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La casa

Gristina Hernandez Lopez

Grade: 12

Card Number: 50

Refran: "Where to go if unable to find a place?"  "Here to stay in our space called home."


Card Description: For my Loteria Card I wanted to share my thoughts on low-income family struggles. This is a serious topic because inflation is hitting the lower class very hard, and their wages haven’t changed much. I chose a multigenerational household as a subject matter because lots of families live with other family members because they can’t find a place to live due to expensive rent. The colors in the piece represent the struggle and efforts parents make for their children to have a better life and have a roof above their head.  The images in the piece represent how the family is barely even holding on in the storm of crisis. For me personally, this card represents my story and other families going through the same experience. I want the audience to see how common it is growing up in someone else’s house and that nothing is done to fix it because wages for field workers haven’t improved.


Student Biography: My name is Gristina Hernandez Lopez, and I am a senior at Santa Maria High School. I live in Santa Maria, California with my family. My parents are both immigrants who come from Mexico, doing labor work for a better life for my 6 siblings. In my Loteria card, I chose to represent a multigenerational household which is about how multiple family members live in the same house due to struggling to afford rent. What inspired me to draw my Loteria card was because I experienced it. My family used to live with my aunt’s family, and we used to sleep on the floor in the living room. The artistic process was very inspiring and emotional because I drew what I went through. Life after high school will be hoping to attend university and study abroad for fashion design and getting my bachelor’s degree.

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