Written by César Augusto Martínez, one of the most active members of the Chicano art movement of the 1970s, “Arte Chicano” discusses the implications of the term “Chicano” (in Part One) and the status of Chicano art in the mainstream art circuits (in Part Two). In Part One, the author points out controversial, conflicting connotations of the signifier “Chicano.” On the one hand, the term is associated with the negative stereotypes of poverty and crime. On the other, it is used with pride by community activists, who celebrate their social and economic origins. As an extension, Chicano art implies political activism, recognition of the community from which it stems, and struggle for civil rights. In Part Two, Martínez identifies these political and communal leanings of Chicano art as the obstacles that prevent it from being recognized by the academic circles. Thus, he challenges the mainstream criteria of art legitimization, which, according to him, are solely based on stylistic and formal aspects of art. He also asserts a distinct nature of Chicano cultural identity: a fusion of Mexican, American, European, indigenous, and “whatever” roots. As such, Chicano art eschews “nationalistic guidelines” and easy classification, challenging common preconceptions and prejudices of the viewers. Finally, he postulates that Chicano art—just as any art—must be understood in terms of context from which it emerged.
