Marilyn Danielle Garcia
Ph.D. Student
mgarcia101@unm.eduCV
Marilyn Garcia (she/her/ella) is a UNM graduate student pursuing a PhD in Chicana/o Studies. She is a first-generation Chicana scholar holding a B.A. in Psychology and M.A. in English. Growing up on the Southside of San Antonio TX, Garcia learned how to navigate living under socioeconomic pressure by ‘cashing in’ on creativity for survival. From witnessing her grandmother sell crafts in exchange of food, school supplies, and uniforms- her scholarship centers on the value of material (crafts) ingenuity and domesticity of Chicanas as liberal practices of entrepreneurship skills born out of her experiences, cultural values, and artforms. Garcia has participated in panels, workshops, and community events that uplift Mexicanas living in the U.S. Southwest.
"My work transcends traditional ways of thinking about narratives as my form of storytelling encompasses texture, photographs, illustrations, and a variety of domestic materials. From my educational background in the social sciences, my work aims to provide transformational ways of telling (and materializing) testimonios/histories of those who inhabit the wrinkles of space between the U.S. and Mexico borderlands. As a materialist feminist, my mixed media work erodes the standard categorical borders of genres in narratives creating space for creativity in academia for Chicanas. My visual formulations regarding materiality, spirituality, and identity invoke a Chicana feminist consciousness that explores the geographical and cultural specificity to the Mexicanas living in the U.S. Southwest."
Bio
Marilyn Garcia (she/her/ella) is a UNM graduate student pursuing a PhD in Chicana/o Studies. She is a first-generation Chicana scholar holding a B.A. in Psychology and M.A. in English. Growing up on the Southside of San Antonio TX, Garcia learned how to navigate living under socioeconomic pressure by ‘cashing in’ on creativity for survival. From witnessing her grandmother sell crafts in exchange of food, school supplies, and uniforms- her scholarship centers on the value of material (crafts) ingenuity and domesticity of Chicanas as liberal practices of entrepreneurship skills born out of her experiences, cultural values, and artforms. Garcia has participated in panels, workshops, and community events that uplift Mexicanas living in the U.S. Southwest.
"My work transcends traditional ways of thinking about narratives as my form of storytelling encompasses texture, photographs, illustrations, and a variety of domestic materials. From my educational background in the social sciences, my work aims to provide transformational ways of telling (and materializing) testimonios/histories of those who inhabit the wrinkles of space between the U.S. and Mexico borderlands. As a materialist feminist, my mixed media work erodes the standard categorical borders of genres in narratives creating space for creativity in academia for Chicanas. My visual formulations regarding materiality, spirituality, and identity invoke a Chicana feminist consciousness that explores the geographical and cultural specificity to the Mexicanas living in the U.S. Southwest."
