Book review for Companeras: Women, Art, and Social Change in Latin America, Betty LaDuke, City Lights Books, San Francisco, 1985

Horner, Helane

English

VCU Scholars Compass

B~t.t.y La.Du.k~ COMPANERAS : SOCIAL CHANGE WOMEN, IN LATIN ART, AND AMERICA San Francisco: City Lights Books, 1985. Paperback. 123 pages. tions : 150 black and white, 13 color. $12.50. III ustra -The term Comcaneras trans l ates into Engl i sh as companions or comrades . Betty LaDuke keeps some intriguing ones in he r journey through the tumultuous regions of Latin America. Reading her account of her search for the art and artists of the fourteen countries through which she leads her reader is rather li ke having one's face washed with the six o'c lock news. The names and the places are all painfu l ly familiar, but the slant is new. Instead of c laims for military ha rdware and pleas for more mi ll ions to pour into the coffers of war, the reader is exposed to the personal stories and re cent works of the quiet bu t passionate women artists who work behind the intern ational spotlight in both urban and rural settings during a period of rapid political and economic change. LaDuke covers a gamut of ancient trad it i ona 1 cra fts handed down through generations and sidl ing up to university- educated trends of professional modern artis ts . Betty LaDuke is neither an anthropologist nor an art hi storian, but rather a teacher and a working artist, whose person a l style and content are both directly affected by her companeras. She was st i mu-lated by her students' r eactions to her "Women and Art" c1 ass at South-ern Oregon State Co 11 ege, but dismayed at the limitations of available literature and slides, so she sought exampl es of women's art to expand her course of offeri ngs. Gifts of Latin American women ' s art sent her on the partic ula r treasure hunt she recounts for us here. Her format is that of an anthology of stories about the artists , their 94 med i a, and the circumstances in which they 1 ive and to which they react through their art . It 1S her view that tourists from so - called "p l astic" Western societi es travel to these third world nations in search of the beauty and endurance of tradit ional art forms. This creates a demand for the skil l s to continue to be handed on to new generations, which keeps those ski ll s alive and not on l y enduring, but also changing and updating in response to the current needs of the society and the economy they buttress. Anci ent crafts are adapted to new functions; intricate-ly woven bags that once carried tortillas now ho ld schoolbooks or t ou r i sts' belongings. Th rough the creation of these crafts the wome n can express· pride in t he ir I ndian and black Afri can her i tages and develop self - sufficiency for their fami 1 i es through the · income they earn. Among the painters interviewed, a common characteristic regardless of styl e is a strong emphasis on the fi gure. Some of the pa inters have profess; ona 1 train i ng, others have no formal education. Most have ch i 1 d ca re and homemak i ng respons; -bil ities; many hold jobs unrelated to their art a lthough those wi th forma l training frequent ly are teachers. Pervasive themes the women artists su bscribe to inc lude: gender, sex ual i ty, motherhood, and the life cycle. Ap proaches range from critical social commentary to t he recording of co mmon experiences affecting all femal e populations. Paintings, murals, posters: accord-i ng to LaDuke each form of expres-sion is designed by these women art i sts to strengthen the wor l d a ll our chi l dren will inh erit. The artis ts of many primitive Lat i n American countries are near l y a ll wome n who are f i nding new strength through organization. Churches , unions and workshops are helping them to learn marketing strategies and to gain control of the profits from their sales. Interna t ional human rights and sol i darity groups also help . Women are finally finding university faculty positions opening up to them more frequently and as they gain representation they also gain visibility. The author states that t his presence continues outside academe into the world community of ga l l eries and museums. Oppor tu ni-ties continue to expand as the impact of the women's i dea s a nd messages i s fe l t, and even as t he outstand i ng qua l ity of their work gains them respectability. The 1 i ves of the companeras revo l ve around their art on a dai l y basis. They display a fierce tenacity of priorities and an honorable courage to even be ab l e to produce it, considering the other demands on thei r energies that relate directly t o s urviva l. As l i fe endures, their art endures. As the living changes, so the art changes and we all grow. Perhaps the six o ' clock news wi ll take on a new dimens i on with this growth. He l ane Horner, Gadsden County Schoo l s, Fl orida 95 

Book Review: Companeras: Women, Art and Social Change in Latin America

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Book Review: Companeras: Women, Art and Social Change in Latin America

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