Chapter 11: The Chicana and the Arts

Key Questions

1. What was the political orientation of Chicana artists and their contributions in the period 1970-74?
2. Who was Laura Rodriguez?
3. Who was Yolanda Lopez?
4. Who was Olga Talamantes?
5. Who was Gracia Molina de Pick?
6. How did women’s political participation influence the arts?
7. How were Chicanas involved in the formation of the Centro Cultural de la Raza?
8. What does Rita Sanchez’s experience teach us about the Chicana Arts movement?
9. What was Rita Sanchez’s experience in San Diego?
10. Who was Charlotte Hernandez Terry?
11. What was the RCAF and who were the women involved with it?
12. What was Vision de la Mujer?
13. What other women were there involved in painting murals in San Diego?
14. Who was Gloria Torres?
15. What was Rita Sanchez’s Acevedo Art Gallery?
16. What art exhibits were important for Chicanas and the arts in San Diego?
17. Who were las Comadres
18. What Chicana arts activity took place at Mesa College?
19. Who was Valerie Aranda?

Introduction

The Chicano Arts in San Diego have an impressive history and Chicanas have been crucial in their development. The Civil Rights movement in the 1960s provided the impetus for people of color to seek justice and equality in all areas of American life. In this chapter Rita Sanchez reflects on thirty years of Chicana involvement in the arts in San Diego.