An interview with Cheech Marin conducted 2017 October 17-18, by Josh T. Franco, for the Archives of American Art and the Center for the History of Collecting in America at the Frick Art Reference Library of The Frick Collection, at Marin's home, in Pacific Palisades, California.
Mr. Marin discusses growing up as a young Chicano in South Central Los Angeles and Granada Hills, California, and his early exposure to the liturgical art of the Catholic Church; his family's use of altars in their homes; his cousins and their independent studies as schoolchildren and his particular focus on art history and classical music; the discouragement by a teacher at at young age to pursue doing art work himself; his early collections of sports memorabilia and ephemera; his wife Natasha Rubin, the pianist, and his former wife Patti Heid, the painter, and his children; his initial interests in Chicano art and the beginnings of his art collecting in this field; the concept of rasquache, especially how it applies to Chicano art; the paintings of Carlos Almaraz; his time working with clay and pottery in college, and as an assistant to the ceramist Ed Drahanchuk. Mr. Marin also describes the work being done to create The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art, Culture and Industry in Riverside, California; the importance of the early centers around the country for Chicano art, including Corpus Christi and San Antonio, Texas; his work in film and television; his comedy partner Tommy Chong's interest in New Guinea art; his lecture tours about Chicano art; his assistant Melissa Richardson Banks; the organization of the touring exhibition Chicano Visions [2001-2007]; the potential of Riverside, California as a new mecca for art; the club scene in Hollywood, California in the '70s; his time living in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania and his exposure to the equestrian world; and the salons he and his wife Natasha have conducted in their home as a way to create interaction between Chicano artists and classical musicians. Mr. Marin also recalls Vincent Valdez; Steve Martin; Paul Thiebaud; George Yepes; Robert Berman; Alice Walton; Adán Hernández; Sonya Fe, as well as Stacy King; Belkis Ayón; John Russo; and Luis and Daniel Valdez, among others.
Biographical / Historical:
Cheech Marin (1946- ) is an actor, writer, director, and art collector in Pacific Palisades, California. Josh T. Franco (1985- ) is the National Collector, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Restrictions:
This interview is access restricted; written permission is required. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- California -- Interviews Search this
Art Collectors: A Project in Partnership with the Center for the History of Collecting in America at The Frick Collection Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Cheech Marin, 2017 October 16-17. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- California -- Interviews Search this
The records of Modern Multiples printmaking workshop measure 25.2 linear feet and date from the 1970s to 2017. The collection contains administrative files related to the daily operations of the print workshop, gallery, and other associated businesses owned and operated by Richard Duardo. Also included are correspondence with artists and arts institutions, as well as some personal correspondence; project and artist files; printed material; photographic material, including photograph albums; artwork; and a small amount of material related to Richard Duardo, including biographical statements, a recorded interview, and journals.
Scope and Contents:
The records of Modern Multiples printmaking workshop measure 25.2 linear feet and date from the 1970s to 2017. The collection contains administrative files related to the daily operations of the print workshop, gallery, and other associated businesses owned and operated by Richard Duardo. Also included are correspondence with artists and arts institutions, as well as some scattered personal correspondence; project and artist files; printed material; photographic material, including photograph albums; artwork; and a small amount of material related to Richard Duardo, including biographical statements, a recorded interview, and journals.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as seven series.
Series 1: Administrative Files, 1978-2013 (Boxes 1-7, OV 26; 7.1 linear feet)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1982-2014 (Boxes 7-10, OV 26; 2.6 linear feet)
Series 3: Project Files, 1981-2014 (Boxes 10-22; 12.2 linear feet)
Series 4: Printed Material, 1980-2017 (Boxes 22-24, OV 27; 1.9 linear feet)
Series 5: Photographic Material, 1970s-2000s (Boxes 24-25; 1 linear foot)
Series 6: Artwork circa 1980s-2000s (Box 25, OV 26; 0.3)
Series 7: Richard Duardo Papers 1988-2005 (Box 25; 0.1)
Biographical / Historical:
Modern Multiples is a printmaking workshop in Los Angeles founded by Richard Duardo (1952-2014). Richard Duardo, an artist and fine art printer, was prominent in the Chicano art movement in Los Angeles, California. After helping to found the Centro de Arte Publico, Duardo opened Hecho en Aztlán, which became Aztlán Multiples, Multiples Fine Art Printing, and finally Modern Multiples. His sister, Lisa Duardo, took over the organization in 2015. Along with the printing workshop, Duardo also opened Future Perfect Gallery and started Art & Commerce, a business to sell the work of up-and-coming artists. In the early 2000s, Duardo sat on the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's Board of Trustees and chaired the Print Commission for the Prints and Drawings Council.
Modern Multiples and its predecessor studios worked with artists including Carlos Almaraz, Banksy, Chaz Bojorquez, Shepard Fairey, Camille Rose Garcia, John Van Hamersveld, and Bob Zoell.
Provenance:
The Modern Multiples records were donated to the Archives of American Art by Lisa Duardo, Richard Duardo's sister, in 2019.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
The papers of Chicano painter, portrait artist, and educator Gaspar Enriquez measure 1.5 linear feet and 0.001 GB and date from 1973 to 2017. The papers are comprised of biographical materials, correspondence, writings, commission and project files, exhibition files, and printed and digital materials that document Enriquez's career in El Paso, Texas.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Chicano painter, portrait artist, and educator Gaspar Enriquez measure 1.5 linear feet and 0.001 GB and date from 1973 to 2017. The papers are comprised of biographical materials, correspondence, writings, commission and project files, exhibition files, and printed and digital materials that document Enriquez's career in El Paso, Texas.
Biographical materials include several awards and certificates, photographs, and sketches. Correspondence includes general personal and professional correspondence, notes to Enriquez, and letters with Bernadine Antone, Miguel Juarez, Elda Silva. Writings consist of artist statements, one notebook, a student paper about Luis Jimenez, and statements on teaching. Commission and project files contain digital photographs and other records for mural, book, and room design projects.
Files for exhibitions include documentation on Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation (1990-1993), or CARA, a traveling exhibition and Chicano Visions: American Painters on the Verge (2004), an exhibition of Chicano artwork collected by Cheech Marin. Printed materials contains art reproductions, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, flyers, invitations, magazines, newsletters, and press releases.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as six series.
Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1976-2014 (Box 1; 3 folders)
Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1985-2017 (Box 1; 0.3 linear feet)
Series 3: Writings, 1983-circa 2000 (Box 1; 4 folders)
Series 4: Commission and Project Files, 1994-2003 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet, ER01; 0.001 GB)
Series 5: Exhibition Files, 1990-2007 (Box 1, OV 3; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 6: Printed Materials, 1973-2017 (Boxes 1-2, OV 3; 0.6 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Gaspar Enriquez (1942- ) is a Chicano painter, portrait artist, and educator in San Elizario in El Paso County, Texas.
Enriquez was born in the historic El Segundo Barrio in El Paso. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of El Paso in 1970 and a master's degree in metals from New Mexico State University in 1985. In addition to his art career, he taught art at Bowie High School in El Paso for 34 years.
Enriquez is known for his portraits of individuals who reflect the Chicano community in which he was raised. Enriquez has stated that "one is born Mexican American, but one chooses to be a chicano." His work allows those unfamiliar with the Chicano community to connect through his portraiture.
Enriquez participated in two seminal, multifaceted exhibitions of Chicano art. Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation/CARA (1990-1993) and Chicano Visions: American Painters on the Verge (2001-2007), an exhibition showcasing the art collection of Cheech Marin, traveled to museums across the United States exposing Chicano art and the Chicano Movement to the traditional art world.
Enriquez has won the 2016 Segundo Barrio Person of the Year Award, the University of Texas at El Paso's Distinguished Alumni Award, and the Mid-Americarts Alliance Fellowship in 1994.
Provenance:
The papers were donated by Gaspar Enriquez in 2017.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Use of archival born-digital records with no duplicate copies requires advance notice.
