Roberto visits ’The Cheech”!

"Man!...
​You gotta be careful going into Riverside these days!
I just went to 'the Cheech'
and look what happened to me!!"

 “The Arrest of the Paleteros”, by  Frank Romero, 1996, part of The Cheech Marin Collection of the Riverside Art Museum

Here I am getting arrested with the Paleteros!
​...and all I wanted was a popsicle!!

Videos:

‘The Chicano Collection’
____
CHICANITAS: Small Paintings from
​the Cheech Marin Collection
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CHEECH MARIN : UP IN ART
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Cheech Marin - An Interpretation of a Culture Through Chicano Art
​

​
​​​‘The Cheech’ is a public-private partnership between the Riverside Art Museum (RAM), the City of Riverside,
and comedian Cheech Marin,
one of the world’s foremost collectors of Chicano art.
‘The Cheech’ will be the center of Chicano art,
not only for painting, but for sculpture, photography,
​and video arts as well.
​
The 61,420 -square-foot (get it!) center is displaying hundreds of paintings, drawings, photographs, and sculptures
​ by many artists, including:
 Patssi Valdez,  
Sandy Rodriguez, 
Carlos Almaraz, 
Frank Romero,
Judithe Hernández, 
and
Gilbert “Magú” Luján.

---

A significant portion of this collection will always be exhibited and can continue to be toured at venues across the nation and throughout the world!

Located in Riverside’s downtown historic core adjacent to The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa in the cultural hub of Inland Southern California.​

Students and faculty from five local colleges and universities will research and learn about the finest private collection of Chicano art in the U.S.

“Collidoscope: de la Torre Brothers Retro-Perspective” June 18, 2022 - January 22, 2023

Upstairs they had a FANTASTIC collection of
​glass sculpture by 
‘The de la Torre Brothers’.
Exhibition: June 18, 2022–January 22, 2023
The exhibition is a thematic retrospective on the artistic and exploratory trajectory of Einar and Jamex de la Torre, the two siblings that comprise this artistic duo known as The de la Torre Brothers. Einar and Jamex were born in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 1963 and 1960, respectively, but they have navigated life on both sides
of the border since they were very young.
Due to their bi-national and bi-cultural background, their work has been interpreted through the lenses of border art and Chicano art
for the past couple of decades.
The brothers use an array of materials and techniques
that range from the mastering of glass blowing to the more recent practice of lenticular printing, signaling to an appreciation of
traditional crafts as well as to an interest in technology and popular mass-produced objects.

There was even an
“Olmec-Planetary-Exploration-Rover”
on display!
"Man! Those pre-Columbians were WAY more advanced
than I thought!! I wanted to learn more about all this…
but they didn’t have a catalogue or brochures or pamphlets
​or any supporting materials!
(And I couldn’t find anything on their website!)
Must be REALLY Top Secret!
Oh well, “Que sera', sera'!"


But... 
the most outstanding piece in the whole show
was this one by John Valadez!
(a realist painter and muralist who takes as his subjects the urban landscape and people ​of Los Angeles.)

John Valadez, ‘Getting Them Out of the Car’ (1984), Pastel on Paper, 100” x 37.5” (8.33’ x 3.12’) [ 2.54m x 0.95m ]

A very large pastel drawing on paper!
​"Really quite stunning!
I’ll have to do a separate post on Valadez and his murals
on a later post!" -RQ

​
Exhibition: June 18, 2022–June 18, 2023
Cheech Collects weaves a story of Cheech Marin’s efforts as a passionate and laser-focused collector, exploring the making of a major collection from the first works acquired through the most recent acquisitions. This inaugural exhibition is a celebration of the foremost champion of the Chicano School of Art. Unflinching in his faith and commitment to the excellence of this art, Marin does not bother with past debates on the legitimacy of this art movement but dares to posit that it is the most significant American art movement to date. The creation of The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture furthers his advocacy and will continue to shape the art world’s perceptions and understanding of Chicano art. Inarguably, Marin’s efforts have brought unprecedented attention to Chicana/o art with exhibitions of and loans from his collection to over 50 museums nationally and internationally. The inaugural exhibition features almost 120 works from Marin’s generous gift of over 500 works to the Riverside Art Museum as well as from his personal collection. It includes iconic works that have toured in Chicano Visions, among other notable exhibitions, works that have not often been exhibited, and some that will be on view for the very first time, reflecting a 40-year span of art production. A second iteration of the inaugural exhibition will open in December of 2022.

LOCATION & PARKING
The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum is located at 3581 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside, CA, 92501, on the corner of Mission Inn Ave. and Orange St.
Metered street and lot parking is available along Mission Inn Ave. Click here for more information and a map of parking areas located downtown.
Many large-scale downtown events occur along Mission Inn Ave. throughout the year. Please be advised that street closures regularly take place during these events, e.g., Festival of Lights, Dia de los Muertos, etc., which will affect parking and drop-off/pick-up. We thank you for your understanding.

"Nice Job, Homey!
(Except for the catalogue thing.)" -RQ