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an image of people in a Model-T automobilefloating in space
Ester Hernandez, Cosmic Cruise , 1990, Screenprint, 37 x 26 in. The Buck Collection at UCI Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art © 1990 Ester Hernandez

Cosmic Cruise

Ester Hernandez

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Staff Pick | Monthly Muse April 2021

In the summer of 2020, I began researching the Latinx and Chicanx artists in IMCA’s collection. I had very limited education in Latinx/Chicanx art and art history before embarking on this project. This work has emboldened me to continue to pursue a career in art historical education focusing on the Latinx experience. The transcendent feminine connection in Cosmic Cruise by Ester Hernandez has remained with me since I first saw it—that moment when you notice something and then all of a sudden you see it everywhere. A few months later I randomly bought a book on Chicana spiritual art. To my surprise, Cosmic Cruise was featured, and I was able to gain a deeper insight into this print. The inspiration for the work comes from the artist’s mother being the first woman to drive a car in the small agricultural town where she was raised. The theme of motherhood and feminine resilience, and the month of May in which I am writing this, has made me think of my own mother. This month we celebrate Mother’s Day and I also celebrate my mom’s birthday. She is a woman who also embarked on many “firsts”—the first woman in her family to migrate to the US, the first to drive, and the first to hold a job.

Endria Suarez, '21, BA (Art History)
Intern and UCI Student Museum Educator, Langson IMCA

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Langson IMCA’s ongoing collections research continues to provide new information, which will result in updates, revisions, and enhancements to object records. At the time of publication image credits are reviewed by Langson IMCA’s curatorial staff and reflect the most current information the museum has in its database but may be incomplete.