Mestizaje: The Feminist Art of Kathy Sosa [Hardcover]

Derived from the words miscereandgenusin Latin, mestizaje refers to a mixing of the races. In the book bilingual book Mestizaje, internationally acclaimed artistKathy Sosapresents a cross-sectional view of Mexican American culture as it is practiced in the centuries-old blended culture of the Texas-Mexico borderlands. She documents and projects the effects across generations of peoples and cultures meeting, overlapping, and organically blending into something new. The richness and beauty of mestizaje come from a place where people speak Spanglish, eat Tex-Mex food, and dance to Willie Nelson and Flaco Jimenez—sometimes all at once. Sosa foretells what much of the United States has become or will be like before long.

The imagery and symbolism ofpuro mestizaje(total mix) figure prominently in Sosa’s work, and it is a mix unique to the borderlands’ historical traditions and myriad cultures. Sosa derives inspiration from and reflects a bold palette of strong female figures. Celebrating what the women of these borderlands think, feel, and revere culturally, she explores the roles of indigenous traditions, colors, and textiles. Family, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances—real and imagined—participate in the spirit ofmexicanidad, though most were not born in Mexico and some have never visited. Supplemented with dual-language essays in English and Spanish by art critics, collectors, and historians,Mestizajerejoices in feminist notions of blended cultures and opens readers’ eyes to the lessons they offer and what they tell us about America today.

USBefore Kathy Sosa became Kathy Sosa, she was once Mrs. Peña, Title One reading teacher at Washington Irving Middle School on San Antonio’s West Side. “Miss” to her students, or “Mama” to her two boys. And long before that, she was Kathy Chapman, teen transplant flCo