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Chicano Art Guide: Xicanisma

An art historical guide about the artwork and movement that stemmed from the Chicano Movement in the United States.

Defining Xicanisma

The term Xicanisma also known as Chicana Feminism was coined by Ana Castillo in her book Massacre of the Dreamers and defined as, "a sociopolitical movement in the United States that analyzes the historical, cultural, spiritual, educational, and economic intersections of Mexican-American women that identify as Chicana." The writings by prominent scholars like Ana Castillo, Gloria Anzaldua, and Martha Cotera have prompted artists to take a critical lens toward the Chicano Art Movement in terms of its relationship to women. This in turn had an impact on the art created by women associated or influenced by the Chicano Art Movement. 

Books in the Collection

Feminist Theory/WRITINGS

A Few Relevant Chicana Artists

Tamalada, 1990, color lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Carmen Lomas Garza.

 

Mujer de Mucha Enagua: Pa' Ti Xicana, 1999, screenprint, Yreina D. Cervantes.

 

Viva la Mujer (Long Live the Woman) , 2017, screenprint 40 x 28 inches, by Melanie Cervantes and Jesus Barraza.

Asco, Gronk, Willie F. Herrón III, Patssi Valdez, Harry Gamboa, Jr., À La Mode, 1976, printed 2010, chromogenic print, Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Patssi Valdez, pictured here, was a member of the collective ASCO and painter.