The image that I created was similar to the one Carmen Lomas Garza did of her father. In her image her father is cutting into the watermelon. This image was part of a bigger picture where the family is waiting on the porch ready to have a slice. My image resembles this and I have drawn a turkey. The hand in this image belongs to my grandmother. She is the one who cooked this year’s meal. Sadly, I was not able to sit with my family at the dinner table. I was stuck at work with the chaotic shoppers. My grandmother started cooking the turkey early so that was the only thing I was able to enjoy. She prepared two. One of them was going to be cut into slices and the other was going to be cut into whole parts such as the leg.  I was able to see her prepare the turkey and everyone else was working in the morning. I did not help her instead I observed. This image has a Garza inspiration because she liked when her father cut the watermelon. Just like her, I like when my grandma is in charge of cooking. The previous year my siblings and I were in charge and my sister ruined it. She throughout all of the juice and we had a dry turkey.
*My image will look different when I start to add color*
     

The image that stood out to me this week was created by the artist Natalia Anciso. What I liked about her is that she draws her images representing real life events that are going on around her. She draws recalling on memory. She grew up near the border land. She remembers living near the Rio Grande that is filled with violence and poverty. She has a lot of knowledge about the Mexican Drug war. Most of her images are drawn using a pen. The title of the artwork that I liked is called Don’t Shoot. It was drawn in 2014. It was created using ink, graphite, and watercolor on paper. The image is 15 inches by nineteen inches. What you see is a boy raising his hands as three officers are targeting him ready to shoot. Underneath there is writing that reads “Police line do not cross.” I interpreted this image as cops abusing their power. The child looks like he is ten years old. The officers do not care and are ready to kill him if necessary. There are other images in her collection that demonstrate the violence occurring during her childhood.  Another interesting image is the one where there is a dead man hanging. There are colorful flowers above him that are bright and colorful. Like the presenter interpreted it, it might symbolize heaven or a beautiful place. 

Week 7

      The artist that stood out to me was the artist named Marion C. Martinez. The canvas she uses is unique. As explained by our classmate, this artist helps reduce the carbon footprint. She recycles old computers and other devices that contain breadboards. This is what I liked. This made me think of my electrical engineering class in high school. It was difficult to program the breadboard to display my birthday. After I completed the project I tossed it away. To think that there is someone who finds a value in what one individual might consider trash is incredible. The image presented is La Virgen de Guadalupe. We have spent a lot of time discussing this important icon. Many artists invoke their own feelings when drawing this icon. I like how the artist used the actual breadboard wiring to represent the robe La Virgen de Guadalupe wears. It looks like the artist soldered the heart on this circuit. One thing that is different from the classic image is that in this image the hands are a darker shade of brown. The pigmentation on the face is a lighter brown. This shows a similarity between Martinez and other Chicana artists. Chicana artists had symbolism to their own images based on their personal beliefs with this icon. Perhaps the different shade of brown has a hidden message in this particular image.

  One of the images that I liked from the book was the image where the family is gathered in the porch enjoying a piece of watermelon. This picture reminded me of my childhood. Whenever we went to my grandmother’s house we liked to sit in the porch during the hot summers. My grandfather has grown his own fruits and vegetables for as long as I can remember. So, we would help him water the garden and pull out the weeds.  Then, he would reward us by having us choose what fruit we wanted to enjoy.  I would always choose a watermelon because they were always sweet and juicy. Then, we would all gather in the front porch and wait for my grandfather to cut the fruit. This image has a similar setting. The family is depicted doing a family activity.  The children and adults are enjoying the healthy snack. On the right hand side of the image there is a young boy who is walking toward what seems to be the grandmother and is handing her a piece of watermelon. It seems like this image represents a hot summer night in Texas. The women are wearing dresses and the children are wearing shorts. 

For my cover I chose to do Mickey and Minnie Mouse about to kiss and a heart with other four other hearts on the side, I wanted to draw something that represented the Disney idea in general. Growing up I would go to Disneyland a lot because we were annual pass holders. From Disney the main theme I got was to love others. My mother would work hard so that we could spend family time at " the happiest place on Earth." The five hearts shown represent my four siblings and I. The two main characters represent our mother and father. They shaped us to be caring and tolerant individuals. Family has always being an important concept for us. We are encouraged to love and support each other even when times get hard.
Although I am college I still like going to Disneyland because it reminds of happy times. When I was young, I did not have to worry about having a lot of homework  or having less time to sleep. Whenever I feel stressed if I cannot make a trip to the theme park, Disney movies comfort me. The memories pour in and my mood changes. Being in college made me see the importance of having a strong bond with family. Just talking to them on the phone can reassure me that I can do anything I set my mind to.

Laura Alvarez made me change the way I view a domestic worker. I like how she communicated that the character has evolved throughout time. As she presented and people began to ask questions I felt like she was thinking as she spoke. This allowed me to focus more on the presentation. The reason is because just by looking at the image all you can see is the colors and figures. But, she wants people to think more critically when looking at her images. It would have been hard for me to see this image and have a vivid imagination as the artist.  I like how her character was inspired by her mother and her childhood. As she mentioned, as a child she would dress up and go help her mother clean houses. But as an adult she is not the "housewife."Being a domestic worker is seen as a negative thing because of the definition that has been created by society. The basic characteristics of a worker is that it has to be a woman, unskilled worker, immigrant, and a mother. When I heard Laura speak about this particular image and explaining that the maid has a different role for being in the house it reminded me of Telenovelas. When you make a connection with the role of a maid in the real world you realize that these individuals could reveal truths that might tear families apart. But, these workers go do their job and gossip with family members when they get home. This shows that a maid is respectful and knows that it is better to pretend to not see or hear inappropriate behavior.

Questions for Professor Gaspar de Alba

           On the article titled, There's No Place Like Aztlan: Embodied Aesthetics in Chicana Art, there is a connection made between artists who are living in exile as well as artists who are indigenous but feel out of place with the experience of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. As I began to read the reasoning of why these individuals could be represented as Dorothy I began to see that this was a good comparison. My question to the author is. “How long did it take you to create an analysis and put all of the pieces together to end up seeing the relationship between your own experiences and those of Dorothy?” I would think that perhaps it took two months because reflecting on one’s own life can be challenging at times. Especially when you try to compare your experiences with someone else’s because we are concentrated on things that make us unique individuals.
       Article: Out of the House, the Halo, and the Whore’s Mask: The Mirror of Malinchismo
A question that arose as I looked at Table 1 was, “What statement would you agree with more?”  The statement: The statistics gathered about how many female artists get exposure of their art has to do with the old thinking that women have to be housewives. Or, the lack of exposure has to do with fear from male artists. I think the answer incorporates both statements but I am curious about the author’s position on the second statement. I think males are scared that women might be more creative and communicate better with the people because through the drawings they are expressing their feelings that have been built up for several decades. Women artists have a lot of courage to go against the traditional ways and make a statement about the role they believe women should take in modern society. 

Montellano, Karina

           Hello! My name is Karina Montellano. I am a second year student (Biology major). I am from Lennox, CA (city between Inglewood and Hawthorne). I am thinking of changing my major to Chican@ Studies and that is why I decided to enroll in this class. I am looking forward to learning more about what being a Chican@ means. I have a parent that comes from Mexico and another from El Salvador. So, I am looking forward to learning more about the culture through Chicana artists. I do not having any drawing skills and I looking forward to be challenged in this class.
        I was raised as a Catholic and " La Virgen de Guadalupe" was always around at home and the local church. Up until the age of nine, on December 12th we would go to La Placita Olvera in Downtown L.A. and celebrate her birthday. She is an important figure and I remember that my mother would always ask her for "miracles" or pray whenever she felt stressed. Every time my mother suspected that we were lying she would make us stare at the image of La Virgen de Guadalupe and swear to her that we were not lying. She is an important figure and we did not lie to her. So, we would end up confessing.

Anciso, Natalia

I will be doing my presentation on Natalia Anciso.