By Matthew Halverson
Don’t call Cheech Marin a Mexican-American. “It’s kind of insulting,” he says, “like it’s a census term.” He prefers “Chicano.” You wouldn’t think the shorter half of the stoner-comedy duo Cheech and Chong would get bent out of shape over cultural terminology, but you wouldn’t think that he has the largest private collection of Chicano art in the country, either. Chicano Visions: American Painters on the Verge and Chicano Now: American Expressions, his dual art exhibits, stopped at the Saint Louis Science Center on January 27 for a four-month stay, and the diminutive toker–turned–cultural activist called from the car to explain his unexpected passion for painterly pursuits.
Aside from the cultural significance of the exhibit, why should we be interested? These are underappreciated artists, and they make great art. They’ve been around for a while—some of them have been doing this for 30 or 40 years. It’s about trying to get these guys shelf space in museums.
Forty years is quite a long career to be considered “on the verge.” They’re on the verge of a lot of things—they’re edgy or on the verge of bigger recognition. Typically Chicano art has been put into the folk-art category, you know? People say things like, “Yeah, these people make nice weavings and pots.”
How do you know when you’ve found something you want to add to your collection? It’s almost a spontaneous spiritual and emotional response. It’s like seeing a beautiful woman: You don’t start picking apart the little details. That happens later.
Why painting? Why not sculpture or music? I educated myself in art history from a very young age, so when I discovered Chicano painters, I knew what I was looking for; I could recognize the qualities right away. It was cool to be able to see that, because from my Hollywood experience, when I was coming up, Chicanos were given no credit for being sophisticated.
It’s funny you should say that. Cheech and Chong wasn’t exactly what you’d call high-brow. I think you can be funny and highbrow at the same time. My cultural heroes can be down-home and highbrow. Frank Zappa was a real hero of mine, and I think he was able to do both. That’s one of the characteristics of the Chicano movement and artists: They exist on many planes.
