This artwork closely relates to the Chicano Art Movement, and also the UFW, united farm workers organization. The figures are arranged in a flat straight horizontal band, this style can be related to ancient Mexican native groups such as the Mayas and Aztecs. This artwork contains references to ancient Egyptian style as well. The style is needed to express the focus on heritage in the Chicano movement. This mural focuses on targeting the Mexican American urban community, specifically the younger generation. The location of this mural is on an office building of the United Farm Workers building, a cultural and political center for many Mexican an African American people. Many middle class citizens passed this mural on the way to work and school,
The first article I have chosen is, “Juncture in the road: Chicano Studies Since: “El plan de Santa Barbara” by Ignacio M. Garcia. I have chosen this particular article for various reasons. One is because reading the first few paragraphs of the article stirred up many emotions within me. I found myself growing angry and once, again, repulsed by the United States discrimination system. The more knowledge I obtain on the United States, on its past and how it develops today, I can finally say that I resent everything it stands for and embarrassed being part of it. I would rather say that I am a country of one…myself. The second reason for choosing this article, was because it was an easy read for me as well as the topic being discussed was intriguing.
Armando Rendon in his landmark 1970 wrote the book I am a Chicano. This book is about how activist in the Chicano movement pointed to an empty monolog of the word Chicano. Chicano means an activist. Chicanos describes themselves it was a form of self-affirmation; it reflected the consciousness that their experiences. Chicanos means, nations, histories, and cultures. This book talks about how Mexican American also used the term of Chicano to describe them, and usually in a lighthearted way, or as a term of endearment. In a text it talks how Chicanos haven’t forgotten their Mexican origins, and how they become a unique community. The book talks about how Mexican American community’s long-suffering history of racism and discrimination, disenfranchisement, and economic exploitation in the United States. The
Latino grassroots politics in the academic realm has been considered as predominantly Chicano in nature. However, the geometry of this academic sector is no longer one dimensional, due to the formation of a Chicana feminist consciousness; the rise of an identified gay community within the Chicana/o student populace; and the emergence of “Latinos” in era of Chicanismo, The abrupt growth of Latinos (e.g. Spanish speaking of Mexican, Central or Latin American decent) in the United State’s educational system led the general population to characterize them as subjects on the cusps of political power and influence. But this widespread depiction of Latinos as an untapped potential is intrinsically linked to an impression of civic cohesion within the Latino student population. Although there is a correspondence between these parties in terms of the alienation they have felt and the discrimination they have endured throughout their academic careers, there is a minimal collective effort in confronting against their oppressive status. This is mainly a result of conflicting ideologies and social agendas within the Latino student community, as well as the relegation of Hispanic subgroups into the lower echelons. Latino students, nevertheless, have demonstrated their capacity, when both Chicanos and the marginalized Hispanic subgroups join efforts to reach a communal objective. This debunks the historical notion that Chicano students are the only group of Hispanics in the academic sphere that have been actively challenging the processes of social exclusion, and also displays the capacity of a collaborative effort.
The course, Chicano Studies 50, introduced me to many topics that I never was taught in high school. The differences between high school and college is that in college students are available to many courses and recourses to further develop their knowledge in their culture. Professor Montoya teaches his students in a deeper concept of how Chicanos ideals were developed in comparison to my previous course Chicano Studies 10. The course showed the class brief experiences of farmworker’s struggles and to movements Mexican-Americans decided to accomplish to provided better life for those who were undocumented and for them as well. Culture was introduced in a small description, but like Professor Montoya expressed “… would be impossible with a subject
Imagine seeing 10,000 of your classmates walking out of your school because they wanted a better education - a better way of life. In the 1960s’ Chicano students were being “pushed out”(Esparza) of school or being pushed towards vocational programs. East L.A was home to schools were “one out of every four Chicano’s completed high school”(Esparza). Instructors and the school board alike did not have an interest in helping Chicanos finish school to become someone other than a laborer and was expected of them to keep being a laborer. In “Taking Back the Schools”, Sal Castro a high school counselor claims, “I think the bottom line is the lack of concern of the teachers towards the kids and whether the kids were really getting an education or not...the reality set in that the teachers weren’t really concern for the kids.”(Esparza).
In American history, civil rights movements have played a major role for many ethnics in the United States and have shape American society to what it is today. The impact of civil rights movements is tremendous and to an extent, they accomplish the objectives that the groups of people set out to achieve. The Mexican-American Civil Rights Movement, more commonly known as the Chicano Movement or El Movimiento, was one of the many movements in the United States that set out to obtain equality for Mexican-Americans (Herrera). At first, the movement had a weak start but eventually the movement gained momentum around the 1960’s (Herrera). Mexican-Americans, also known as Chicanos, began to organize in order to eliminate the social barriers that prevented them from progressing in American society (Bloom 47). Throughout the years of the Chicano Movement, Mexican-Americans had a “desire to integrate into the mainstream culture while preserving their own identity” (Bloom 47). The Chicano Civil Rights Movement was a progressive era when Mexican-Americans had goals that they wanted to accomplish and sought reform in order to be accepted as a part of the United States.
The 1960s was a very progressive era for the mexican americans that inhabited the United States, It was very a progressive era but with every progressive era there are also a lot of hardships leading up to it there were also a lot of tough battle to be fought. The 1960s was a tough time for Mexican Americans living in America, They were discriminated for their cultural differences and were stripped of their rights because their parents weren 't Native born.
In 1932 Wilhelm Valentiner commissioned Diego Rivera to construct a fresco to capture the true meaning of Detroit’s Industry. Rivera came to Detroit at a time when the great depression had hit hardest and he used this tumultuous time that had forced it’s way over the city as inspiration for his work. For it to embody the true significance of the industry in Detroit, he began the mural with a piece which symbolized a fruitful harvest, and more importantly, a new beginning. As Rivera progresses with his mural, it is evident what the the commercial meant by experiencing the finer things in life. From the early stages of assembly of the new 1938 Ford V8, to the finishing touches of the exterior and the diversity of the people working on these cars, and finally the negative implications of what technology and economic prosperity can bring. These aspects all encompass what Rivera intended when representing Industry in Detroit, as well as what it means for a city like Detroit to enjoy the finer things in life.
Again we would see the celebration of Dia De Los Muertos. In the 1970s, Self Help helped encourage the art that participated. It helped bring to community together and create large ensemble of art, parades, and festivals revolving around in the Chicano community.
Maya Lin’s Vietnam War Memorial is a non-representational abstract piece of art the commemorates the fallen soldiers that were lost during the war. The artist Maya Lin was 21 years old student of Chinese descent, consequently causing several prominent political figures to revoke the memorial. Lin’s memorial relates with the surrounding environment. The memorial is in a large V shape. The V shape starts and ends level with the ground, then gradually increases in the middle. The Vietnam Memorial is engraved black stone with all the name of fall soldier listed by the date of their death. Maya Lin’s described the wall as, “the black surface of the earth, the earth polished.” She considered her moment “Book out of door”.
When someone say’s “hispanic,” what definition comes to mind? Hispanics are not one nationality, nor one culture. Instead, Hispanics are greatly diverse people. Our language and cultural origins are Spanish and Latin American, regardless of race and color. Hispanics can be European, Indian, or of African descent, or any combination of the three. The culture could be linked to Mexico, the Caribbean countries, Central America, South America and Spain. Hispanics were once considered a rarity in the United States, now we are found throughout the country.
Celebrating the Mexican people’s potential to craft the nation’s history was a key theme in Mexican muralism. At the end of the Revolution the government enlisted artists to create art that could educate everyone. Even the most illiterate and uneducated people; they wanted them to know about Mexican history. This movement was led by Los Tres Grandes which included Siqueiros, Diego Rivera, and Jose Clemente Orozco.
The Chicano Movement was a time that pressed forth for the equal opportunity of the Latino community and proved to America that Mexican Americans were a force to be reckoned with. In the documentary Latino Americans – Episode 5: Prejudice and Pride, it centralizes on the success of the oppressed community through significant leaders in that period. Union activists César Chavez, along with Dolores Huerta, playwright Luis Valdez, teacher Sal Castro, US Congressman Herman Ballido, and political activist José Ángel Gutiérrez all contributed to egalitarianism of Latinos across the nation. This documentary reflects on the importance of equal prospects within the workplace, the academic setting, and the social and political features in society.
Gods of the Modern World by José Clemente Orozco is a mural that exhibits a varied amount of lines and line types. These lines further emphasize the message behind the images. The message is for the education system a warning, showing a place where it cannot find itself going. It must stay about teaching young people instead of occupying their time. Elements in this picture are magnified by the vertical and actual lines that help make up this work.
A skull is a symbol located in many areas of the world which has multiple representations depending on the use of the emblem: flags, tattoos, and art décor are just a few to mention. With the endless possibilities, this essay will focus on the artistic view of Mexican culture. Some of the first details one often correlates with Mexican art is vivid colors, skulls, and El Dia de Los Muertos which translates to The Day of the Dead. Skulls or Calaveras in Spanish represents Mexican culture and can be seen anywhere from old Aztec ruins to Mexico city street graffiti. The idea of a skeleton is understood as a symbol of rebirth towards a new life(r) and one artist from the south took this to a new