Cheech museum opens to cheers
With the arrival of a shiny blue lowrider and cheers from the crowd, The Cheech opened its doors in downtown Riverside.
After five years of planning and fundraising, comedian and actor Cheech Marin's Chicano art museum welcomed its first guests Saturday with a street celebration to herald a venue that's expected to put the city on the national arts map.
Wearing an orange cap with the museum's logo, Marin hopped out of a 1962 Chevy Impala lowrider about 10 a.m. and entered the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture.
Opening day was sold out, but those who had tickets — and others — had plenty to say about the cultural significance of the museum.
“We have so many Hispanic communities in Riverside, and this will bring them together,” said Maria Batres of Ballet Folklorico de Riverside, whose troupe performed a ritual dance in front of the museum before Marin's entrance.
Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson and other city officials applauded the first visitors as they entered the museum in the city's former main library.
They included JoAnn Jimenez, whose group was first in line.
“It's amazing; where do I begin?” she said, standing in front of a 26-foot-tall lenticular that stretches to the ceiling, the first work of art that visitors see. The untitled work was crafted by brothers Einar and Jamex de La Torre and includes several themes of Chicano art.
Images include an Aztec goddess, native California flowers, a map of East Los Angeles and the face of Cheech Marin himself.
The Cheech is housed in Riverside's former main library, a 1964 building that retains its midcentury modern exterior but was overhauled inside.
Jimenez, a lifelong Riverside resident, said she attended the library's grand opening as well when she was in grade school.
Now she has a place to take her grandchildren.
“We're very glad that there's a place for us to come and learn and be represented,” said Marcella Gamero, who was with Jimenez.