#chicana art

[rebeccaartemisa]

Special Delivery

Gouache, ink and grass stains on reclaimed beech wood

[chicanoartmovement]

CHICANO ART MOVEMENT attends: OC Fair 2024

(View at the Orange County Fair 2024 where it’s “always a good time” — this year’s theme.)

We made it to Costa Mesa, California for the last weekend of the OC Fair 2024 for extra long corn dogs, fresh lemonade, sweet & light funnel cake, and visual stimulation.

(South facing view of commemorative memorial honoring agriculture workers and their hard work.)

Entering through the blue gate, we came upon the “Table of Dignity” Memorial in commemoration of the agricultural workers by the Agricultural Association (32nd district) and the OC Fair & Event Center.

The only figurative artwork on the memorial as through its wall-thru archway which was created by artist Higgy Vasquez.

(Detailed view of inner walls of the walk through portal portion of the “Table of Dignity” monument.)

This pair of paintings “Dignity” & “Justicia” displayed the different phases of harvesting crops grown in Orange County such as grapes and strawberries.

One special elements of this memorial was the incorporation of live grape vines.

(View of participating collections and memorabilia at the year’s OC Fair.)

Next we moved on to the Hobbies & Handcrafts building in support of one of our street team member who had a pop culture display at the OC Fair.

(View of gallery sign at the Orange County Fair 2024.)

Afterwards we proceeded to the Visual Arts & Woodworking Gallery. There we came upon two life size cutouts: a pachuco and a pachuca.

(View of “Me Despojo De Todo Lo Que Disminuya El Valor de Mi Ofrenda” by Jacqueline Valenzuela, 2024.)

Lured in and while walking around the art booth, we saw the artista Jacqueline Valenzuela painting live. We were fortunate enough to chat with her & learned about her art collaboration with the fair.

“Jacqueline Valenzuela is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice is centered around depicting her personal experiences as well as the storytelling of other women who like her are in the Chicano world of lowriding. Her art practice reflects the deep roots she has planted in the lowrider community by bridging the gap between fine art and this underrepresented community.”

[oncanvas]

Negativity Attracts, Barbara Carrasco, 1990

Screenprint 26 ¼ in. x 40 in. (66.7 x 101.6 cm) Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC, USA

[dr11ft]

chicana miku 🤎

[11oh1]

[bonipops]

thank you guys for liking her so much!! 💚🤍❤️

[adrianainla]

FOLLOW FOR AESTHETICS

[weepingwidar]

Patssi Valdez (Mexican-American Chicana, 1951) - Red Rain (1993)

[nubelo]

|Puedes llamarme Miku!|

[rebeccaartemisa]

🤍DOWNHILL GIRLS🤍

I’ve been putting together a series of affordable, 4” (tiny beechwood) paintings and fortune teller zines to support my upcoming art residency! Please share my work or support it financially if you can/if you’re feeling it! I want to buy lots of gouache, not worry about gas money and make some really good meals for my peers and myself while away. I’m a self taught, gay chicana weirdo, so this is a very amazing opportunity for someone like me. Tell yr people. ILU🦋

My shop link

[chicanoartmovement]

CHICANO ART MOVEMENT visits: “Rasquachismo” 2024

On Saturday 05/11/24, we visited Huntington Beach Art Center to view “Rasquachismo” in the city of Huntington Beach, California.

(“Beyond Timeless” by Justin Favela, 2022)

We learned from the mission statement that: “‘Rasquachismo,’ [is] a multi-media exhibition celebrating the aesthetics and transformative power of Lowriders. Featuring work by William Camargo with Alkaid Ramirez, Justin Favela, Stephanie Mercado, Arturo Meza Il, Aaron Moctezuma, Jose Manuel Flores Nava, Alicia Villegas-Rolon, and Cora J. Quiroz.”

(“Anaheim in Flux” by William Camargo with Alkaid Ramirez, 2024)

“Emerging from the barrios of Southern California, lowriding brought forth a long resistance against the American Dream and dominant idealist norms that attempted to anglicize the young Chicanx individual. Forces of the Anglo-American culture did all it could to disrupt and omit the lowrider. From individual traffic stops to passing county-wide laws, all were attempts to take the lowrider off the streets. Low and slow, their metallic bodies transfigured in response. Now, unapologetically visible, lowriders glisten in candy-colored paint and dance with the aid of hydraulics. The power of lowriding extends beyond the car's aesthetics, however. It has become a rasquachismo expression of Mexican-American, and, eventually, Chicanx identity.”

(“Highland Park” by Stephanie Mercado, 2023)

A favorite of Robert’s at the “Rasquachismo” exhibit was Stephanie Mercado’s “Highland Park.” Through a little research, we learned that “‘Highland Park’ honors the cultural richness of the area including its history, diversity, and its valuable contributions to the broader arts and culture sector of Los Angeles. Utilizing imagery and icons sourced from the neighborhood, this piece celebrates the enduring local landmarks and showcases the architectural diversity that defines the area. Simultaneously, it pays homage to the artists and art spaces that have played a vital role in making Highland Park a vibrant and lively neighborhood for generations.” 

(Detailed view of “We Can Dream” by Cora J. Quiroz, 2022)

From the museum ephemera, we learned that this painting entitled “We Can Dream” by Cora J. Quiroz is part of a series called “Not Your Typical Rosie.” 

The artist states: “I paint women in a way that removes them from being acquiescent muses in typical artworks. From action, body language, and clothing, to expression, I ensure the women I paint have active roles of inspiration, movement, and storytelling. Raised by my mother, I learned about my family’s history through oral tradition. Rather than beng inspred by male-dominated stories in media, I became inspired by the Indigenous and Mexican women of my family, taking spaces where they were not expected.

The simplest acts typical for a man to perform, can often be taboo for women, such as working in the car industry. Despite this, for many years there have been women who have gone against the grain to become whoever they pleased to be, going beyond the WWII icon associated with strong women. These are the stories that inspire my work.” 

(“El Cuento de los Panes: A Community Installation Inspired by Dr. Tomás Ybarra-Frausto” organized by the Exhibition Design students at Laguna College of Art and Design, 2024) 

The exhibition statement shares that the term rasquachismo was “coined by Chicano scholar and art critic Tomás Ybarra-Frausto to describe ‘an underdog perspective, a view from los de abajo’ (from below) in working class Chicanx communities which uses elements of ‘hybridization, juxtaposition, and integration’ as a means of empowerment and resistance.”

The Huntington Beach Art Center presents “Rasquachismo” curated by Laura Black until June 1st, 2024 with their last programming event of an artist discussion is set for Saturday May 25th, 2024 from 1pm to 2:30pm.

[heartshapedcofffinss]

🎀 weird girl summer 🎀

[plvtosun]

𓃹

[seekdestr0y]

John Valadez, Couple Balam, 1978/80

[bonipops]

pan dulce but no café de olla?!?!

[adrianainla]

11/11/23 Eastern Projects, Los Angeles | Jacqueline Valenzuela