Frida Kahlo: Life Paralleling the Chicana Experience in the Early 1900’s - Natalie Stagnone

Frida Kahlo: Life Paralleling the Chicana Experience in the Early 1900’s

Hi, my name is Natalie (she/her) and I am an undergraduate at the University of Washington. I have created an altar for Frida Kahlo. Known for her self-portraits, Mexician Artist Frida Kahlo depicted both the female experience and the culture of Mexican and Indigenous people in the early 1900’s. Kahlo was multicultural, with her father being from Germany and her mother was part Mexican and part Native American. Kahlo was also disabled for most of her life, having had Polio at a young age and then having been in a serious bus accident as a teenager. Kahlo’s fame grew in the 1970’s when the feminist movement began to recognize her work in portraying the female Mexican experience. Being a multicultural, disabled artist, Kahlo is able to run parallel to the Chicana experiences that are showcased in altars. Kahlo’s altar displays many elements of her self-portraits, including parrots shown in her self portrait Me and My Parrot, roots that reflect mother earth and were shown in her self portrait Roots, and a paintbrush for her historical impact on art. Elements of Chicana Altars were used for four key elements: fire, water, wind and earth and represented by a candle, flag, glass with water, plants/flowers, bread, and stuffed animals. The backdrop and cloth for Kahlo’s altar is bright, vibrant fabric similar to the colors used in many of her paintings and serve to further represent her Mexican identity. Overall, I created an altar in memory of Frida Kahlo and her importance in remembering Mexican Women’s lived experiences in the early 1900’s as well as creating a route for more women to have this space.