Lesson 16

Border Icons

Objective: Students will understand the artistic definition of "icon" and be able to articulate its importance in the popular art of the border.

NCSS Standards Met By This Lesson: I, II, III, IV and V. 

Introduction: Throughout the Border Studies Curriculum, we've looked at a lot of texts, statistics, and stories. In Lesson 18, the Border Forum, students will do research on various border issues. It seems appropriate to take a break from this text-heavy approach to the border, and literally take a look at the visual. Border art, especially Chicano art, is rich in its use of icons--which can loosely be described as a picture, person, structure, or graphic symbol that is often regarded with veneration. This is a very straightforward three-part lesson: definition, examples, practice.

Materials/Preparation: Ideally, this lesson should be supplemented with several photography books, art books, magazines and other visual examples of border art and icons. Don't be afraid to be off-the-wall or irreverent. Any graphic symbol, picture or person regarded with veneration qualifies as an icon: the Dallas Cowboys' logo, then, for example, is a familiar border icon. The logos of our border cities and universities are similarly iconic, as are our sports mascots. 

Some texts to consider:

Any books of Mexican, Aztec, or Chicano Art

Magazines of Low-Rider Art, Graffiti Art, HipHop Art, Tattoo Art

A picture of the Virgen de Guadalupe

A picture of a cherry red 1962 Chevy Impala Low-Rider With a Virgen de Guadalupe

And any images from this list of border icons:

Dallas Cowboys logo, Dallas Cowboy cheerleader poster, Frida Kahlo, Pancho Villa, Selena, U.S. flag, Mexican flag, Elvis Presley (esp. on black velvet), El Vez, Mexican/Chicano Mural Art, conquistador, Aztec warrior, César Chávez, United Farm Workers flag (thunderbird design), brown berets, Ché Guevara poster, cactus symbol, howling coyote icons, sun symbols (e.g. the New Mexico state flag with its Zia symbol), "Sun Mad" poster, "Zoot Suit" poster, Pachuco, Cholo/a, calaveras (skeletons a la Posada), etc.

Some specific resources:

Books:
Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation, 1965-1985. Richard Griswold Del Castillo, Teresa McKenna, Yvonne Yarbro-Bejarno, eds. Los Angeles: UCLA Wight Art Gallery, 1991.

Chihuahua: Pictures From The Edge. Photographs by Virgil Hancock. Essay by Charles Bowden. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1996.

Vatos. Photographs by José Galvez. Poem by Luis Alberto Urrea. El Paso: Cinco Puntos Press, 1999.

Internet:
The Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe

For Part 3, the students will need Art supplies. At the very least, posterboard or butcher paper, paints, markers, crayons, pencils, the full range of art supplies.

Instruction/Practice:

Part 1 -- Definition

What is an icon? It would be interesting to get the students' definitions of this word first before proceeding to any text source.

Most likely, a lot of students have used the word "icon" to refer to graphic images they click on their computer screens. This gives us part of the definition: an icon is a graphic image.

A few students might know that the word "icon" originally was used to refer to religious symbols, esp. in the Orthodox and Catholic Christian traditions. The Orthodox church has an entire theology of icons which is fascinating in itself. The teacher might want to bring in a book of Orthodox icons to show the students.

In this context, most people living in the border region are familiar with the icon of the Virgen de Guadalupe.

The art world has appropriated the religious significance of the icon to create graphic iconic images of their own. Without yet going to a text reference, can any student think of any person or picture or graphic symbol that could be considered an "icon"?

The range of responses could be anything. Thanks to Andy Warhol, among others, images of Marilyn Monroe are iconic. Elvis Presley, the Nike logo, the Green Giant, ....etc.

Now, let's consider some textbook definitions:

1) From the Internet Dictionary of the Visual Arts:

"Icon -- loosely, a picture, a sculpture, or even a building when regarded as an object of veneration. Examples--a flag, religious symbols . . .  Also, an icon can be a person who is the object of great attention and devotion, an idol.  And, in computer jargon, an icon is a picture on the screen that represents a specific command or a piece of software."

From icon, we have other words such an iconoclast, iconic, and iconography, the study of a subject matter and symbolism in the visual arts.

2) From Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation (page 363):

"Icons of Chicano art are images or objects that embody symbolic meaning particular to the cultural and political identity of Chicanos. Their emblematic qualities serve as effective symbols of the Chicano experience."

Part 2 -- Examples

Students may still not be sure exactly what an icon is, but rather than engage in more discussion, it might be more fruitful to look at examples from magazines and books.

Because it is probably the most often-seen and one of the most powerful icons of the border region, it would be especially interesting to look closely at the icon of the Virgen de Guadalupe. 

However, many teachers may want to tend to stay away from discussing the Virgen de Guadalupe in a public school setting, for fears that it would be seen as a form of religious instruction or might offend many people for many kinds of reasons. Tteachers may prefer to use other examples to demonstrate this same principle. Why are pictures of Pancho Villa with his two belts of bullets wrapped across his chest iconic whereas a picture of him riding in his car is not? Why have a certain few images of Selena become commonplace whereas other photos have not? What graphic elements must be present to make an image of a cholo or zoot suiter or Ché Guevara iconic? For that matter, what are the classic iconic photos of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley?

Whatever examples are used, one must still make passing reference to the Virgen de Guadalupe as a ubiquitous border icon--her image is everywhere, on candles at the supermarket, to the doors of lowriders, as tattoos on people's backs....the list is endless.

Why is the icon of the Virgen de Guadalupe so prevalent on the border? Pancho Villa? The Mexican flag? And, more recently, Frida Kahlo?

At the same time we are considering these famous icons, we might consider newer examples of icons. Unfortunately, runaway capitalism provides us with a myriad of icons in the form of the all-important corporate logo. What corporate logos are familiar around the border area? (For some reason, I immediately think of the logo for Bimbo, the Mexican bread company.)   How about Tecate, Corona, etc?

Have your students close their eyes and take a mental walk around the border cities they know. There are graphic images all over the region--from graffiti on walls to murals to city symbols to posters to paintings done on the concrete walls of the Rio Grande divider in Ciudad Juárez. Have students make a list of all the icons they can think of. 

A minor note: Mexican political parties, the PAN, the PRI, the PRD, others, have distinctive iconic logos, whereas U.S. political parties do not. Are North Americans less inclined to "think" in terms of icons? Why might that be?

In any case, enough analysis and verbalization. Time for the fun.

Part 3 -- Icon and Mural Design

Using butcher paper, posterboard, and the full range of art supplies, have your students paint, draw, (insert art verb here) their favorite icon (students may want to look at books and magazines as a guide) or design a new icon that represents an important aspect of border life.

An even bolder concept for this lesson would be to have the students combine their images into a butcher paper mural. Obviously, this would require a great deal of organizational on the part of the teacher and the students. However, this would be the ideal communal way to integrate all of the aspects of this lesson.

Closure: When the student icons/murals are finished, invite other classes to view them and comment upon them.

Extension: Icons are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Chicano art, especially popular art forms. Some students may want to research further into the history of the Chicano art movement. For a start, ask students: What was the Royal Chicano Air Force?

Updated October 2004