In this bilingual catalogue essay, art historian Holly Barnet-Sanchez explores Chicana graphic art in California from the mid-1970s to the end of the millennium by discussing the unifying trends in Chicana art and the importance of—yet seldom acknowledged—Chicana artists. Focusing on specific works, many of which were included in the accompanying exhibition Just Another Poster? Chicano Graphic Arts in California/¿Sólo un cartel más? Artes gráficas chicanas en California, organized by the University Art Museum at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2000, the author proposes that Chicana printmakers created a visual vocabulary that shaped Chicano/a identity during the Chicano Civil Rights Movement. Because the impact of Chicana art has been largely overlooked, Barnet-Sanchez discusses many works in depth, thus connecting them to historical motivations of the decades between 1965 and 1995. Female artists played an important role in each of those periods, she writes, and their contributions have shaped the understanding of art, politics, and gender. In addition to this, Barnet-Sanchez discusses many self-portraits and their pertinence in creating a previously nonexistent Chicana identity. Artists discussed include Irene Pérez, Linda Lucero, Yreina Cervántez, Yolanda M. López, Judithe E. Hernández, Liz Rodriguez, Barbara Carrasco, Ester Hernández, Patssi Valdez, Diane Gamboa, Margaret Alarcón, and Alma López.
