Chicana

Chicana, a term that is used in a variety of ways. According to the Oxford Dictionary it means "an American woman or girl of Mexican origin or descent. I've grown up with it being derogatory, that a Chicana is "ghetto" and not a good thing. The more I learn about my families culture the more I relate to "Chicana", and the more I appreciate Chicana art.

One of my favorite artist is Barbara Carrasco, because of the way she incorporates others work and imagery into her work. She not only depicts her own culture but also what happens around her in her famous mural titled "L.A. History: A Mexican Perspective". She chose to not remove a portion of her art, and the mural was put in storage for years; she chose her beliefs on what to depict over the comfort of others. Carrasco is a leading force for how Chicana's need to present their work, that we should not change our work for the comfort of others. "L.A. History: A Mexican Perspective" is a mural that depicts what it is to be a Chicana, that you uplift the voices and present what you want and that you don't shallow your work.

I am inspired by Carrasco to start creating art that reaches topics that I've swayed away from for the comfort of others. I want to create more artwork that targets moments that I deem important and to present it how I want. To be Chicana is to be unapologetically yourself, and to uplift other minorities as well as your own. Being Chicana and proud is the ability to break generational hatred, societal norms and the exclusion that you face from your own.

Image came from: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/renowned-chicana-muralist-barbara-carrasco-s-landmark-piece-finally-uncensored-n812091