From: Ashley Pinedo < ashley.pinedo@gmail.com>

Date: Jun 8, 2007 7:59 PM

I just graduated from college, and of course, am trying to figure out what to do next.  I have this dream of taking a road trip and vlogging along the way...

I am from a Mexican-American family, and after spending a semester in Mexico, my interest in both Mexican and Mexican-American culture was sparked in a huge way.  I started reading a lot of Chicana literature, and am really interested in the Lady of Guadalupe (apparition of the Virgin Mary in Mexico in the 1600s--http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/mary0003.jpg). This is a huge symbol in Chicano/a culture, and I have seen her significance in the lives of my relatives. Of course, to a lot of Chicanas she can be oppressive. She is quiet and tame, with her head bowed. She is revered for her pious purity--all traits highly valued by patriarchal standards.  I went to a seminar where the speakers talked about woman artists reclaiming the Virgen de Guadalupe and re-imaging her in different ways according to what they felt she should stand for. Here is my favorite, by Yolanda Lopez: http://www.ic.arizona.edu/~ws5001/runningshoes.JPG.

I would like to take a road trip throughout the southwest (probably starting in Sacramento and moving through AZ and NM) and into Mexico, culminating in Guadalupe at the supposed site of the apparition, interviewing Mexican-American and Mexican women about what the Lady of Guadalupe means to them.  I would like to incorporate animation to show transformations of the image, and maybe have the women create visual representations of their perspectives.  Along the way I would vlog shorts featuring their interviews and maybe include a personal element about my trip and what i'm learning.

I would just get up and go, except that I need money for traveling and equipment--I will go for the cheapest possible!  I was trained in traditional video production but am ready to dive into vlogging. My portfolio is at ashleypinedovideo.blogspot.com.

Please let me know what you think of the idea, and send any feedback you might have, regardless of whether you plan to bring it to the group!