Crystal Galindo–“Art of Self Portrait”
By Alex-Zandria Corbin
Crystal Galindo and Nelly Ponce
Crystal Galindo visited Taft College at the request of Tina Mendoza to display and enlighten students. She was born and raised in Tulare County. She then graduated high school and attended community college for eight years. During community college she became a teaching assistant. She then transferred onto Sonoma State University.
She looks up to the singer Selena Quintanilla as a major icon. Selena was one of the few people who she related to who was famous. Selena represented Crystal artistically. She talked a lot about representation and how important it is to have this exposure. She says, “When you don’t see yourself uplifted, in the media, in magazines, in movies, on Instagram, anywhere, you don’t see people who look like you getting praised, it makes you feel invisible.”
Crystal Galindo’s Artwork
She says that she found her voice through art. She started using social media as a platform for her artwork. She started taking selfies to build her own self-confidence and her own representation. She went to a university where she was the only one representing herself. Yet, she strived and struggled through the challenges. Overall, her message through her artwork was empowering. She is a humble and strong-willed person. Crystal is the embodiment for her culture and encourages others to embrace who they are as an individual.