First of 2018’s The Cheech @ RAM exhibits debuts

Rogelio Gutierrez | Una Noche Chicana: Novelas, Peliculas, Chocolate, y Avena

Riverside CA – The Riverside Art Museum (RAM) proudly presents Rogelio Gutierrez | Una Noche Chicana: Novelas, Peliculas, Chocolate, y Avena, running January 20 – March 4, 2018, with a free, open-to-the-public Opening Reception on Friday, February 2, from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. This exhibition is generously sponsored by Macy’s, Burgess Moving & Storage, and Bob Harris and Susan Rothermund.

For more information, visit www.riversideartmuseum.org

“Following Jeff Soto’s very successful Potatostamp exhibition, Rogelio’s show is the second gallery takeover this year, where we essentially have handed an artist the keys to a gallery,” says Todd Wingate, RAM Curator of Exhibitions and Collections. “It is also one of two The Cheech @ RAM exhibitions we are opening this month – the other being Jaime Guerrero | Contemporary Relics: A Tribute to the Makers – a new strategy for RAM’s exhibition program building excitement and awareness for The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Arts, Culture & Industry.”

First-generation Mexican-American Chicano artist Rogelio Gutierrez addresses issues of identity, community, and family, questioning what it is to be a true “American.” Gutierrez notes, “these topics are more important than ever in the United States because of politicians that aim to stratify communities of color.” Although this exhibition is heavily laced with Mexican/Chicano symbolism and imagery, like frijole (bean) pots, huaraches (Mexican sandals), and the Virgin de Guadalupe, Gutierrez’s work points to the similarities that people from this country share as they establish a place they call home. 

Una Noche Chicana will combine video installation, lithographic prints, and stitched (costura) goods created by the artist’s mother, creating a sense of nostalgia around a much more innocent time, a time when sitting in the living room waiting for the telenovelas (Mexican soap operas) to start with a warm chocolate or avena (oatmeal drink) was a religion – when being with your family and sharing a moment of unity and love took center stage.

At the center of the exhibition is the immersive A Night at The Drive-In: Amor Sin Fronteras. Originally installed at the Museo de la Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico City D.F., in the exhibition, Trazo Urbano: Grafica Contemporanea desde Mexico, it is a short video inspired by Mexican telenovelas of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, such as Quinceañera, Muchachitas, and Dos Mujeres, un Camino, and features Joan Sebastian and Lisa Lopez’s catchy 1985 pop ballad, Rumores. About the work, Gutierrez says, “the work is nostalgic in nature and comments on one’s expectations and if the anticipation is worth the wait.”

“Rogelio Gutierrez represents the profile of what a printmaker immersed in their community can be,” says Joel Garcia, Executive Director of Self Help Graphics & Art. “He takes creative approaches to respond to social issues and presents them with impeccable technical excellence that allows for the widest spectrum of viewers to connect to the messages he delivers via his work.”

The Riverside Art Museum integrates art into the lives of people in a way that engages, inspires, and builds community by providing high quality exhibits and art education programs that instill a lifelong love of the arts. RAM relies on the generosity of members and donors to support its exhibitions, education programs, and special events. A 60-plus-year-old, non-profit cultural arts institution housed in a National Historic 1929 building designed by Hearst Castle and AIA Gold Medal-winning architect Julia Morgan, the museum welcomes over 50,000 visitors a year. The museum is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Sunday, 12:00 noon – 4:00 p.m. For information on exhibits, events, classes, memberships, or sponsorship opportunities, visit www.RiversideArtMuseum.org. For information about the proposed Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art, Culture & Industry at the Riverside Art Museum, visit www.riversideartmuseum.org/cheech. Find us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/riversideartmuseum), Twitter (RAMRiverside), Instagram (@riversideartmuseum), and Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/ramarts).

Sponsored by: Macy’s, Burgess Moving & Storage, Bob Harris & Susan Rothermund