Abstract
This paper examines how Latino public art in the United States goes beyond protest art by encompassing the ever-changing social construction of Latino identity in the United States. Public Art acts as a kind of metaphysical experience in which the epistemological goal of the art is to seek truth; truth regarding the reality of Latino lives and truth regarding the social construction of the Latino experience in the U.S. Sociologically, the narrative stories present in various artworks around the U.S. reflect Foucault’s “technologies of the self” and the power structures in which racial identities and various cultural practices are embedded. For example, Boise State University has an exhibit entitled “We Carry Inside Ourselves” which presents works of local and regional Latinx artists. These artworks are displayed in a variety of styles, but the artists provide visitors an opportunity to see themselves reflected in different Latino depictions. All these depictions defy monolithic stereotypes. In Spokane, Washington, a group called LTNX Artes works to preserve and celebrate the diversity within their community and support art projects that challenge the current political climate, as well as pushing the importance of cultural pluralism. Being able to maintain a language, heritage, tradition is difficult in a non-Latino dominant community. LTNX Artes preserves and celebrates the Latino experience. This study demonstrates how artwork that is being produced in different areas of the U.S. is often a response to political climates that threaten the livelihood, identity, and culture of Latinos.
Presenters
Heather RodriguezAssociate Professor of Sociology, Sociology and Latino Studies, Central Connecticut State University, Connecticut, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
The Arts in Social, Political, and Community Life
KEYWORDS
Public art, Protest art, Latinos, Identity
Digital Media
This presenter hasn’t added media.
Request media and follow this presentation.
