implications of this medium?
Posters, during the 1960’s were an option for people with poor financial resources, editorial pull
or mainstream presence. Silkscreen posters were very cheap to produce. A silkscreen printmaker
could produce 100’s of posters relatively quickly with the same skill and result of fine art print.
This means that it fits well with the oppressed minority groups such as Chicano people. They
used silkscreen printing for artistic expression.
Furthermore, the posters were used as vital parts of the social justice movements taking place
across the United States. Posters helped “call a movement into being through artistic
expression”, reflecting the community’s cultural and political ideologies. Some Chicano
communities used posters to support UFW Delano Grape Boycott and other unionizing struggles.
2. Why did the mural emerge as a Chicano art form? Why was collectivity important to
mural creation?
The civil rights movement led to the rise of different ways to artistically represent the resistance,
such as murals for the Chicano. The WPA murals and the Mexican mural resistance provided an
artistic legacy for a non mainstream audience. The goal was to redefine notions of universal
culture and the idea of an “AMerican melting pot”, whose meaning was of forcing unique
cultures into Eurocentric Protestant mainstream thinking. These murals supported civil rights
while reclaiming cultural heritage.
Collectivity was key for murals to have their impact since it combined the civil rights movement
with various other struggles like labor. It gave a means for dialogue between community
members and provided a voice to the community. The collective aspect of the community also
allowed for all sorts of collaboration and allowed people to build on similar themes such as the
mural created by the 3 brothers. Furthermore, communities also brought diversity on themes and
introduced other problems that were left unaddressed like alcohol.
3. Discuss the importance of Chicano Park. How is this an example of the intersection of art
and activism?
Chicano Park is an important part of chicano culture due to its centrality and commonality to all
forms of resistance. The park housed a large number of murals and a history of activism. There
were 40 murals in 24 concrete pillars and 2 abutments that are present in San Diego. The park
represents the “liberated territory” against some resistance from the city who eventually gave in
to the communities request and allowed for a strong base for artists and activists.
Chicano park represents a good example of art and activism. Assigned the title of “liberated
territory”, it represented a stronghold for activists to conduct activities, along with artists who
made murals to represent their artistic flair. These 2 sides collaborate on various levels to give
birth to an intersection. The murals represented art as well as political and cultural opinions.
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