During the past year especially, we’ve received an onslaught of opinions about people of Mexican descent, often in abstract terms: We’re a threat to the American fabric, or a vulnerable community under attack, depending on the party line. In the midst of all this discourse, people seem to forget that there are millions of Mexicans and Mexican Americans telling us exactly who they are.
Among them is a growing demographic of artisans asserting their identity through a return to craftsmanship. Gilberto Marquez, a Chicano hatmaker who has designed hats for the likes of Madonna and is a major part of this movement, is a vibrant example of how cultural soft power is one of the most effective tools we have at our disposal.
Marquez sits for a portrait wearing a stack of his creations at his shop in Los Angeles.
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