CHICANO ART MOVEMENT: Recap 2025
For the year of 2025, we here at CHICANO ART MOVEMENT attended a handful of events in support of the arts and music throughout Orange County, California. It was great to see different art forms and reconnect with friends.
(Video of George Clinton & the Parliament Funkadelic band at the House of Blues Anaheim for a stop on their Just for the Funk of It! 2025 Tour.)
In April 2025, we went to the House of Blues in Anaheim to see the legendary band Parliament Funkadelic featuring George Clinton. We grooved to their classic songs such as “Atomic Dog” and “One Nation Undergroove” plus heard their funky remix rendition of Hip Hop classic hit “Jump Around.” In between songs, we took in all the decor and artwork at the HOB Anaheim since it was our first time at this location; and, we found a large-scale mural at the entrance of the music venue by Johnny “KMNDZ” Rodriguez. Overall, we enjoyed dancing, singing to the great Parliament Funkadelic Band and getting the opportunity to see live and in person, Mr. Atomic Dog himself - George Clinton.
(Photo of performer lineup for “El Gran Escape” at La Santa OC.)
In July 2025, CHICANO ART MOVEMENT went to “El Gran Escape” - a night filled with cumbia y baile at La Santa OC venue located in Santa Ana, California. Anita was very interested in the musical lineup that included new and old favorites. The first artist to take the stage was the new favorite Flaco El Jandro y los Perros Callejeros who traveled from Salinas located in Central California. Flaco El Jandro and his bandmates were touring for the new album titled “Salaztlan” which was a mix of romanticumbias and other songs with thoughtful, conscious lyrics. The next performer of the night was Lxs Cochinxs, a trio from Los Angeles who covered cumbia and merengue hits and kept the crowd moving their feet on the dancefloor. The last performer the night was Very Be Careful - cumbia vallenato band from Los Angeles with more than 15 years of repertoire. Being their only performance in Santa Ana, the band Very Be Careful made the crowd feel welcomed and had us participating in gameshow-esque interludes in between their musical setlist.
Read more at CHICANO ART MOVEMENT attends: El Gran Escape 2025
(View of “Fire across the Street” - oil on wood panel by Margaret Garcia in 2020.)
In August 2025, CHICANO ART MOVEMENT attended the first of two opening receptions for Margaret Garcia’s “Rostros, lugares y momentos” at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton, California. We were notified of this exhibit through correspondence and made plans to attend & support this great Chicana artista. On a Thursday evening, we journeyed to the Muck and found the gallery space filled with many patrons and an abundance of canvases filled with brightly colored impressionist compositions by the creative Margaret Garcia. During the visit, we were able to congratulate Margaret on her exhibition with gifts and expressed our excitement regarding her works that were new to us. The exhibit “Rostros, lugares y momentos” [faces, places, and moments] by Margaret Garcia was superb and her paintings were filled with immense colors, techniques, and emotions.
Read more at CHICANO ART MOVEMENT attends: “Rostros, lugares y momentos” 2025
(Poster for “Chicano Heritage Exhibit” 2025 organized by the City of Anaheim and the Cultural & Heritage Commission.)
In early September 2025, CHICANO ART MOVEMENT visited the Downtown Anaheim Community Center and its hidden gem of an art space called the Center Gallery to see their “Chicano Heritage Exhibit.” This programming invited patrons “to a special reception honoring culture, identity, and the artistic legacy of the Chicano art movement. Featuring the legendary works of Emigdio Vasquez, a pioneer in Chicano art, alongside stunning pieces by his daughter Rosemary Vasquez Tuthill and talented local artists: Rich Romeros, Franky Castle, Marina Aguilera, Abram Moya Jr., and Jaime ‘Germs’ Zaracias.”
(View of lecture presentation by Fred Ortiz about his collection of works by Emigdio Vasquez.)
Later in September 2025, the CHICANO ART MOVEMENT street team attended the Hilbert Museum Lecture Series on Fred Ortiz: “Emigdio Vasquez: The Godfather of Chicano Art in His Own Words.” This lecture by the collector Fred Ortiz was in conjunction with his past exhibition titled “Emigdio Vasquez: Works from the Fred Ortiz Collection” that highlighted all the works Ortiz personally collected from Emigdio Vasquez & their growing friendship as patron/artist. With the community room filled to max capacity, the attendees took in all the information and anecdotes by Fred Ortiz: his long term patronage of Emigdio Vasquez & the amazing body of work by Vasquez on both canvas and outdoor murals throughout Orange County. After the lecture, the CAM street team got our copy of the exhibition companion book signed by Fred Ortiz himself and took in one last look at Vasquez’s few works displayed in the lobby before they moved onto their next location of Santa Ana College for Spring 2026.
Here at CHICANO ART MOVEMENT, we look forward to the new year of 2026 and to all the exploration of art and music.
