Chicano Art Movement Essay

Words: 1209
Pages: 5

Introduction
Chicano art has always been used as a way to express political messages and show cultural gratification. I selected The Chicano Art Movement as my topic for my Senior Project because I am well aware that Chicanos today paint murals that show important community elements. I also know that historically Mexican-American students in the 1960s painted beautiful murals and colorful posters which contained political messages. I am very interested in this topic because much of the art done by Chicanos in the 1960’s has influenced the public art we see today in our communities, but I would like to know how it impacts the community. Watsonville is an agricultural low-income community, home to immigrants who come from Mexico to work and
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I will be also researching the origins of “The Chicano Art Movement”, and how it has impacted my own community.

History and Impact of Chicano Art Movement To have a better understanding on how Chicano Art has influenced Mexican-American communities, an enterprising book is Chicana and Chicano Art by Carlos Francisco Jackson. This book discusses the history behind the Chicano art movement, who was involved in the movement, why they became a part of it, and what they stood for.
The Chicano art movement is the establishment of Mexican-Americans creating art that includes cultural and political aspirations. The term “Chicano” does not just define a person who is simply “Mexican-American”, the term goes beyond that. It is actually used to define somebody who of course is Mexican-American, but is taking on that identity; that an individual refuses to just be categorized as Hispanic or Latino. The Chicano art movement was a part of a larger movement of Chicano youths who struggled for self-determination and reclamation of their community’s history and culture. In the 1960’s it was common to see murals in the barrios. Today it is seen