CPS All-City Visual Arts Exhibitions

Teacher Name: Sharon Finley
Grade: 12

Materials: Acrylic Paint, colored pencils, paint markers
Dimensions: 18” × 19”
Description: Sana Sana Colita de Rana

Artist Statement: “Everything is Political ” was a statement my Art teacher had repeatedly told us throughout her class, Art of propaganda. I always thought it was a statement regarding the class within our artwork using symbolism restricting the statement inside my canvas. I thought about my shoes, my beat-up Nikes, and how such a large corporation making millions of dollars has not opted towards a more sustainable way of making shoes. I thought about the fact that they were beaten up and mostly gray of what used to be white. When I saw my dad laying down with red tired eyes and my mom’s hands burnt from cleaning chemicals, buying shoes was not a priority. Maybe I could get new shoes if minimum wage workers would be paid a livable wage that could amount to the cost of living. Seeing these issues in our day to day lives and how they affect us in the smallest way is a lens I never could have imagined gaining in an art class and I want to share that lens through my art.

I wanted to surge forward the political issues surrounding my Latino community. The ideas of assimilation and alienation that come from immigrating to such a potluck of cultures like America while also facing discrimination. I wanted to depict the struggles of immigrant culture and immigrating to America but also the generational trauma one can pass on to their children. Growing up I was so angry my childhood was filled paying bills, managing credit cards or filling out government papers but when I look back I was the only person who knew English around them and they were trying to make a living in a country where everything was not home and I was the only person that could translate those harsh English words. I wanted to deface Americanism through my pieces and deconstruct using my Mexican culture as a gateway of inspiration for my pieces like the sweet conchas I’ve always enjoyed, afternoons trying to translate , playing loteria and the saying “sana sana colita de rana”. I wanted my pieces to show socio-political issues surrounding our community, such as healthcare, traumas, labor laws and the idea of work.