Tejana Cultural Studies Pena

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Ester Hernandez, La Virgen de Guadalupe Defendiendo los Derechos de los Xicanos, 1975, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Frank K. Ribelin Endowment, 2013.56, © 1975, Ester Hernández

https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/la-virgen-de-guadalupe-defendiendo-los-derechos-de-los-xicanos-86123

Ester Hernandez was the first prominent Chicana artist to implement the imagery of La Virgen de Guadalupe as a form of political symbolism questioning the marginalization of women in Chicano women.

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Judy Baca, Absolutely Chicana, 2008. Screenprint. Collection of the McNay Art Museum, Gift of Harriett and Ricardo Romo, 2013.25.

https://www.mcnayart.org/exhibition/estampas-chicanas/

Judy Baca's work included in the Estampas Chicanas exhibit in the McNay Art Museum continues to acknowledge and reflect Chicana's struggle to be included and respected in the Chicano Labor movement.

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Amalia Mesa-Bains, Circle of Ancestors, 1996, 7 chairs embellished with beads, gold leafing and mirror, Dimensions variable. Installation view: Hall of History in El Fin del Siglo: The Latina Worlds Fair, Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, 2000, Miami Florida.

https://towardcommoncause.org/artists/amalia-mesa-bains/

"Her work contemplates the meanings of multiculturalism as well as demographic shifts in today’s climate within the United States, building off of her own Mexican heritage. Each piece is in some form an exploration of her own Chicana identity seen through both an artistic and psychological perspective."

By offering unique aspects of her experiences and identities, she adds to a growing archive telling the perspectives of life in the U.S. as a Chicana woman. Narratives like this have historically been ignored, and by creating art that highlights the experiences of these individuals, it battles the forced erasure and assimilation placed on Mexican Americans.

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From Anzaldúa, “Bearing Witness: Their Eyes Anticipate the Healing,” 2002. Transparency. Benson Latin American Collection. University of Texas Libraries.

https://sites.utexas.edu/llilas-benson-magazine/2017/08/27/anzaldua-across-borders-a-traveling-thought-gallery/

Scholar Gloria Anzaldua illustrates and compares the process of discovering self-identity as a Chicana to the dismemberment of the Aztec goddess Coyolxauhqui. She describes being pulled apart and examining the various parts of oneself to place the pieces back together, taking on a much more significant and established form.

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Para Mi shop is located at 1802 S. International Blvd. Weslaco, Texas, is right outside Nana's Taqueria. They curate ethically handmade crafts from over ten states across Mexico. Their goal is to facilitate and share Mexican culture's cultural arts and crafts practices.

https://shopparami.com

I have had the opportunity to visit and purchase some of their products, and the care and detail put into each item are inspiring and add to the value of each product.

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La Marcha por la Justicia, a 1971 rally protesting police brutality, in Los Angeles' Belvedere Park

"The newly founded Chicano newspaper-turned-magazine La Raza served as a witness to and participant in this struggle for social justice in Los Angeles and beyond, with ground-breaking photography that married art, journalism, and activism."

https://www.cnn.com/style/article/la-raza-autry-museum-los-angeles/index.html

Young Chicanos began mobilizing art as an instrument of political activism, an expression of their cultural values, and a form of documenting or reevaluating Mexican-American history.

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Christie Tirado, Yakima Valley Farm Worker's Clinic, Yakima, WA, 2022

Tirado's mural is installed for public viewing in West Valley Family Health & OB/GYN. It represents growth, renewal, and healing inspired and aided by the community.

<a href="https://christietiradoarte.com/#/yakima-valley-farm-workers-clinic-mural/">https://christietiradoarte.com/#/y akima-valley-farm-workers-clinic-mural/</a>