Essay on Chicano Art and Movement

Instructions

As one of the greatest manifestations of the human spirit, art plays in integral role in the Chicana/o Movement. Artistic expressions such as painting, poetry, and theater served as vehicles for first generation Chicana/o Art Activists to develop a visual and a literary discourse in which pressing issues that affected their communities of origin were finally being presented to society at large. Chicana/o artists used their platform to not only convey these issues of access and equity, but also to reclaim a rich history of people of Mexican descent in the Southwest United States, and to include cultural affirmation as part of the Chicana/o ethos.

1. Evaluate the influence of Mexican muralists on the development of the Chicana/o art movement.

2. Analyze the role of Chicana artists in the development of a visual discourse that proved to be critical of how history portrays Mexican-Americans in United States History.

3. What are some of the redeeming qualities of Alurista’s and Corky Gonzalez’s poetry in the creation of a literary critical discourse?

* Add connection and add personal connections

*Will include articles and reading material

* Article and videos
http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/latinos/joaquin.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiAp03vpPg8

Excerpt

Art played a key role in the rediscovery and consolidation of Chicano identity in the United States. For many decades after the Mexican-American War, the annexation of Texas, the signing of subsequent treaties, and the consequent immigration of Latin Americans into the United States in search of greener pastures, Chicanos and Chicanas had been painted in the negative light. Art was used as potent tool to rediscover lost identities and efficacies as a people.

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