Week 10 - Final Blog

The Chicana Art and Artist course was a definite blessing in disguise for me during the Fall Quarter. It not only brought out the artist within me, but I am grateful that the class taught me that messages can be communicated through different means other than in writing. There is a saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. I most fervently believe that holds true after taking this course.
I enjoyed being a part of this class for I learned a lot of information about Chicana artists who are creating beautiful, magnificent wonders. It is a bit embarrassing that I consider myself a Chicana, yet I had no idea that there were so many of Chicana artists in the field. I am learning about the different components of the Chicano Movement, and am very proud that Chicanas contributed to it with their art. I especially am honored that I learned many things from my instructor, Professor Alma M. López. I saw one of her pieces in a previous Chicano Studies course I took, and gained insight to interpretations of her work through other instructors. It was an incredible experience to learn the perspective of her work from her.
The art book project was a wonderful part of the course, and contributes to my fondness for class. It was much fun to draw my hand in the different ASL Letters; I now pay attention to little details, not only on my hands since we focused on the small details on our hands when drawing, but I am aware of the things around my environment. I especially enjoyed the "not-looking-at-the-paper-when-drawing-your-hand" assignments. I was glad to not be expected to make the drawing look like a hand, but what I saw. That is definitely how life is in my opinion, and I was relieved to let go, to not worry. The Chicana Art and Artist course made a tremendous positive impact in my life. I am very thankful, for it came in a very tough time in my life, and the art book project acted as an outlet for me and my daily tasks. I will definitely continue drawing even after this class is over, and only hope I can improve my skills, especially shading.
Lastly, I would like to take the opportunity to thank Professor Alma M. López for all of her dedication and effort in making this class enjoyable and informative. Her enthusiasm for the course content contributed to my interest in Chicana Art and Artists, which is not going to go away any time soon. I appreciate that she motivated every student, even us non-drawers, and welcomed us to the world of art with open arms, encouraging us that with practice we can be proficient artists. That kind of support is difficult to come by, and I cherish it very much. Many thanks for a wonderful Fall Quarter Professor López! Hope everyone has a wonderful Winter Break!

À la Carmen Lomas Garza Family Scene/Thanksgiving Day Post

My family does not celebrate Thanksgiving the "traditional way". We do not buy a turkey and prepare a big feast. We simply give thanks to something we are grateful for, and then proceed to having a movie night. The above picture shows my family, which consists of my young brother Anthony, myself, my mother Monica, my father Victor, and my younger brother Ozzy. We decide on a movie to watch for Thanksgiving the day before. This year the movie we chose was a classic, "The Legacy" (1978). Before watching the movie on Thanksgiving, we go to the store and stock up on snacks, such as pretzels, sunflower seeds, chips, almonds, etc. We then go home and prepare for that evening. The picture captures the moment we my family and I are going to the supermarket to buy our goodies. My brother Ozzy is anxious to leave, but my mom and my brother Anthony are trying to scare a fly away from my hair. I got scared when my brother and mom did that, and my dad laughed at the face I made. This moment is memorable because my head took a toll from their slaps. Luckily my head didn't hurt that evening. The image shows us situated in the living room. When holidays come around, I just celebrate with my immediate family. In all, this is my à la Carmen Lomas Garza family scene.

Sonia Romero: Sacred Heart

33" x  46" Serigraph Sacred Heart by Sonia Romero

This work of the Chicana artist Sonia Romero captured by attention and my interest.  Her piece from the Inner Landscape Series: Looking Within titled Sacred Heart made me look at a the conventional perception of a gangster in a different perspective. Most people think that they are dangerous, cold-hearted, and do not care about anything. But this image demonstrates the opposite. The phrase "Don't judge a book by it's cover" may be repeated over and over again, for a very good reason: one does not know anything about a thing or person by simply observing the surface of another thing or person. Just because a person has tattoos does not mean that they are gangsters, but sadly I automatically thought that was the case when I first saw this image.

What if a person has tattoos and/or is a gangster? Does either status give people the right to jump to conclusions and categorize others? I commend Romero for tackling on a delicate subject, to try to erase stereotypes, and appreciate the different ways people choose to live their lives.  I thought that the inclusion of the heart was a terrific way to capture the artist's message, in basically having the heart represent the humanity of all people. Plus having the heart which is included in religious figures, such as Jesus Christ, can make the viewer think, that although somebody may seem rough and tough on the exterior, they may be kind and good-hearted.

The process in which it was made, like the stencil process we conducted in class, drew my attention to Romero's image as well. Having a familiarity of the process that was used to create this piece, I was in awe that such an intricate work can be made. The colors work especially well together, having the heart be more colorful for it is the focus, the humanity of all people; the black and white of the model, representing that not everything fits in the dichotomy of bad and good; and finally the blue-colored background, possibly hinting at the sky (subtly touching upon the religious aspect of Jesus with the Sacred Heart being and watching down from Heaven) or the world (possibly associating it with water).

Blog Week 7- Judy Baca's "Tres Generaciones"

Judy Baca "Tres Generaciones" 6" x 8" Oil on Canvas

A brief overview of Judy Baca's story told through one of my classmate's presentation this week inspired me to choose this image by the Chicana artist. This 6" x 8" Oil on Canvas painting titled Tres Generaciones done in 1973 truly resonated with me as I hold dear to my heart my parents and grandparents. I cherish my mother, her presence and unconditional support and love guiding me in the decisions I make in my life. And although I do not have the luxury to always be with my grandmother, phone calls and online communication are the ways in which we keep up to date and connect with each other.

I especially love how Baca represents each generation with a color, eventually mixing them to form herself, suggesting to her viewers that she is composed of her mother and grandmother. The colors themselves may represent the age of her family members. Her grandma is painted in a brown hue indicating that she is mature. Her mother is painted in a red hue demonstrating that she is at the peak of her livelihood, in her middle age. Baca paints herself in a blue-ish tone, possibly suggesting her calm, stable life as a child not having the concerns of an adult. Eventually the artist mixes all the colors to show her present state at the time, to show that her life experiences, as well as that of her mother and grandmother, and how the latter's experiences molded her into the person she is.

This work by the Chicana artist shows the familial ties that inspired her work in this painting. Moreover, Baca's familial ties coincide with those of other Chicana artists such as Carmen Lomas Garza and Yolanda M. López. Baca, Garza and López felt an inclination to paint themselves (Garza's 1969 Lithograph on Rives paper work Self-Portrait and López' 1975-76 Charcoal on paper Tres Mujeres/Three Generations series Self-Portrait). In my opinion, they do that to reflect on who they are, where they stand at the point when they drew/painted themselves, and also to what/who they attribute their status. In addition, all three artists acknowledge the power the women in their families. They venerate them and demonstrate the fact that even though those individuals (in this case their moms and grandmas) may seem like ordinary people, to them they are very valuable. Alongside Garza and López, Baca takes pride in who she is, where she comes from, and loves her family who find their way in influencing the artist's work.

Carmen Lomas Garza "Earache Treatment Close-Up"

Carmen Lomas Garza's painting, Earache Treatment Close-up [(2001) Oil and alkyd on canvas] is one of my favorite works from the Chicana artist. I like her technique on re-visiting her former works and concentrating on details that define the piece. Her action may suggest that an individual's past may be worthwhile to remember in order for them to reflect where and who they are currently. The fact that this painting includes her mother and father demonstrates her familial influence that her artwork encompass.

In this particular case, Lomas Garza demonstrates a home remedy that was based on one of her childhood memories. The subject of focus is her father, whom is receiving the earache treatment from her mother. The treatment was carried out in the following manner according to the artist, "My mother took a sheet of newspaper, rolled it up into a cone shape, and placed in on my father's ear...She very briefly ignited the paper, then threw it into the water to extinguish it." (Cortez 53, 54)

There is a small difference in this close-up recreation. The newspaper text seems to have shifted in the direction it was printed. However I believe that this subtle change does not take away from the possible meaning of this scene. The newspaper is a form of communication that informs people, and the "cone shape" it is rolled into mimics a pathway, one in which the information may travel. Considering the nature of the surroundings that Lomas Garza lived in, the newspaper probably contains issues that concerned Chican@s in the mid-twentieth century. In my opinion, her father represents the Chican@ community and his ear situation portrays the community's discriminatory status.

When the newspaper burns above Lomas Garza father's ear, it is like the information the newspaper contains replaces the ignorance and fear of the community. The flames and smoke act like a purifying source, fighting to notify people of what is going on in the world with hopes that people will take action with their newfound knowledge. Moreover, the change in the direction of the text may signal the change of the community with the passage of time and the introduction of new generations. The newspaper's Spanish text and the home remedy process itself further acknowledge the Chican@ culture, communicating to embrace one's heritage instead of being ashamed of it and trying to assimilate. Because if a person rejects their culture, and in extension their family, they lose their identity and simply camouflage within the masses.

Note: *The image in this blog is copyrighted by Carmen Lomas Garza; I do not intend to claim it. However I used it for purposes of this blog and because I could not find another image of acceptable quality.

Week 5 - Calla Lily Stencil

I dedicated this week's assignment to my mother. Previous to choosing  this image for the stencil project, I was set upon stenciling another image of a woman donning eighties apparel, in representation of my love for anything '80s. However that image was difficult to work with, and decided upon doing a stencil about a person very close to my heart.

The stencil is of a Calla Lily flower, and was present throughout my mother's childhood. She associates these flowers to joyous childhood experiences in Mexico. My mom remembers her visits to her grandmother's house, which had a garden filled with Calla Lilies. She recalls playing among them, but most of all recollects the talks she held with her abuela (Spanish for "grandmother") in that garden.

Consequently, Calla Lilies grow in the backyard of my home. My mother nurtures and cares for them, treating the flowers as a member of our family. I think that she sees her grandma in the flowers. Her visits with her grandma have been reduced, thus she seeks comfort in the lilies, looking for the presence of the abuela among them.

I, in turn also see my great-grandmother in the lilies. I have not had the opportunity to meet her. But judging from the flowers, I think that she is a strong, beautiful woman. I see my mother in the flowers too. Every time I see a Calla Lily in other people's homes I think of her. My mother is a strong, beautiful woman as well, always working hard and caring for her family.

I drew the stem and bottom portion of the flower, needing Google to help me with the upper part of the flower. I am satisfied with my results, although the I could have painted the stencil a little more carefully. The flower is painted white in honor of my mother's childhood. The color represents her innocence when she was a child, during which her only concerns were to go to school and be a kid.

Laura Alvarez - Bus Stop Painting

I had the honor to be in the presence of multi-media visual and recording artist, Laura Alvarez, earlier this week. I truly enjoyed her presentation about her work and the development of her career as a Chicana artist. Learning that she is very inspired by her parents' and family history, and implements that inspiration in her work, is very refreshing. It encourages me to keep on venerating my roots and my familial history.

Alvarez's ongoing work with her series, Double Agent Sirvienta, or D.A.S., demonstrates how much she truly loves who she is, and does not apologize for it. I enjoy how Alvarez is able to take the stereotyped role of "the maid" in the Chicana/Latina culture and exonerate it from its derogatory view. Subtly and creatively she hints at the fact, and shows the masses, to not "judge the book (in this case the maid) by its cover". This idea may be cliché; however, it would not be if people would simply treat maids (sirvientas) as righteous individuals performing honest work, for the purpose to support and care for them and their loved ones. 

She further gives the D.A.S. an original and unique touch, by having it relate to her own experiences as a child with her mother. Her mother's occupation as a maid is where the D.A.S. series stems, (in collaboration with her father's experiences as a participant in the United States' armed forces) and in each work exemplifies the notion that her mother is not simply a maid, but a powerhouse who sees, hears, and knows many things other than cleaning. Not only does this prove her family is of great influence in her work, but also coincides with Debra Blake's concept of refiguring La Virgen de Guadalupe into different Chicana feminist symbols. Maids are not cleaning, subservient bodies, and La Virgen de Guadalupe does not only serve as a religious figure, not open for other people's interpretation of her influence in their life. Alvarez, through her creativeness and standing as a Chicana artist, challenges the maid stereotype and attempts to open minds to the fact that maids are human beings with their own strengths and prowess. 

With that, I chose to focus on Alvarez's painting titled Bus Stop. In it I not only see Double Agent Sirvienta, but I see the artist's childhood experience accompanying her mother on the job. Alvarez graciously shared with the class that she dressed in fancy attire when she went to clean homes as a little girl. Perhaps without even knowing it, the artist refused to be invisible, and refused to dress according to what the homeowners believed a maid should look like. She was performing valuable work, so why not exert that same manner in her clothing? The artists applies her perspective in Bus Stop with the two pairs of shoes. In my opinion, that represents duality and the idiom "to put yourself in their shoes". One only sees a maid as a worker, but does one know who they are and how they feel? One sees how women act, but really does one know if they like it or not? One sees La Virgen de Guadalupe as a religious symbol, but is she really that kind of icon? Aside from my experience as a Chicana (and a bus commuter), this painting speaks loudly to me in that a person is not trapped to be a certain expectation of what others want them to be. They are their own person, who know their capabilities, and there are a lot of options of who they want to be. An individual chooses what is best for them, as the woman in the painting is looking and possibly thinking if that pair of shoes, or the one she has on, are best for her.

Goldman Essay and López Image

 

   Shifa Goldman's essay entitled, "The Iconography of Chicano Self-Determination: Race, Ethnicity, and Class", provides a lens into the Chicano Movement through the art pathway. Artists were able to bring attention to the injustices and discrimination of the Mexican, Mexican-American, and Chican@s in the United States through three factors that led them to be treated in an inferior manner in the mid-twentieth century. These factors were race, ethnicity, and class respectively.
    Racism unfortunately was brought to the North American continent by individuals who looked nothing like those native to the land. And despite being different, these Anglo-Saxons had the audacity to instill a physical appearance standard  that was considered beautiful. I enjoyed Goldman's inclusion of the Plan Espiritual de Aztlán, drafted in 1969, for it connotes a very significant moment for the history of Chican@s and the movement. For the first time Chican@s were not afraid of their Indigenous background and on the other hand embraced it. They did not allow their race to determine how they were going to be treated.
    The author categorized ethnicity as being a socially constructed term to group people that come from and/or reside in a certain place. For example, people living in and/or originating from Mexico would be considered Mexican. Ethnicity is a "residue" as Goldman describes, something that rubs off on a person that make them who they are. Moreover, since ethnicity ties in with a characterizing people based on who they are and how they look, ethnicity is also linked with identity, oppression and  discrimination. A country does not determine one's ethnicity; culture, customs and community does, because people make up a country, land does not. And not one body is superior than the other.
    Lastly, Goldman emphasizes the factor of class, and how this can also determine if discrimination is faced by people. Class was also important part of the Chicano Movement, since it was mostly the working class Mexicans/Mexican-Americans/Chican@s who faced inequality; but again this can be result of the whites taking away the land of these individuals.  Nevertheless, despite the strong presence of the low working class, Goldman goes on to show that indeed that is nothing to be ashamed of. Chican@s are not ashamed whatsoever, for as the Plan Espiritual states, "Aztlan belongs to those who plant the seeds, water the fields, and gather the crops..." in essence laborers. In all, race, ethnicity, and class are three things that helped with accepting and acquiring an expression among Chican@s, and opened their eyes that unity among them is the answer to fight against those who want to keep them oppressed.  

    Chicana artist, Yolanda M. López, definitely emphasizes the factors of race, ethnicity and class in her work. The one that speaks out to me in terms of including the aforementioned characteristics is the work titled "Runner: Third College Parking Lot", from "A Donde Vas Chicana?" Getting through College series. College is a very strategic place to include in her painting. Chicanos, much less Chicanas, were expected to attend college, already addressing the factors of race and ethnicity. Because she is of Mexican descent she is not smart enough, and because she does not look white or Anglo she should not even be allowed to go to college. This mentality is challenged, and her basic outfit of a shirt, shorts, and shoes on the girl in the painting, in addition to a basic background of average cars and building, challenges the class factor. She is running through a college parking lot, possibly alluding that she can also (and will speed on past) college and be successful. And the fact that the background is black and white and she is colored, challenges race, ethnicity, and class all together. It communicates to people that there is not only a black and white race problem in the United States, but Chican@s are also present in the conflict. They will also fight for what is rightfully theirs. 

Questions for Dr. Alicia Gaspar de Alba

Being a Chicana whose entire life has revolved around patriarchy, I was unfortunately not surprised to read about Chicana artists having to deal with it too. It is astonishing that women were just seen as baby-making machines and a place to dump emotional, physical and sexual tensions on. It might be cliché, however, the fact that women and men are equal and deserve the same treatment. But it would not be cliché if people, especially men, would open their eyes and realize that women have the potential to do many things, and even accomplish things that have an impact on the world they live in. With this I would like to take the opportunity and ask the following question(s) for the essay entitled: "Out of the House, the Halo, and the Whore's Mask: The Mirror of Machismo" 

 1. If patriarchy were to cease, and the practice would disappear in the US (and possibly the world), would Chicanas be considered equal to Chicanos and to an extent all males? On the other hand, if patriarchy continues to be present, is there any effective way Chicanas can work together to end it?

     On another note, I especially liked the reference of Dorothy from the film depiction of "The Wizard of Oz", as having the urge of wanting to return home because that is where she belongs. I see that sentiment in many of my relatives and friends, of wanting to go back to their homelands because it constitutes a large part of who they are and how they identify as. With that realization, I began to think about what I long for, of what I miss that make up a large part of who I am. I am puzzled because I am not considered as "American" in the United States due to my physiognomy, nor am I seen as "Mexican" in Mexico because of my lifestyle. Then is my utopia in a place where I am not wanted? With those thoughts in mind, I would like to ask the following question(s) for the essay "There's No Place Like Aztlán": 

 1. Sometimes individuals, like myself who identifies as Chicana and with the Mexican and American cultures, are regarded as being ni de aqui, ni de alla, or not being either from here (e.g. the United States) or from there (e.g. Mexico). Is it possible to coin a term that describes people who regard themselves as being "ni de aqui, ni de alla"? What would these individuals consider their utopia to be?

Cristina Cardenas

I am very excited to present on a very talented Chicana artist: Cristina Cardenas. Each  of her art pieces convey a different emotion, but in the end, seem to give the message of acceptance and pride of the Chicana identity. I look forward to learn more about Cardenas, and the source that drives her to make the fantastic art.

Paramo, Ebony

Hello class, 

 My name is Ebony Paramo. I am a second-year Chicana/o Studies major at UCLA. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and I identify as Chicana. Both of my parents are from Mexico, and have instilled in me a strong love for my culture. I chose to pursue Chicana/o Studies in order to continue immersing myself in my heritage during my college career, learn about the history of my culture, and always bear in mind the unique experiences that made me the person I am today.  

 My parents are Catholic, and passed down their religious beliefs and traditions to me and my two younger brothers. The Virgen de Guadalupe was, and still is, an important part of my life. I was raised to consider her as my "second mother", and to pray to her whenever I found myself in an unpleasant situation. Images of her are placed in every room in my house. Roses from bushes in my garden, my mother and I would cut, and offer them to her in a small altar we have in the front yard.  

  However, issues arose within my family during my last two years in high school and my first year at UCLA that led me to doubt my faith in the Catholic religion and in the Virgen. Today, my family situation still needs work, and I still consider myself a Catholic. But I view the Virgen in a different way: not only can she help with people's difficulties in a religious sense, but she offers a voice to those fighting against injustices, like women with gender inequality. I believe this class does that; it offers a whole new world of perspectives that challenges my upbringing, at the same time embracing it, all under an artistic lens.