CHICANO ART MOVEMENT visits: “Radical Histories: Chicano Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum” 2026
On Saturday, February 7th, 2026, we made our way to the scenic city of San Marino, California to visit The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. We planned a whole day excursion to this art theme park to take as much as we could during our first visit to the massive grounds.
Our main agenda item was to visit and take in the traveling exhibition of “Radical Histories: Chicano Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum” – making its West Coast debut at The Huntington – as well as the accompanying artist talk with Jesus Barraza & Melanie Cervantes of Dignidad Rebelde later that afternoon.
(Walk up view of the MaryLou and George Boone Gallery building.)
After walking through the main entrance of The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, we checked in with their staff and proceeded onto the pathway towards the MaryLou and George Boone Gallery. Along the route, we saw the amazing flora and the massive art exhibition banner covering the front facade of the Boone Gallery building. Through the doors, patrons were welcomed by a main title wall introducing all visitors to “Radical Histories: Chicano Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum.” And to our surprise, on the left side we fell in love with an inviting, small living room set with Chicana and Chicano art books displayed throughout.
(View of exhibit’s main wall.)
Via the mission statement:
“Since the 1960s, artists of Mexican descent in the United States have used graphic arts to educate and agitate, presenting a vast array of political and social themes designed to challenge the status quo. Their artworks are declarations of political advocacy and cross-cultural solidarity, as well as an effort to reclaim the past. Radical Histories: Chicano Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum features 60 prints drawn from SAAM's renowned collection […] These activist artists forged a remarkable history of printmaking that remains vital today.”
Via the exhibition book publication:
“Note to the reader - This catalogue uses the term Chicano to refer to the historical Chicano movement in the United States (starting roughly in 1965) and its participants. Chicana references women who fought for and prefer this designation. We use the term Chicanx as a current, inclusive designation that is gender-neutral and nonbinary” (page 21).
(View of “¡Huelga! Texas Farmworkers Union” by Amado M. Peña Jr. and unidentified artist circa 1977 - screenprint on paper)
We walked in and discovered the exhibit had different sections. The first section “Together We Fight/Juntos Luchamos” was focused on the production by visual artists who collaborated with the United Farm Workers union to create artwork advocating for farmworkers’ rights as well as being a visual form of solidarity, support, and collective action. I focused on the “¡Huelga! Texas Farmworkers Union” piece by Amado M. Peña Jr. of Laredo, Texas and an unidentified artist created circa 1977. This screenprint on paper still holds onto its vibrant color and powerful message that collective organizing can be the voice of farmworkers. The symbol of the tree was a different incorporation by the Texas Farmworkers Union which reinforced the right to shade and breaks for farmworkers since they are the workforce who produce countless agricultural products.
Robert was intrigued by Eric J. García (born in Albuquerque, New Mexico) and his print “Lechuga Lucha” created in 2014. This scene depicts the harsh farmworking conditions and the eminent reckoning of retributions by heroes & heroines who stood against agriculture labor abuses. “Using his trademark comic book style, García’s Horseman [representing the continued labor rights abuse in contemporary agribusiness] confronts the defeated grower, who calls out to Joaquin, or Joaquín Murrieta, a nineteenth-century Mexican American Robin Hood figure” for help.
(View of “Dog Byte” by Juan Fuentes created in 2010 - woodcut and screenprint on paper)
Moving on to the second section called “¡Guerra No!” that highlighted the constant artwork production in response to the different wars/guerras as well as the social & political warfare affecting people of color living. Halfway through this area, I was pulled into the artwork titled “Dog Byte” by Juan Fuentes - a woodcut and screenprint on paper. Fuentes’ male figure, bound & hooded, is next to a barking dog at a high level of intimidation was an example of torture techniques used during warfare. There in detail, I saw that the dog’s sound was animated by Fuente’s woodcut letters that bark out various torment tactics such as: “interrogation” - “exposure to cold” - “sleep deprivation.” This piece is a grim reminder that war affects every part. Another visual display aspect of this section was the impact of war on personal relationships. I saw the work “José Guadalupe Posada’s La Despedida del Revolucionario” by Luis C. González as a display of the love & anguish of a couple saying their goodbyes before the soldier joins la Revolucion. In 1987, this image was re-created & colorized by Luis C. González to reflect that love will suffer & endure the conflict with the hope of seeing their beloved once more.
(View of “Border Crossing” by Luis Jiménez created in 1987 - lithograph on paper)
We moved onto the third section named “Violent Divisions/Divisiones Violentas” which focused on the harsh boundaries caused by the borderlands and immigration policies. “The US-Mexico border has been a critical theme in Chicano art for decades [...] Chicano artists champion immigrant narratives as a source of pride and reflection of their significant role in helping shape US history.” During the walk through, I discovered an artwork that I related to: it was the multimedium piece by Margarita Cabrera titled “Iron Will” created in 2003. It depicted a clothing iron with the Virgen de Guadalupe screened image on her own special, sacred hill filled with roses and greenery created out of vinyl and thread against a blue turquoise sky with over a hundred birds in flight. Via the museum label, I learned that Cabrera as an artist wanted to open the dialogue about the “unseen labor behind such household items” (clothing irons, vacuums, blenders) and bring attention to how these “electronics [are] produced on the Mexican border” at factories/maquiladoras.
Within this area, I was focused on the piece by Luis Jiménez titled “Border Crossing” - a lithograph on paper created in 1987. Based on his own family’s immigration story, Jiménez created this powerful image of a strong and courageous husband & wife with their infant making the treacherous and dangerous crossing of the river border between México and the United States. Jiménez created movement with the application of crosshatching and color to relate the strength and emotion during this border crossing.
(View of “Down with the Whiteness” by Rupert Garcia crated in 1969 - screenprint on paper)
We proceeded to the penultimate section called “Rethinking América/Reflexionar sobre América” where Chicana & Chicano artists were “creating a counternarrative to mainstream US history” that “question[ed] the nationalistic traditions of the United States” and were a “call for social self-reflection and to question whether there has been social progress.” Here Robert stopped to survey Rupert García’s work titled “Down with the Whiteness” originally created in 1969 as a screenprint on paper picturing a Black Panther Party member with a speech bubble saying loudly “down with the whiteness.” Robert has always been attracted to Garcia’s work who “produced posters that exemplified his ‘understandings of pop art as movement and [used] its techniques [as] an attack on its premises as well” (page 79).
While Robert analyzed García’s work of “Down with the Whiteness,” I examined “Xicano Bicentennial 1776-1976” by Rodolfo O. Cuellar. Via the museum card, I learned that the subject was a repurposed image initially created by Adolfo Mexiac and with Cuellar’s version, the artist added on the padlock “made in the USA” which brought into question if Chicanas & Chicanos really were free even though the nation was celebrating their bicentennial independence anniversary.
(View of “Barbz ‘85” by Jesus Barraza created in 2018 - screenprint on paper)
The final segment of “Radical Histories: Chicano Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum” was titled “Changemakers/Protagonistas del Cambio” which contained a “range from political prisoners to activist leaders, attorneys, actors, and artists; all [who] redefined the status quo and deserve a rightful place in US history.” An artwork that stood out to me here was “Guerillera” by Sam Coronado created 2001. This piece referencing the rare photo of “Valentina Ramírez Avitia [... a] Mexican revolutionary [who] disguised herself as a man and enlisted under the name of Juan Ramírez” and was later immortalized in Mexico through song and food. I saw that Coronado was inspired to create his “Guerillera” Valentina on homemade paper with a simple color palette inspired by Mexico’s tricolor for the audience to take in the face of the revolutionary: her humble clothing; her military readiness via her rifle, bullets, and pistol; plus the sombrero to protect her identity. This image of “Guerillera” by Sam Coronado reminded me that our community is filled with historical changemakers who have created the space for us.
Within the same area, Robert keyed in on Jesus Barraza’s print titled “Barbz ‘85” - a figurative piece of a young Barbara Carrasco with his added indigenous patterned elements lightly based on the original photography “by her husband, Harry Gamboa Jr.”
Overall, CHICANO ART MOVEMENT took in the collection, a few times over, exhibited specifically at this edition of “Radical Histories: Chicano Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum” at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. We read that “Chicano graphics or graphic arts refers to the Chicano poster and print [..] the two-dimensional work on paper is the hallmark of the Chicanx artistic canon, and printmaking continues to be one of Chicanx artists’ major contributions to the field of art history and activism” (page 130).
Here at CHICANO ART MOVEMENT, we were very pleased and enjoyed the exhibition since: it displayed a lot of powerful images; each section had its own introduction & story theme woven throughout; and with representation of the Bay Area, California and the state of Texas.
(Detailed center panel view of “Pachuco Pietà” by Melissa Govea created in 2025 - screenprint on textile, brass rod, pheasant feathers, gold)
Within the same space of the MaryLou & George Boone Gallery and “unique to The Huntington’s presentation of ‘Radical Histories,’ the institution ha[d] commissioned a mural by Los Angeles–based artist Melissa ‘Tochtli’ Govea (Purépecha) in collaboration with Self Help Graphics & Art, the pioneering East Los Angeles print studio that has supported Chicano and Latino artists since 1973. Govea is known for her interdisciplinary practice, which explores labor, identity, and community. The mural, inspired by works in the exhibition, will be on view in a dedicated section of the gallery, bridging the legacy of the 1960s with contemporary movements.”
The gallery walls featuring the works by Melissa “Tochtli” Govea contained: impactful messages and imagery; connection to ancestral strength and resilience; and contemporary examples of solidarity. At the second wall, I took a few moments at the very large, screenprinted textile hanging on a brass rod containing Govea’s reinterpretation of Michelangelo’s “Pietà.” The artist’s center panel “Pachuco Pietà” was complimented with the Mesoamerican indigenous imagery and symbolism of Coatlicue - Earth Goddess (left panel) & Quetzalcoatl - Feathered Serpent (right panel). I met Robert at the final wall that contained an assortment of screened printed posters containing social messages from a young and inspired artist. Throughout this commissioned piece titled “Sangre Indigena” by Melissa “Tochtli” Govea, we reflected that this project could evoke audience members to be critical thinkers.
(On stage for the talk with Dignidad Rebelde plus question & answer portion: artist Jesus Barraza - left, artist Melanie Cervatillo - center, and facilitator Dr. Angélica Becerra - right.)
After our survey of all the artworks located inside the MaryLou and George Boone Gallery, we shopped at The Huntington Store. Within the book section, we purchased a copy of the Smithsonian’s accompanying book titled “¡Printing the Revolution! The Rise and Impact of Chicano Graphics, 1965 to Now.” With catalogue in hand, we proceeded to the Rothenberg Hall for our last item on our itinerary: the artist talk with Jesus Barraza and Melanie Cervantes of Dignidad Rebelde. “The Oakland-based studio Dignidad Rebelde [is] a graphic arts collaboration between [Jesus] Barraza and Melanie Cervantes [...] Dignidad Rebelde is an integral producer of social justice and visual advocacy that follows the ‘principles of Xicanisma and Zapatismo’ to create artwork accessible to the ‘communities who inspire it’” (page 144).
The Huntington invited audience members to “join artists Jesus Barraza and Melanie Cervantes of Dignidad Rebelde for an engaging lecture and discussion about their practices and process [...] Their graphic arts collaboration, Dignidad Rebelde, has supported grassroots organizing and produced many of the political graphics that continue to shape their visual identity of social movements in the San Francisco Bay Area and globally. Their artwork is featured in the ongoing exhibition ‘Radical Histories: Chicano Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum.’ The traveling exhibition [...] explores how Chicana/o artists, such as Cervantes and Barraza, have utilized printmaking as a tool for resistance, community engagement, and the reclamation of cultural identity.” The Robert C. Ritchie Auditorium located inside of Rothenberg Hall was filled with approximately two hundred attendees.
The “Artist Talk: Jesus Barraza and Melanie Cervantes of Dignidad Rebelde” officially began with a warm welcome and introductions by Angélica Becerra, the Bradford & Christine Mishler Associate Curator of American Art at The Huntington, who also served as a conversation facilitator after the lecture portion. Between Jesus Barraza and Melanie Cervantes, they alternated in taking the lectern to manage the accompanying visual slideshow presentation and speak about how they actively participated in various communities through their Dignidad Rebelde art collective. Barraza stated that his critical thought framework is centered around Zapatismo and Chicanismo specifically community work as well as building a connection between the museum and the streets. Cervantes emphasized the horizontal exchange of knowledge between community members plus the constant vigilance and fight against those systems of repression & control which are impacting all people of color - no matter how close or far one is from the borderlands.
Another point that they emphasized was the importance of passing the printmaking knowledge to other generations. Jesus Barraza gave testimony that during the pandemic, he was teaching others how to screen print through video conferencing. Barraza had lots of success since participants were actively trying, setting their own screens and colors to create their respective screen prints. Meanwhile, Melanie Cervantes explained how artists and community participants of different ages & generations came together to create screenprints to combat the intentional racial profiling like Arizona’s Senate Bill 1070.
After the lecture and slideshow portion, the facilitator & curator Angélica Becerra - invited Jesus Barraza and Melanie Cervantes of Dignidad Rebelde to the questions & answers segment of the program. One of the questions came from an educator who inquired about tips & advice when working with high school students in her art class; they both suggested, with great enthusiasm, to: always keep making art (no matter how big or small), research different techniques, causes, themes, and topics; and incorporate political conscious in each project.
The last couple of questions were centered around community organizing in which Barraza and Cervantes answered & communicated: through collective thoughts and action, we can become unstoppable; and that organizing and making art is powerful and can be created any can occur anywhere from backyards, neighborhood centers, houses, basements, warehouses. To close, the moderator Angélica Becerra thanked all those in attendance for their active participation plus applauded the artists for all their work as their travel efforts for the “Radical Histories: Chicano Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum” exhibition accompanying special program of “Artist Talk: Jesus Barraza and Melanie Cervantes of Dignidad Rebelde” at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California.
Post event, the artists made their way down to meet & greet audience members who were excited to interact with them personally. We had a moment with each artist, Jesus Barraza & Melanie Cervantes, and we were able to get their respective autographs inside our catalogue copy of “¡Printing the Revolution! The Rise and Impact of Chicano Graphics, 1965 to Now.”
(View of main exhibit wall for “Radical Histories: Chicano Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum” and its accompanying catalogue publication titled “¡Printing the Revolution! The Rise and Impact of Chicano Graphics, 1965 to Now.”)
CHICANO ART MOVEMENT visiting “Radical Histories: Chicano Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum” at The Huntington was full of inspiration from beginning to end. The catalogue explained that this collection began with the major donation by Dr. Tomás Ybarra-Frausto (noted Chicana/Chicano Studies scholar & art collector) and expanded due to the remarkable donations by: Dr. Gilberto Cárdenas & Dolores Carrillo García, Dr. Harriet Romo & Dr. Ricardo Romo, the estate of Margaret Terrazas Santos, and the generosity from the artists themselves who personally donated their works on paper (pages 17-18).
The next stop for the traveling exhibition of “Radical Histories: Chicano Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum” was on the other side of the world, at the H’ART Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands between the dates of March 25th, 2026 to September 6th, 2026.
Stay tuned to CHICANO ART MOVEMENT for our second part installment reviewing their permanent art collections as well as commenting on serene horticultural landscapes of The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.
