Art Pulse: A Yakima artist shows why farmworkers are essential - Crosscut

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What were you doing when the pandemic began?

In my teaching life, we were learning about the history of sumi-e painting, a Japanese style like calligraphy going back to China. Then the pandemic hit. I had purchased calligraphy brushes for all my students and they were creating cherry blossom tree branches. I remember walking into my classroom the Monday after they shut everything down, and there were the trays on the table with the ink and their paintings still in the drying rack. 

What’s it like to be an art teacher during a pandemic?

A lot of my kids go from babysitter to grandma's house, to tia’s house, to uncle’s house. They forget their materials or they lose their materials or they simply don't have materials. I’ve been putting together art kits for them and distributing them to families, so they actually have materials they can use. It's a challenge, especially with students not having devices to begin with. But for those students that have been able to log on, it's refreshing to be able to see them, even if it's virtually. They miss learning from one another, talking to each other about their work and creating together. I really miss seeing them. Being a teacher taught me how to be an advocate for my students, my program, the arts and my community. The prints that I create are just an extension of that. 

You grew up in Western Washington. How did you land in Yakima?

I grew up in Seattle and Tacoma. That's home. I moved out here to go to grad school. Initially when I moved out to Yakima, I had the intention of moving back [but] the longer I lived here the more I was like, “I need to stay here. I feel like I have some work to do here. There's a reason why I'm here, and I think I'm needed here.”

How did you feel you were needed? 

I'm one of two Latina teachers at my school. My kids are 80% Latino, Hispanic. I really connected with my students. When I went to school, I didn't have a teacher that looked like me, that I made a connection with on a cultural level. I know a lot of these students are probably not going to have that. I’m working with pretty much who I was as a kid, so I decided to stay here for that.

Identity is a big theme in your work, so how do you identify? 

It has been a little complex. I've always identified as Latina, mainly Mexican American. And Latinx for me is fine, too. I'm comfortable using Latinx when I'm talking about my students, a new generation. So Mexican American, Latinx, I can go both ways. 

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Art Pulse: A Yakima artist shows why farmworkers are essential - Crosscut
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