The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, or ‘The Cheech,’ opened its door this year, all thanks to a public-private partnership between Riverside Arts Museum, the City of Riverside, and comedian, Cheech Marin. The Cheech was born out of Cheech Marin’s extensive collection and passionate support of Chicano arts and was championed by Assemblymember Jose Medina and funded through former Governor Jerry Brown’s 2018 budget allocation of 9.7 million dollars. The Cheech, a 61,420-square-foot building, will display hundreds of drawings, paintings, photographs, and multi-medium sculptures by Chicano artists and is thought to be the most extensive collection of Chicano art and may very well be the first museum dedicated to Chicano arts in the world.
The Cheech is an exemplary example of state funding, philanthropy, and local support uniting to bring art and national attention to inland regions in California. Learn more about The Cheech and how you can visit here.