Cheech Marin's museum of Chicano art opens in California

Exterior of the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, which has been nicknamed “The Cheech.” It opened June 18 in California. Image courtesy of the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture

Sheila Gibson Stoodley

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) – A home for Cheech Marin’s collection of Chicano art has debuted in Southern California. The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture opened June 18 in Riverside, east of Los Angeles.

Marin rolled up in a blue 1962 Chevy Impala lowrider, hopped out and unlocked the doors for the opening day of what has been nicknamed “The Cheech,” The Press-Enterprise reported.

“We hope that this building and this collection and this participation of the community will be a beacon for everybody else around the country to finally redefine inclusion,” Marin said during a ceremony.

Cheech Marin, the actor-comedian who in the 1980s began building the collection that became the basis for the new museum, shown holding the key to the city of Riverside during a ceremony. Image courtesy of the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture — Cheech Marin, the actor-comedian who in the 1980s began building the collection that became the basis for the new museum, shown holding the key to the city of Riverside during a ceremony. Image courtesy of Riverside Art Museum

The museum is located in the city’s former main library, adjacent to the historic Mission Inn Hotel & Spa.

The center houses hundreds of paintings, photographs, sculptures and other works from Marin’s collection, which the actor and comedian began building in the 1980s.

The center is a public-private partnership between Marin, the city and the Riverside Art Museum, which will operate it.

Cheech Marin’s museum of Chicano art opens in California

Sheila Gibson Stoodley

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