Thoughts--> Delilah Montoya "Chicanas in Art"

Delilah Montoya, curator of a Chicana art show, introduced interesting way of using art to vocalize ideas and personal feelings. In this artistically vocal space created with cultural images, about ‘La sigueña’ or ‘The Bad Girl’, Montoya used this artist talk to introduce us to the variety of artists that made this exhibit actually speak. I found it remarkable how each woman found their own way to celebrate the courage and spirit of woman who were not afraid to speak up and speak out, no matter what, which gave them the title of ‘bad girl’.

Of the many artists that she introduced that helped to create this culturally relevant space, there were some whose works really jumped out at me. The first artist’s work that really spoke volumes to me was the piece of the running articles about woman and children who had become victims, whether they died or disappeared. It was so unique how she used texts to create imagery and make a bold statement about who she is blaming for the lost lives of these victims. She creates a police badge, which Montoya describes represented that she believed that so many woman had become victims due to the negligence of police.

Another series of works that I found both visually stimulating and powerful statements was the work by Hernandez where she did an investigation of empowerment. She creates self-portraits placing herself into movie posters that featured female empowerment. I appreciated this series because to me it suggested that woman can be just as bold, influential, and courageous as men.

The work by Paula Lopez caught my eye because it was so colorful and visually inviting. The rich colors, the introducing of text and the placement of objects in the piece helped me to draw meaning from her pieces. The piece that I really liked was ‘Know Yourself’. I liked this one because she gave three images that were mentally stimulating, in the sense that they all had qualities that one could relate to. Although each image was a completely different person with different personality they had various aspects that any female could relate to, whether it was the simple fact of femininity.

In Anna Lopez, Guadalupe image, this image had a voice that in my opinion could really be an empowering image. The way that Lopez created her version of Guadalupe was so powerful to me because she created this image in a very culturally relevant way. I thought it was bold of her to actually give Guadalupe this mature and vibrant personality.

After listening to the Montoya’s artist talk I felt like the exhibit that she created was being used a vehicle to give woman their voice back. It was a way to visually and artistically praise woman in society, create a vehicle for woman to relate to courageous woman who speak out, and also empower women.