Individual Research Project – Part 1 of research
THINK
Idea Brainstorm:
- Something Mexican-american/chicano
- Folklorico to make art in a different way?
- Paint coming from skirt, paint on shoes, on sombrero, shall if applicable
- Booklet/book on learning phrases from languages around the world
- Chicano’s guide to living in nyc (interactive)
- Create a light that supports underserved kids get the most out of their desk when they are doing homework in the evening time. (can be used in developing countries?)
- Speaking spanglish series (art based on spanglish terms, gives people a view into chicano culture, growing up in the states in a Mexican household)
- Clash of cultures, or rather the stitching of two cultures together
The common ideas among my brainstorm are languages, cultures, and making art from art. I want to somehow include two different cultures in my project, two cultures that are interwoven with each other. I myself grew up in a Mexican household in the United States; I’ve never felt a clash of the two cultures, but rather it was as if I grew up with the American and Mexican cultures interwoven with each other. I am thinking of making my project more about the 1960’s chicano walkouts in East LA, but I could definitely delve into more recent issues like the ICE raids that have been going on across the country (especially in Southern California). Or maybe I’ll cover both of these areas and even more.
HOW
I plan on making a collection of pieces depicting different parts of chicano culture and history in California. The reason why I want to specifically make it on chicano culture in California is because that is where I grew up and therefore that is what I know most about. I want each piece to have some kind of spanglish phrase or significant event in chicano history associated with it. This series could definitely be laid out in book form, but I think I will end up making a collection of 6-10 images and I will have to think more about how I want the viewer to see the images.
MEANING
This project would be based on chicano culture and emphasize the interconnectivity of both American and Mexican culture that many chicanos grow up with. I will focus on a few significant events in chicano history and also include some thoughts on the daily lives of chicanos today. Using images (both digital and drawn paintings) will help get the message across about the importance of chicanos in California’s history.
Second Part of Research:
1) Chicano Artists:
- Sandra Cisneros, Author
- Yreina Cervántez, Artist and Professor
- Based in Los Angeles, popular chicana muralist and has done quite a few public murals in Downtown Los Angeles.
- Magú, Painter and Sculptor
- Mario Torero, Artist and Activist
- Based in San Diego, has done a few works in Chicano Park in San Diego, CA.
- Rupert García, Artist
- Linda Vallejo, Artist
- Cheech Marin, Comedian
- Has one of the best collections of chicano art, has been displayed in LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art)
- Jaime Arredondo, Artist
- Based in New York
2) Museum/Exhibit/Galleries
- 2008 showing of Cheech Marin’s collections at LACMA
- El Centro Chicano at the University of Southern California
- Chicano art at El Museo del Barrio in East Harlem
- Mexican-American art at The Met
- Mano a Mano in New York, NY
3) Materials: Multimedia project that will end up being a mobile mural. Acrylic paints will be used on wood and using a rotating mechanism the mural will move. The materials will all be able to be purchased from local shops. It will be interesting to see exactly how I manage to pull off the rotating mechanism of the mural. It might be fun to test a few ways out before I decide on the one mechanism to use.
4) Sketches in my sketchbook!
5) I think I may be able to do multiple small versions of various rotating mechanisms that I can use to display the mural, but will need to purchase a few materials before I do so. Once the materials are gathered together, then I definitely think I will be able to test a few concepts out.
