CHICANO 132
Spirituality as Resistance The Politics of Day of the Dead in meXicana/o Art Practice and Culture
The class focuses on the methods developed by Chicana/o artists in the 1970s to engage and maintain relationships in community as a way of keeping meXicana culture alive and growing in the US. This methodology uses art as a strategy of recovering Mexican cultural traditions to create sacred spaces rooted in the opposition to colonialism and as a strategy to understand and reflect on the resistance to assimilation, the implicit societal pressure to step away from tradition(s) and the relationships that are forged in the practice of these traditions.
Topics
- Understand the methods Chicana/o artists developed to engage and maintain relationships in community as a way of keeping Chicana/o culture alive and growing. Understand the use of art making as an act of resistance to assimilation, the implicit societal pressure to step away from tradition(s) and the relationships that are forged in the practice of these traditions. Understand the development of methods and forms that respond to the overt needs of marginalized and oppressed communities within the United States by using art a tool for education, social justice, and liberation. Provide an experience of reading, reflection, and discussion combined with the process of developing an idea into a piece of art as part of a community. Learn how to plan & execute art projects and prepare for an exhibition. This will include both traditional (installation art, drawing, painting and collage) and digital methods.
Official catalogue course objectives and student learning outcomes
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026-2027