The Cheech Marin Collection
Artist GONZO247 Artwork is in the official collection of the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside (CA) Art Museum. The artwork that was included in the collection is from a GONZO247 2016 design and print series. In June of 2022 all the collection artists were invited to a private artist reception with Cheech himself. Although not all of the artists are currently hanging in the first rendition of his collection on display, it is exciting to see the impressive amount of Chicano artwork all under one roof. The art print is titled "Feed Us". The image is of a Monarch butterfly. This piece speaks on several levels, Migration... immigration... and sustainability. The Monarch butterfly is a migrating insect that makes it ways from various parts of North America down to the Southern parts of Mexico every year. Like many other migrating animals, the Monarch knows no borders or "boundaries" set by humans. Walls cannot stop the butterflies. Upon closer look, you see that the butterfly has been created by little babies.. The title of the piece is a play in words. Feed Us=Fetus. We Are all the butterfly. We become the butterfly. The same way you would not let a baby starve, we should no let pollinating insects like the butterflies and bees starve. We as humans are taking away the butterfly's food source, And they are not finding enough food along their migratory routes to survive and are slowly dying off. If the pollinators cease to exists, we too will eventually cease to exist. In the same manner that the butterfly pollenates plants, we should also pollinate ourselves, cultures, ideas, etc. These exchanges help us all grow as people/ humans.
HyperAllergic Online Magazine covered the opening and first showcase round of his collection. Click the links for more. https://hyperallergic.com/743149/cheech-marins-long-awaited-museum-for-chicano-art-opens-in-la/
https://riversideartmuseum.org/visit/the-cheech-marin-center-for-chicano-art-culture/
