this scene occurs every time one of us celebrates a birthday. My two siblings, my mother, my father, and I all surround the table while the birthday person blows the candles and cuts the cake. I decided to even include our pets, Jack and Pecas, because they are part of the family too. Occasionally, one or two of us will have guests, and they too, will crowd in the kitchen to celebrate. My parent’s kitchen is very small, but we don’t mind. We all enjoy each other’s company and crowd in the kitchen.

I tried to draw the little things on the wall off of memory, but surprisingly, I couldn’t remember all the little knick-knacks my mom has hanging. I was only able to remember a calendar they got from a bakery and two birds they have hanging. Interestingly, I never realized how many colorful things my parents have in their kitchen. Since I only have the twelve color-pencil set, I felt limited even though I tried mixing the colors. I tried to draw the funky chairs they own, but those were hard to draw. I also had a hard time drawing the people from a side view, which is why I ended up covering my dad’s face with a present. Although drawing this image was difficult compared to drawing hands, it was enjoyable. I found it relaxing and enjoyable because since I don’t live with my parents, I was able to relive those memories through the drawing.

Week 8: Presentations / Isis Rodriguez

Isis Rodriguez’ Be All That You Can Be caught my attention because of the colorful imagery and the message conveyed. Isis Rodriguez was a stripper for years, so some of her artwork is a representation of how she saw and continues to see the world.

As Rodriguez explains, she parodied a military ad because it shows how women always have to defend themselves against unwanted advances, cat calls, etc. For instance, many times men catcall women, whistle at women simply because they find them good looking, but never really taking into consideration that they are real people with real feelings and emotions. Moreover, Rodriguez states that sometimes women experiment with their identity for protection such as wearing baggy clothes to hide their sexuality, yet they have to find an identity that gives them respect and honor. Reflecting on women’s history, Rodriguez acknowledges that women still need to be defended – and they’re the ones who know exactly how it needs to be done.

The more I looked at this image, I feel it is also depicting the war on women going on in America. The $100 bill in the background may represent the pay gap and the different clothes the women are wearing may represent the way women are chastised by the clothes they wear. In addition, one of the ladies has what appears to be a wine glass while others are dressed (as some would describe) provocatively. This illustrates the rape culture in America because women are often blamed for sexual assault for having a drink or the way they dress taking away responsibility from the men.

Noche de Altares [Extra Credit/Make Up Post]

I attended a Dia De Los Muertos event in Santa Ana, CA this past Saturday, November 7 called Noche de Altares. I was debating if I should post about my visit to this event because I only took one photograph. However, I really want to share the photograph I took because the altar really moved me.

Dey's altar, part of Orange County Immigrant Youth United

I decided to go at the very last minute because my sister persuaded me to go see the altar her friend Dey created. When I saw it, I immediately thought of Delilah Montoya because of her Sed: The Trail of Thirst installation we had just seen the week before during class presentations and of my family’s experiences. I couldn’t help but feel saddened and humbled when I saw her altar. I feel migrants become dehumanized by people when terms such as illegal, alien, and other labels are used. Seeing Dey’s altar humbled me because it is easy to forget this is not only a political/policy issue, but also a human rights issue because people risk their lives and some die coming to America.

Deliah Montoya's Sed: Trail of Thirst

Seeing the other altars was also interesting because people honor those who have passed away in very different, creative ways. I saw an altar that had beer, candy, and hot Cheetos incorporated because the people being honored enjoyed those items.

Another altar that really caught my attention was one dedicated to Selena Quintanilla, the Queen of Tejano music. I enjoy listening to her music, but I never considered creating an altar for someone other than close relatives and or friends. The more I thought about, I realized her music changes people and maybe the creator was really impacted by her music. I decided to do a quick Google search and came across this Buzzfeed list of reasons why she inspires people, so I thought I'd share it for those who aren't familiar with her HERE. I included photographs that my sister’s friend took of the altar dedicated to her.

Week 7: Presentations / Delilah Montoya

One of the images from last week’s presentations was the Trail of Thirst by Delilah Montoya. Upon research, I found out that Sed: The Trail of Thirst was an instillation in which she collaborated with Orlando Lara. The installation brought to light issues that migrants face along the United States and Mexico border, specifically the Arizona Sonora desert. Moreover, it emphasizes the thirst for water that the migrants experience although the installation also includes objects left behind by the migrants such as identification cards, mismatched shoes, religious items, and more. According to the artist’s statement, the installation “honors the courage of the migrant experience and those who have sought to provide the migrants with aid by establishing the controversial mini-oases scattered throughout the region.”

I found this image/installation interesting because it really resonated with me due to my family’s experiences. Both of my parents crossed the border on two different occasions over twenty years ago. As much as it pains me to hear their stories, I also love listening to them. Their stories keep me grounded and aware of the sacrifices people make for themselves and their families. I feel listening to their narratives about crossing the border is so important to me because each time we talk about it, a new detail comes up, or a new memory that I haven’t heard before. It is because of them that my siblings and I…are.

Week 6: Carmen Lomas Garza

One of Carmen Lomas Garza’s visual response to the Quincentenary of when Europeans first reached the Americas was Homenaje a Tenochtitlan: An Installation for the Day of the Dead (Homage to Ancient Mexico City and Doña Marina, “La Malinche”) which was a three-part installation. Cortez states the third part of the installation, altar to Malinche, was 14 x 20 x 20 feet and was created in 1992 out of paper cutouts, acrylic on paper and cloth, copper, gold leaf, wood, feathers, vegetables, flowers and water. Garza dedicated this piece to Malinche, her grandmother, and two friends. It was created to reference the conquest, the reputation Malinche receives, and how those in contemporary times still experience similarities. Garza credits Malinche for being a mediator, but acknowledges the downside by explaining, “I as a Chicana – and a lot of Chicanas – see ourselves in certain ways as Malinches, in that we are the liaisons between two groups of people…we’re seen as traitors because that’s how La Malinche was seen” (76). Moreover, Garza included the photographs of her grandmother and two friends to represent people who taught her values such as caring and loving others as well as the community. 

Blog Week 5: Ring Stencil

I chose to do a wedding/engagement ring stencil for the cover of my book. I decided to do a ring because it has been a symbol of eternal love, never-ending friendship, and commitment to my husband. I did not realize creating a stencil required so much planning, for example, deciding where the bridges and rivers would be placed.

Out of all the symbols to represent our relationship, I chose a ring because it has been something I have loved, yet, have had confused feelings about in the past, and even now sometimes. First and foremost, the ring represents the day my partner proposed and we decided we were getting married. It symbolized and continues to symbolize our love, commitment to one another, and the challenges we would/will face. I mentioned sometimes I have confused feelings about the ring because although it is an important symbol between us, I have experienced moments were I realize people still have more traditional views of marriage and what a wife should be. For instance, there have been times when people ask me “is he okay with that?” People who know us both introduce me as “his wife” and other comments I can’t help but feel are micro-aggressions, whether the people saying them realize it or not. I sometimes take the ring off, but I continue to wear it most of the time. Ultimately, it is a symbol between us and us only.