In Chicano communities across the United States, the term rasquache has been reclaimed from a slur to a badge of pride, expressing a sensibility—rasquachismo—characterized by inventiveness and creativity, often in response to material limitations. As an art collector, Cheech Marin has celebrated this attitude as integral to his Chicano identity, and it figures prominently in the new Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture in Riverside. For this program, Cheech will be in conversation with Josh T Franco, collector at large at the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art.
This program is produced in association with No Prior Art: Illustrations of Invention, an exhibition and citywide program series on invention and part of Getty's PST ART: Art & Science Collide initiative.
Cheech Marin is a multi-talented cultural icon—actor, comedian, director, musician, and leading advocate for Chicano art. Best known as half of the legendary duo Cheech & Chong, he has also built one of the finest private collections of Chicano art. In 2022, he partnered with the City of Riverside and the Riverside Art Museum to open The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, where much of his collection is now housed.
Josh T Franco is collector at large at the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art. He first joined the Archives as Latino collections specialist (2015-2017). Prior to joining the Smithsonian, he was an artist-guide at Judd Foundation, 101 Spring Street while completing his PhD in art history at Binghamton University, SUNY.
