Papel Chicano Dos: Works on Paper from the Collection of Cheech Marin presents artworks by Chicano artists including established figures such as Carlos Almaraz, John Valadez, and Margaret Garcia, as well as younger emerging artists such as Wenceslao Quiroz and Carlos Donjuan, whose work demonstrates a range of techniques from watercolor and aquatint to pastel and mixed media.
The visual arts were integral to the Chicano movement of the mid-1960s and continue to be a powerful tool for Mexican-American and Chicano communities to voice the issues that affect them today. The works’ emotive images draw on myriad sources, such as pre-Hispanic symbols, post-revolutionary nationalistic Mexican motives, and contemporary urban culture. Together these pieces evince a special focus on activism—highlighting how Chicano artists provide access to the arts by creating posters, flyers, printed statements, and newsletters with elaborate aesthetic compositions and designs.
By the late 1970s and early 1980s, Chicano artists were creating iconic images that transcended their activist function and defined the iconography of a movement.
Papel Chicano Dos: Works on Paper from the Collection of Cheech Marin is organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and made possible by proceeds from the 2016 Biennial Art Auction. Institutional support of MCASD is provided by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture and the County of San Diego Community Enhancement Fund.
