The exclusive first look, and Grand Opening, of The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum. Located in the Inland Empire in the city of Riverside, The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, nicknamed “The Cheech,” is a public-private partnership between the Riverside Art Museum, the City of Riverside, and comedian Cheech Marin.
Cheech Marin, LEAD XI Padrino de Honor, is one of the world’s foremost collectors and advocates of Chicano art. In the mid-1980s, he began developing what is now arguably the finest private collection of Chicano art.
The Cheech opened to the public on Saturday, June 18, 2022. Festivities leading up to the public opening included a fundraising gala the evening before, at the Riverside Convention & Visitors Center, with 5 years of planning and social events.
The site in its entirety conveys the spirit of The Cheech, with outdoor spaces encouraging art programming, impromptu performances, and experiences of all types, from lowriders, to quinceañeras, to outdoor sculpture. The semi-circular entry steps draw the visitor towards the building, and the open “front porch” podium features large-scale sculptures to be rotated according to new programming and exhibitions. The building’s entry lobby is envisaged as a zócalo or open town square, a central gathering space that connects the four main galleries and offers amenities such as a gift shop and, eventually, a cafe.
One of the most striking features of the space is the visual connection to the upper galleries, highlighted by the installation of a newly commissioned work of lenticular art by brothers Einar and Jamex De La Torre. The monumentality and dynamism of the installation generates a central source of energy for The Cheech, encouraging visitors to explore the different galleries. Accessed by a restored mid-century stairway, the second floor features exhibition and community art galleries, a multi-purpose video space, staff offices, and artist-in-residency studios where visitors can witness the next generation of Chicano art as it emerges.
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