Publication Date

5-2014

Date of Final Oral Examination (Defense)

3-13-2014

Type of Culminating Activity

Thesis

Degree Title

Master of Fine Arts, Visual Arts

Department

Art

Supervisory Committee Chair

Dan Scott, M.F.A.

Supervisory Committee Member

Richard A. Young, M.F.A.

Supervisory Committee Member

Kate Walker, M.F.A. and Kathy Tidwell, M.S.W.

Abstract

In this paper and the accompanying exhibition I examine the overlap of racism and immigration. This work explores the silent violence of oppression that results from dominant culture attitudes and policies about immigration. It also considers how these attitudes affect the formation of identity, including my own.

For the development of this work, I had to move away from the idea of creating just a project inside my studio to an active participation with the community in search of answers to my internal questions. The work presented is the result of a long process of research within the Mexican community in Idaho. The paintings are the result of the internal assimilation of all the experiences that brought me to understand the issues of being an immigrant. I have also created one short video suggesting the form of a prayer and an act of protest to stop racial discrimination and encourage a change in the immigration system. Some of the images collected during the filming process of the protests and interviews are also referenced in my paintings. The emotions, emphasized in the shadows of the protestors demonstrate certain feelings of not being heard, seen or acknowledged for the good work that immigrants bring to this country.

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