“Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?”
BLSO, a Brandeis association for Latinos, will be kicking off Hispanic Heritage Month with Latina feminism. This Friday from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. BLSO will be hosting “Art Night: Spotlight on Frida Kahlo.”
Frida Kahlo was a Mexican artist, however, she is now a cultural icon to Hispanic communities worldwide. In addition to being Mexican, she was of German descent. Her most famous art was her self portraits, which often centered around her conflicting German and Mexican identities and loneliness, both of which were issues she dealt with throughout her life.
The art work Frida Kahlo left behind has left a legacy. Her life story and self portraits depict a strong independent Latina woman. She was an advocate for equalizing the gap between women and men. Her non-conformist lifestyle, which included bisexual affairs and not assimilating to American culture when she was living in the U.S., political views and conflicts with identity make her the growing body for feminist studies she is today across all cultures.
Considering there is now a class in the Fine Arts department focused on Frida Kahlo, the BLSO E-board brought up the idea and decided it would be a perfect time to have an event centered around Frida Kahlo. Naturally, Art Night seemed appropriate.
One does not need to know about Frida Kahlo or have an artistic hand to enjoy this event. This is an opportunity to “get out of your comfort zone and learn about Frida Kahlo and enjoy making art,” says club president Alex Perez ’19. He encourages and welcomes all backgrounds to attend Art Night. He also invites those who just want to make a painting they have in mind. If the painting isn’t anything related to Frida Kahlo, out of respect, Perez asks that participants make something related to Frida Kahlo first. There are no limits to how many paintings a person is allowed to make.
Perez says he is excited to see what people are inspired to paint after learning about Frida Kahlo and being exposed to her art work. He hopes to see wonderful self portraits. After everyone is done painting, the BLSO E-board members want to hang some of the pieces in the Intercultural Center lounge.
Hispanic Heritage Month is a celebration of Hispanic and Latino American culture, while also recognizing their contributions here in the United States. Hispanic Heritage Month starts on Sept. 15 and its final day is Oct. 15. Within the first four days of Hispanic Heritage Month, seven Central and South American countries celebrate their independence days. Happy Independence day to Costa Rica (Sept. 15), El Salvador (Sept. 15), Guatemala (Sept. 15), Honduras (Sept. 15), Nicaragua (Sept. 15), Mexico (Sept. 16) and Chile (Sept. 18). From the beginning to end of Hispanic Heritage Month, BLSO will be hosting many other events open to the general public here at Brandeis University.
