Libertad

Ester Hernández
Libertad
Etching, 1977
Prints & Photographs Division
Gift/purchase from the artist (82.5)

One of the defining voices of the Chicano/Chicana political art movement, Ester Hernández is known for her activist imagery in support of farm worker's rights in California, and for subjects concerned with Chicano culture and history. Of Yaqui and Mexican descent, Hernández was born in California, the sixth child of a farm working family. In Libertad, Hernández lays claim to the Statue of Liberty, which is an emblem of immigration, citizenship, plurality, and freedom. Carved near the base is the word "Aztlán" ("White Land"), the name for the Aztec land of origin, which legend locates somewhere north of Central Mexico-making the point that Chicanos have claim to the land that is now the United States.