Why I Still Choose Art History

When I was attending community college, I took an Art Appreciation course and was immersed in a dynamic world I had very little knowledge of. After talking with my professor, I decided I would be changing my major to art history. I was glad that I made that step for myself, but also dreading that talk with my parents, specifically my Dad who had decided my career for me when I was younger. Having a career that paid well and had good benefits is what every first-generation’s parent wants for their children.

Our conversation ended in a compromise in which I would pursue my graduate studies while having a school district job; however as many have experienced, life sometimes turns your plans around.

Having a career that paid well and had good benefits is what every first-generation’s parent wants for their children.

During my lower-division coursework, I took a more “traditional” approach to art history and focused my studies on Renaissance and Mesoamerican art. It wasn’t until I took a “Chicano Art” class in my upper-division that my entire world was expanded. I had no idea how much of OUR history was hidden from us in plain sight. I refer to that point in my life as the Great Awakening haha. I was amazed by the conceptualism and also angry that my people’s presence in this country was whitewashed & swept under the rug.

I was amazed by the conceptualism and also angry that my people’s presence in this country was whitewashed & swept under the rug.

This changed my entire approach to art history and honestly, changed the way I perceived it entirely. I was no longer amazed by the ancient Greek marble sculptures the way I once was; don’t get me wrong, I still love traditional subject matter, but I cannot identify with it.

I strongly believe that if I had been taught about the history of my people, my coming-of-age journey would have had less detours; and it’s unfortunate that this is also another shared experience among the Latinx. I am an advocate for ethnic studies being integrated as part of the k-12 curriculum in schools, so that the youth are exposed to other cultures. Because constantly being taught about the Treaty of Versailles or Bill Clinton’s Impeachment in history class was like beating a dead horse for many years.

Why I Still Choose Art History

History is supposed to teach us about where we’ve been and influence the path where we are headed, individually and as a society. Not teaching the youth about their history is a purposeful act of omission; no representation pressures a group of people towards assimilation; the “safety” of assimilation makes white-washing all the more easy to achieve. This is one of the reasons why I stuck with art history instead of ethnic studies, so that I could do my part in advocating for Latinx art in the academic field of art history. All POC have been here and will continue being here no matter what. It is now our responsibility to spread the knowledge and ideas of those before us who wanted to empower generations to come.