A look inside the works of murals and Chicana artists.

1. A Look Inside the Mur Murs: Murals, Chicanas, and
the Female Gaze Exhibit By the UCLA Chicano
Studies Research Center
Chicana
Murals
Presentation by Micaela Ramirez

2. “An exploration of Chicana murals throughout
the Los Angeles region as seen by women.”
Description of online exhibit:

3. The Overview in the exhibit explicitly
states that the intention behind this
exhibit is to serve as a platform to
“uncover the hidden stories behind the
murals created by Chicana artists in the
Los Angeles region” as they are often
overlooked when compared to their
male counterparts .
Exhibit
Overview

4. About the Exhibit
Title: Mur Murs: Murals, Chicanas, and the Female
Gaze
Curator: Grace Muñoz, CSRC 2020-2021
Graduate Student Researcher
Artists Highlighted:
Judy Baca
Judith Hernandez
Barbara Carrasco
Yreina Cervantez

5. Artists Analysis, Interpretation,
and Evaluation
Closing Statement
1
2 3
Outline

6. Judy Baca
“Mi Abuelita” by Judy Baca, 1971
Baca became the first Chicana artist to create a mural in 1971 with her piece
“Mi Abuelita” as shown to the left. It was inspired by her grandmother and her
experience growing up in a matriarchal family. It marks the beginning of her
strong interest in Chicanx indigeneity and female empowerment. (Img source:
https://www.judybaca.com/art/miabuelita1970/)
The Los Angeles Citywide Mural Program
She created the LACMP to encourage community building and intended
it to be support for youth to stay away from gang-afflicted areas and
Baca has dedicated her entire career to breaking down barriers
between people and form unity through reclaiming public spaces.
The Social and Public Art Resource Center
In 1978, along with Christina Schlesinger and Donna Deitch,
Baca formed SPARC in order to ensure the preservation and
production of public art in LA continued as a method of
empowering communities, in spite of censorship by the City of
LA.

7. Judy Baca
The first mural by SPARC and
is one of the longest murals in
the world which features a
revised history of LA, putting
an emphasis on interracial
harmony. (Img source:
https://www.pbssocal.org/art
s-entertainment/seven-
books-to-help-understand-
judith-bacas-great-wall-of-
los-angeles-and-l-a-itself)
JUDY BACA WITH THE ARTISTS OF
THE GREAT WALL OF LOS ANGELES
ARTISTS PARTICPATING IN
THE GREAT WALL OF LOS
ANGELES MURAL
“The Great Wall of Los
Angeles is one of Los
Angeles’ true cultural
landmarks and one of the
country’s most respected
and largest monuments to
inter-racial harmony.”
(Source:
https://www.judybaca.com
/art/great-wall-of-los-
angeles-1974-present/)
THE GREAT WALL OF LOS ANGELES
BY SPARC, LED BY JUDY BACA (1978)

8. Hernández is considered to be a founding
member of the Chicano Art Movement.
She is the last member and only woman in
the art collective “Los Four”. Her work
centers around social-political tensions of
gender-roles and incorporating
indigenous imagery. She is most known
for her mural “Homenaje a las mujeres de
Aztlán”(1976). (Img source:
https://unframed.lacma.org/2018/03/22
/self-guided-driving-tour-la-part-two)
Judithe
Hernández

9. Judith Hernandez
As shown on the left, the mural
is called “La Reina de Los
Angeles” by Judithe
Hernandez, showcasing her
depictions of feminine strength.
(Img source:
https://www.themcla.org/mural
s/recuerdos-de-ayer-
sue%C3%B1os-de-
mana%C3%B1)
The mural “Homenaje a las
mujeres de Aztlan” is often not
given correct credit ad
misname it. It is found in
Ramona Gardens public
housing development in Boyle
Heights.
i

10. Barbara Carrasco
L.A. History: A Mexican Perspective (1981)
Carrasco’s mural “L.A. History: A Mexican Perspective”
showcases the history of Los Angeles through vignettes that
depict the experiences of marginalized groups. The main focus
is how these experiences are interwoven into a woman’s hair.
The mural was designed to be portable. It was commissioned
by the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency for the
city’s bicentennial celebration in 1981. It had plans to be shown
at the 1984 Olympic games in LA and would have been
mounted on the side of a McDonald’s in downtown Los Angeles.
Too Controversial?
It’s subject matter was deemed too controversial for the CRA,
and because Carrasco refused to remove 14 scenes, the CRA
stopped plans for it to be shown publicly. The censorship
attempts went through a long legal battle over copyright and so
the mural remained in storage for decades with limited
viewings.
(Img source: https://lamag.com/art/la-history-a-mexican-perspective)

11. In 2020, the Natural History Museum of
Los Angeles County acquired the mural
for permanent display. It fulfilled
Carrasco’s wishes and both the mural
and artist received the deserved
recognition long overdue. (Img source:
https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/artbo
und/after-40-plus-years-barbara-
carrascos-censored-mural-finds-a-
permanent-home)
Barbara
Carrasco

12. Yreina Cervantez
La Offrenda(1989)
Cervantez is most known for her mural “La Offrenda” which was
funded by SPARC. The english translation of the title is “offering”
and refers to the altars made for someone to remember.. This
particular piece honors Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United
Farmworkers Union and is a symbol of solidarity between the
Chicano and Central American communities.
“La Offrenda” had to be restored in 2016 after it was tagged
over many times. The location being under a bridge made it
easy for people to cover it, but SPARC took the initiative to
restore it.
There was a use of different mediums to create this mural, such
as spray painting and paint, since this was a collaborative effort
as seen in the picture to the left, which was taken during the
original mural implementation. (Img source:
https://sparcinla.org/projects/iconic-la-mural-saved-la-
ofrenda-by-yreina-cervantez/)

13. The exhibit is outlined in a easy scroll
slideshow with audio clips from the
artists.
Each of the four artists are highlighted
with a bit of a background info and a
nod to their work that is most
recognized.
Analysis The work by Baca, Hernandez, Carrasco,
and Cervantez have contributed greatly to
the rise of Chicana muralists and each of
their woks share a relatable theme for
women and minorities, choosing to share
their experiences but also collaborating with
others to create more impactful works of
art.
The murals highlighted in this exhibit all share the same focus:
the experience of being Chicanx in various forms.

14. Interpretation
I personally identified with the
feminine empowerment within
the work presented. I find the
pieces to be inspiring and vivid.
I can’t help but think of my own
upbringing when I see these
murals and think of the
struggles my own parents and
siblings went through simply for
being a minority.
I think the work created by Baca,
Hernandez, Carrasco, and
Cervantez is a movement towards
equaling the playing-field between
men and women in any industry
really. Having to put in double the
effort to get viewed to be just as
capable as our male counterparts is
how most women feel when it
comes to their work in general. I
myself am a woman in computer
science and am constantly
reminded of the gap between
genders in the profession.

15. Evaluation
The exhibit is hard to measure as a success since it is a virtual
experience, but I have to say it is successful in capturing ones
attention. It is an intuitive design to showcase these artists via
the sliding slideshow, which only takes one click to move to the
next scene and having the audio clips play automatically is a
good plus as well. I found myself immersed in learning about the
backgrounds and work put into each artists mural pieces.
In contrast to other art exhibits I have attended in the past, I
have found myself truly wondering more about the women
behind the art for once. Since this is a limited exhibit, I did
research to learn more about them and cam across multiple
articles and their websites to dive further into what they do and
why they do it. I am not much of an art person but for once, this
had me wondering and asking questions about what I was
viewing because the art styles and colors spoke to me and
were nostalgic to me.

16. Thank you!
Check out the exhibit here:
https://artsandculture.google.com/story/mur-murs-
murals-chicanas-and-the-female-gaze-ucla-chicano-
studies-research-center/OAWRS5bM7y0mLA?hl=en