It’s a beautiful Wednesday morning; the sun is shining and the sky is blue. Eight villagers join Rick Valladares in the Pasadena Village van for a trip to the Cheech museum in Riverside. What could possibly go wrong? After a short diversion through a pleasant residential neighborhood south of Riverside (courtesy of Google Maps), we arrived at The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art, Culture & Industry, also known as “The Cheech.”

Our group was familiar with the comedy and acting duo of Cheech and Chong, but perhaps less so with the role Cheech has played in collecting and celebrating Chicano art. He has been collecting since the 1980s, with periodic exhibits at LACMA. As the collection expanded, there was a clear need for a more permanent venue. In June 2022, he paired with the City of Riverside to convert a midcentury city library as the The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture. The museum, the first of its kind, now houses 700 pieces of Chicano art collected by Cheech since the 1980s, the largest collection of Chicana/o/x - people of Mexican descent born in the United States - art in the world. The 61,420-square-foot center houses hundreds of paintings, drawings, photographs, and sculptures by artists including Patssi Valdez, Sandy Rodriguez, Carlos Almaraz, Frank Romero, and Gilbert “Magú” Luján.

A docent met us and led us around the galleries, all on the first floor. The brilliant colors and compelling stories told in the paintings were stunning, depicting both the pain and triumph of Chicanos, many from California. Flaming palm trees and paintings of MIGA raids in MacArthur Park brought the reality of life into sharp focus.

After the hour tour, we returned to the lobby, which is dominated by a three story double-faced glass sculpture depicting many scenes which changed with your perspective. We were then released for an hour on our own. Some went for coffee and pastry. Some went next door to the Riverside Art Museum for an exhibit of hard rock posters. Frits Claase and Rick Valladares discussed architecture and admired the building, designed by Julia Morgan who also designed the Hearst Castle.

Others went up the street, past the large and beautiful Mission Inn, to check out a tip about Tio’s Tacos. The restaurant was founded in 1990 by Martín Sanchez, who moved from Sahuayo in Michoacán to California in 1984. He was appalled but also inspired by the “trash” he found everywhere. He undertook to convert such found objects to “art.” City officials originally considered these efforts to be trash and an eyesore, and Sanchez had to spend three years in court against the city. The large property includes an unimposing Mexican restaurant, but the appeal of the large space is an extraordinary collection of metal, found art and ceramic folk art which covers every surface - including roofs! There is even topiary. It is extraordinary.

After an hour, we all gathered at the Riverside Food Lab, just across the street from the Museum. Quite huge, there were many choices from hamburgers to Chinese to Creole and everything in between. Then back to the van for a speedy trip back.

Oh! And what could possibly go wrong? Nothing! It was a perfect day.

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