Chicana/O Art Affects Private and Public Space Public arts became the most noticeable form of Chicana/o art, starting from the 60's. Signs from the Heart: California Chicano Murals editors, Eva Cockcroft and Holly Barnet-Sanchez, state that an artwork that is truly "public" offers society a symbolic illustration of its collective beliefs, together with a continued reassertion of its collective self-image. The movement's artistic expressions include posters, murals, street processions, performances, and films (Chicano Art). Modernist art's early tendency was presenting subjective experience, in addition to stressing its value in a way that has never been done before (Butler, 2010 page51). Prominent artists from that era, who had taken over from the latter part of the nineteenth century and had a focus on the part played by symbolism, imagery, the unconscious, and dreams, were always inclined to give preference to individual self-realization. Furthermore, they employed epiphany and intuitive, imaginative ways of arriving at a truth, typically in disagreement with the more public or logical methods of argument. In fact, the most central of postmodernist ethical arguments involves the link between power and discourse (Butler, 2002 page 44). In this context, 'discourse' implies a historically developed collection of mutually supporting and interlocking statements, utilized for defining and describing a given subject matter. Basically, it represents the lingo of major intellectual disciplines (e.g., 'discursive practice' in the area of aesthetic judgment, law, medicine, etc.), thus securing that kind of "space." "

The Works

Numerous artworks of different artists have been studied before putting this paper together. Of these, one is Frank Romero's Festival of Masks Parade. This festive and colorful mural portrays the masked parade held every year along the Wilshire Boulevard during the fall season (Artwork -- Festival of Masks Parade). Several characters in complete regalia are shown strolling across the Boulevard; these include individuals wearing African masks, a Chinese dragon, an eagle dancer of Native American descent, a traditional Korean dancer, a colossal calavera puppet, Wizard of Oz's scarecrow, a Brazilian carnival troupe, and a bagpipe playing with a complete marching band. The parade is led by a convertible painted in bright red. Roberto Gil De Montes' Heaven to Earth is a triptych made of ceramic tiles, containing strong allegorical matter. The imagery of this triptych signifies the slow underground descent of a passenger (Heaven to Earth, 2009).

Among the world's most well-known intersections is that of Vine Street and Hollywood Boulevard, where one can see the famed Gilbert "Magu" Lujan-designed station. The artist collaborated with architecture firm, Miralles Associates, to conjure the glamor, excitement, and history of Hollywood's yesteryears, as well as its celebrated movie palaces. Right from the plaza at street level to its subway platform, one can observe hand-glazed tiles (240 in number) on the wall of the station (Hooray for Hollywood/Metro). Musical notes of "Hooray for Hollywood" are present in the design of its interior hand-rails. The station's interior comprises of several references to, and artifacts of, Hollywood. The ceiling is covered with movie reels. Further, two of Paramount Pictures' original movie projectors (sculptural references to the industry's golden history) dated back to the 30s, are on display. The plaza overhead houses sculptural representations of Hollywood, including a limousine, a pagoda, and the historic Brown Derby. The plaza exists no longer (it was closed down for construction purposes, though the sculptures were still there for some time prior to being taken away by the artist) and has been replaced by a hotel from the W Hotels chain (Hooray for Hollywood).

Harry Gamboa Junior's Vidrio is also an interesting artwork, which captures opera performers in action (this is what the work implies). Performers try to engage viewers through the presentation of a number of characters that are cast within downtown LA's urban environment (Vidrio, 2014). The artist makes an interesting remark with regard to this work, stating that the focus of his photography is the creation of works that depict interaction with representatives of international and local culture in Los Angeles' urban landscape. Gamboa organized the international performance group, Virtual Verite, in the year 2005, for creating photographs.

Yet another work is Jose Lozano's La Metro Loteria at Expo/La Brea light rail Station. The artist presents a Mexican Loteria cards sequence in this artwork. Just like Bingo, this game utilizes images rather than numbers on a card deck. The...

The artist retains Spanish prefixes such as "La," "Los" or "El," while substituting the word "Brea" with commonly-encountered Metro passenger interactions (Zeller, 2012). All 8 art panels depict different scenes: for instance, "El Luggage" portrays a smiling adult surrounded by overfilled luggage, while "La Prisa" (translation: the hurry) depicts a child and his mother hurrying across the platform. Steel bars above these art panels offer stability for Lozano's twenty-one-foot-long panels.
Syncretic Manifestations' artist Paul Botello is an East LA resident since birth, whose works are exhibited not only in the city of Los Angeles (LA), but abroad as well. This artwork's inspiration comes from the classic designs of Mayan, Pre-Columbian Aztec, and Anasazi cultures. Syncretic Manifestations is imbued with a contemporary sensibility, and "metaphorizes" the link between society, the sacred, and nature. Botello designed sixteen cut panels of stainless steel in the cut paper (papel picado) style, which flank the station's area and are a tribute to "history" and "family." Huge stylized heads of the plumed Mesoamerican serpent deity, Quetzalcoatl symbolizing the past, and current generations have been incorporated into the landscaped sites at opposite ends of this platform. Other murals of Botello that have been recently completed include "In Unison" showcased at Maravilla Housing Facility and "Citizens of the World" showcased at Esperanza School. Botello has completed an enormous mural for the construction fence of the Metro's Gold Line, located at Soto and First Streets. Parts of this mural are seen at East LA's Pueblo del Sol Community Center (Syncretic Manifestations, 2009).

Highland Park has a Victorian-style gateway designed by Teddy Sandoval. It features three tall columns in white (height: thirteen feet), supporting winged "guardians" of sparkly tile mosaics, capped with elaborate metal crowns. Every individual figure points to specific destinations on the Metro's Gold Line (for instance, Union Station, Southwest Museum, Pasadena, etc.). Ceramic hand-painted tiles that depict historical landmarks of LA and native and mystical themes are framed by two column bases (Highland Park Gateway, 2003), while a third column rests upon 2 dice -- a characteristic Sandoval symbol. A rippling aggregate of crushed blue glass bisects the platform. Seating elements at the platform include large dice, column capitals, and boulders artfully placed along with Victorian-styled metal chairs. Meanwhile, green mesh springs on top of artificial tree-trunks, offering shade to waiting passengers.

The First Artists in Southern California a Short Story (The First Artists in Southern California: A Short Story, 2003) is located near Memorial Park and below Holly Street Village Apartments. The artist was inspired to pay tribute to the locality's earliest Native artists, whose carvings and pictographs of yore have been found all over Southern California's caves, natural outcroppings, and rock cliffs (The First Artists in Southern California: A Short Story, 2003). Valadez has created aluminum cutouts of reptiles and stylized figures, based on age-old tribal designs created by Natives who resided in southwestern and coastal California. The images are perched between columns over the platform, in the form of an undulant lyrical composition extending for a length of more than a hundred feet. Painted in vibrant shades of orange, red, yellow, white, and black, the interconnecting graphics cast their shadows on the wall, offering a marked contrast to this cavernous station, while simultaneously bringing a cadenced pulse to its atmosphere.

Conclusion

Artists go from one exhibit to another in an orderly, rather than random, fashion. There is always some definite reason for specific art forms and artists ending up at specific art venues, like museums, galleries, institutions, etc. and not at other venues. This is what I personally felt when moving through the locations mentioned in this paper, and viewing these artworks. I sensed a need to be present there, and find a reason as to why I'm seeing it, while viewing every individual work (Writer Thoughts). I have certainly developed an enhanced appreciation of art through this project, as it gave me an entirely new understanding of the idea of "space."

References

"Artwork -- Festival of Masks Parade." LA Metro Home -- Getting Started. Web. 20 Feb 2016. .

Butler, Christopher. Modernism: A Very Short Introduction. N.p.: Oxford UP, 2010. Web. 21 Feb. 2016. .

Butler, Christopher. Postmodernism: A Very Short Introduction. N.p.: Oxford UP, 2002. Web. 20 Feb. 2016.