Popular Pothead Cheech Marin Has Created A Treasure-Trove Of Chicano Art For Everyone

6/7/2022

We've all heard of Cheech and Chong, two people who tuned in and dropped out some time in the 70s. They're of course fictional representations of a genuine breed, and when you realise their popularity, the work of the duo undoubtedly continue to influence further generations. Cheech Marin, the actor, is still making a name for himself. He's famous for collecting and highlighting Chicano Art. This brand of creativity exclusively owned by Mexican-Americans demonstrates a genuine cross pollination between two deeply entwined yet vastly separate cultures.

Called “The Cheech”, and situated in the Riverside Art Museum LA, the Centre for Chicano Culture and Art opened its door in June 22. Culminating his 40 year history as a cultural icon, the collection boasts a huge array of artefacts that fully describe the concept of the art form. The Riverside community is around 50% Latino which makes the venue a perfect situation for this exhibition.

Marin's prominence in the art scene lifted off in a serious way when he opened the doors for the first time to demonstrate some of his extensive collection. Chicano Visions: American Painters of the Verge toured for several years around various institutions and galleries. Once the Riverside Museum sponsored the new permanent exhibit and pledged to support the community through apprenticeships and routes to development, Cheech was happy to donate over 500 pieces of his collection to the museum to benefit the whole community.

Because of the vast number of pieces now under ownership of the museum, it's impossible to show them all at once. Not only does each piece deserve a good space for it to be admired on its own, there simply isn't enough wall to put it all. This means that the show pieces will be rotated and it's expected to take four years to get through everything. Who knows how many more items will be available by then?

Via LA Weekly