Carolyn Flores "The 'Who We Are' Project"

This interview is with my friend, the incredibly talented, Caroline Flores of Las Lunas, NM.  I met her several years ago, when we post had tables set up at an art event in Albuquerque, NM.  I fell in love with her brand of Hispanic and Chicano art, and found her just as sweet and charming.  I have had the pleasure of running into her at several other art events around the Albuquerque area, and hope to have a talbe near hers again soon.  

Mi gente, i give you, Caroline Flores:

What feeds your soul? 

First and foremost God feeds my soul, My family is my life, and I love all types of music and art.

Where are your roots? In other words, when you call yourself Latina/o, where does your family history begin? 

My fathers mother was from Mexico, but my true family is Native New Mexican, our people have been in New Mexico since the border crossed us, so of course we are a true mestizo mix of Spanish and Native American.

When I comes to being latina/o what do you love most about your culture? 

This is a difficult question because I love everything about being Chicana. To put it simply, I love my family's ways and traditions, our bond, beauty, language and work ethic.

When you were growing up, what did your family do to celebrate your culture? 

Every day was a celebration of culture, though maybe I didn't realize it at the time. The food, the language/slang that was used, and our faith. We had a lot of Matanzas and family get togethers where stories were swapped and gossip was aired. Our family could be apart for ages and come back together like no time had passed at all.

Has there been any one latina/o celebrity or role model you have looked up to? 

I found my role models close to home, my grandparents were amazing, and taught me about hard work and family. My mother was very creative, and could always make the best of any situation her motto was "necessity is the mother of invention" and today that still rings true to me. My family has always been my inspiration and the reason I am the person that I am today.

What is your favorite cultural holiday? 

Dia de Los Muertos is my favorite cultural holiday,

although I did not grow up celebrating it. It's not really a New Mexican holiday, but it is a central theme of my art. Doing day of the dead art came with an amazing education, and in my opinion the most beautiful way to remember loved ones. Telling their stories and remembering them with an alter is such a beautiful tradition, I love it!

Is there spanish spoken in your home? 

Growing up, Spanish was always spoken in the background and in adult conversations. As I grew, I lost much of it, but we still keep the Spanglish tradition strong. I hope my children will learn more as they become adults.

FOOD! What is your favorite cultural dish? 

My favorite cultural dish is defiantly tamales. Traditional ones with pork and red chile. I even had a job making them as a teenager. I don't always make them every year, but making them is a tradition that I hope to pass down to my kids as it is a true art form.

What would you say to younger latinas/os about your culture and your heritage and being proud of they are? 

I encourage young Chicanos and Chicanas to embrace their culture, it's very trendy right now to be Latino, but it's so much more than that to me. It's a beautiful culture. Being a New Mexican is so special and unique I urge my kids to be proud of their history, family and traditions. It seems that with every generation we get a little more watered down, I'm guilty of it myself, but I hope that through my art and the art of other amazing Chicano artists, we can continue to show our culture as sexy, strong, and prideful.

Tell me about your art?  Where do you find most of your inspiration? 

My inspiration comes from my jente for sure! Their strength and emotion is what inspires me. Our unique style, expresses a charisma that I always attempt to capture on canvas.

How long have you been a artist??  

I have been an artist my whole life i think. I have doodled on everything from Walls to school books (oops), but I starting selling my art about 9 years ago. Through art shows and galleries, I have been blessed to meet the most amazing people. I appreciate my fellow artists so much and am always so inspired by their creativity. My customers have been such a blessing and have shown me support through my hardest trials! Mil Gracias to them! Without art, I wouldn't have had so many travels and amazing experiences, and for that I am truly grateful, gracias a Dios!

Carolyn is a New Mexico native, wife, mother and artist. She creates beautiful images inspired by her culture and her people. She has illustrated a children's book and her art has been featured on the posters for Hispanic Market, as well as other large art events. If you are interested in her art, you can see it here:
www.FaceBook.com/CarolynFloresArts

Gracias por leer!

Remember:

Se Amable

Se Honesto

Se Valiente

~Siempre~

Monique Mochacha Sanderson Mata~The "Who We Are" Project

The following interview is with my friend Monique. I met her on Facebook, through mutual friends, when i saw a posting for her AZ/NM Connection art sale. I had just moved back to NM from AZ and thought i'd fit in perfectly. After a while, i chatted, via messenger with Monique and we realized how much we had in common, both as artistas and as NM girls.

Amigos y Amiga, i give you, Monique Mochacha Sanderson Mata:

What feeds your soul? People! Being around folks learning their story is so intriguing! Especially the elders they have so much knowledge!

Where are your roots? In other words, when you call yourself Latina/o, where does your family history begin? New Mexico is where my roots lay. My mom is Navajo (Diné), Hopi, Pima and Tohono O'odham and my father is a Chicano from Tucumcari, NM

When it comes to being latina/o what do you love most about your culture?

Our perseverance! In the face of adversity we find a way to overcome! It’s quite interesting because the way we do this usually involves art in some form! We are a creative minded people be it with food, visual arts, tapestry or music! We will utilize our skills to make things happen. We are a hardworking proud people!

When you were growing up, what did your family do to celebrate your culture? Familia is Cultura to me! Being with family carrying on tradition and making memories while recalling the past! I grew up in rural NM and our community was full of family as well as close friends! The church was central to the community so we'd attend the fiestas; my favorite was watching the crowning of the queen! We'd also dance the night away at the street dances while NM Spanish music rang through the streets! We'd have huge feasts for a baptismal, communion, and confirmations. We'd be proud to be asked to participate in quincineras or weddings! We'd have Green Chile roasting parties in the summer then picked piñon when the season came up in the fall. A lot of our time in the winter was spent in the kitchen making tamales posole & biscochitos as a family, passing on traditional recipes or stories!

Has there been any one latina/o celebrity or role model you have looked up to? I have not only one but many!!! Although two women stand out; one is a family member and the other is my mentor. My paternal grandmother Celina Elebario definitely had a huge influence on me! To me she embodies the classy successful Latina woman! She was a career woman whom worked for the NM State Dept of Labor. Her position there enabled her to help the disadvantaged and stand up for their rights. She was also a single mother whom needed to put food on the table so at night she was a pool shark! My Gramma is also an artist, a crafter, she would make so many different types of functional art and set up booths wherever she could to vend her items! She is my own personal role model. The other is Kathy Cano-Murillo aka The Crafty Chica whom I'm honored to have as a friend and mentor! She has done it all! I look up to her! Her success inspires me and I respect her wholeheartedly! She represents our community so well and if I could only have a smidge of the success she has achieved I'd be ever so happy! She is the first Chicana to have her own product line in Michaels Craft Stores!!! She is an accomplished author of not only DIY books but Novels too! People pay her to speak and share her wealth of positivity & creativity to the masses! I am so honored that I can go to her for absolutely anything be it artsy or life situations! She always knows just what to say and which direction to point me to!

What is your favorite cultural holiday? Dia de Los Muertos! We get the opportunity to celebrate as a community those whom have passed that we hold dear to our hearts!

Is there spanish spoken in your home? Unfortunately, no. My mother is Native American and didn't share my father's language. English was the primary language. In all fairness I also wasn't taught to speak Navajo either. Spanish is understood but not spoken.

FOOD! What is your favorite cultural dish? Homemade Green Chile Stuffed Sopapillas!!!

What would you say to younger latinas/os aboutculture and your heri your tage and being proud of they are?

We are an old culture we've been here for a long time our traditions have endured! Take time to speak to the older generations to gain knowledge and keep our cultura alive! Learn your language, never be ashamed and always fight for your people! Never bow down but stay humble...

Tell me about your art? Where do you find most of your inspiration?

I’m a crafter and a painter.

I get inspired by others' inspiration! I'm at home amongst creative people! People such as authors, musicians, dancers, singers, poets, visual artists, crafters, activists, chefs, lowriders and the list goes on; spark my imaginiation! When my senses are triggered it makes my wheels turn!

How long have you been an artist?? I’ve been crafting for as long as I can remember primarily as a hobby for birthday presents, or knick-knacks for special occasions. I got serious about it in 2006 when my best friend, Annalisa Rios, and I started our crafting company called Con/Safos! At first, I just stuck to crafting but have moved on to painting on canvas. I'm still learning and with each piece I paint I see improvement!

Monique lives in Phoenix, AZ where she ran the Creation 

Station Gallery for two years. Originally from NM, she 

created the AZ/NM Connection Group Show to promote 

collaborations between artists of all genres from both states.

Monique currently advocates, encourages, mentors, and

promotes art/artists; she also creates it too! She is part of 

the

esteemed group The Phoenix Fridas Latina Art Collectiveand 
participates/works with groups such as Latina Strong

Here are some links to Monique's work:

https://m.facebook.com/phoenixfridas/

https://m.facebook.com/CreationStationLaMelgosa/

Gracias por leer!

Remember:

Se Amable

Se Honesto

Se Valiente

~Siempre~