Art produced during the Chicanx Movement
The Chicano Art Movement emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s as a vibrant and powerful expression of the Chicano/a community's identity and struggle for social justice in the United States. The movement was deeply rooted in the experiences of Mexican Americans who faced systemic discrimination, marginalization, and a loss of cultural heritage. Inspired by the civil rights movements of the era, Chicano artists sought to reclaim their cultural roots, challenge oppressive narratives, and assert their presence within the larger art world.
One significant aspect of the Chicano Art Movement was its emphasis on public art, particularly murals. Artists collaborated with community members to create large-scale murals that adorned walls in urban neighborhoods, schools, and public spaces. These murals served as visual narratives, telling stories of Chicano/a history, resilience, and resistance. They became iconic symbols of community pride, cultural heritage, and activism, often depicting heroes, everyday life, social issues, and calls for justice.
- Reference course reading Art by Rita Gonzalez.
- Latina/o art is the shaping, iterating, and/or interrogating of the cultural expressions of one’s relationship—even if contested—to latinidad.
- Just as “Latina/o” and “Latin American” are heavily contested terms, so too is “Latina/o art” in that it can be used as an umbrella term to encompass diverse artistic practices from geometric abstraction to activist driven social practice art.
- Discuss the meaning behind producing art for each artist during the movement.
- Each page dissects a specific artist/mural important to Los Angeles and its significance in its inclusion of our page.
- Focus:
- Mexican artists believed art could act as a vehicle for political and social change.
- Chicano art can be viewed as a form of protest art.