Elizabeth Ferrer

🌟 OPENING SOON The Cheech: February 7th – September 6th Riverside Art Museum: February 7th – July 5th 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘰 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦: 𝘈 𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘤 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 1966 𝘵𝘰 2026 is the first major survey to examine the depth and evolution of Chicana/o/x lens-based image-making over the past 60 years. Featuring some 150 works by nearly 50 U.S. Chicana/o/x artists, the exhibition traces photography’s role from its activist roots in the 1960s to expansive contemporary expressions today. Traditional and experimental works invite viewers to consider the camera’s enduring role in shaping self-representation, cultural identity, and political expression. Curated by Elizabeth Ferrer @evferrer , the exhibition includes trailblazers such as Louis Carlos Bernal, Luis C. Garza, George Rodriguez, and María Varela, who are presented alongside innovators of the 1980s and 1990s—including Kathy Vargas, Ricardo Valverde, Christina Fernandez, and Ken Gonzales-Day—and contemporary voices Star Montana, Arlene Mejorado, Thalía Gochez, and Eduardo L Rivera. Laura Aguilar @laura_aguilar_photo Max Aguilera-Hellweg Asco Chuy Benitez @chuybenitez Louis Carlos Bernal Robert C. Buitrón @robertcbuitron Freddy Calderon @A.Westside.Story William Camargo @billythecamera Oscar R. Castillo Camilo Cruz @camilocruzarte Christina Fernandez @Cmfrndz Harry Gamboa Jr. @harry_gamboa_jr Miguel A. Gandert Luis C. Garza Thalía Gochez @thaliagochez Ken Gonzales-Day @kengonzalesday Fabián Guerrero Alma Lopez Annie Lopez @annielopezartist Martina Lopez Arlene Mejorado @arimejorado Jesús Manuel Mena Garza @JMMGarza Yulissa Mendoza @yu.lis.sa Star Montana @starmontana Delilah Montoya Lizette Olivas @IEDiaries @LaxAlbondigita Rubén Ortiz-Torres @Desmothernista Chuck Ramirez Daniel Ramos @danielramosphoto Eduardo L Rivera Reynaldo Rivera George Rodriguez Rudy Rodriguez Guadalupe Rosales / Veteranas & Rucas @lupewhat @veteranas_and_rucas Diana Solís Ada Trillo @adatrillophotography John M. Valadez Patssi Valdez Ricardo Valverde Maria Varela Kathy Vargas Yolanda Vasquez Petrocelli Christopher A. Velasco @caver83 Amy Zapata @barrionerd Design by Tony Carranza

Holland Cotter at @nytimes just named Louis Carlos Bernal: Monografia as one of the Best Art Books of 2024. I cannot be more thrilled, and am grateful that this pioneering Chicano photographer is finally getting such important recognition. I’m am enormously thankful to the highly professional and dedicated team that made this publication possible. Many thanks to @beckysenfccp , @tjtubutis Gia Del Pino, and @lizzy___golden at the @cntrforcreativephoto , @brendanembser , Noa Lin, Lauren Van Natten, and @thesarahmeister at @aperturefnd , and many others including the @lucefoundation , @lisabernalbrethour , Duncan Whyte, Elianna Kim, @bernstorffmarietta , @armando.cristeto and George Luna Pena. The book accompanies the exhibition Louis Carlos Bernal: Retrospectiva, on view at CCP in Tucson through March 15.

Big congratulations to @svtemkin and everyone at @elmuseo for this perfectly curated exhibition of photographs by Sophie Rivera. Sophie would have been thrilled to receive this recognition. These portraits are among her best known works - although these large-version prints have not been seen for decades - but the exhibition also contains many surprises and new perspectives on this Nuyorican artist.

Honored to speak at The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture (@thecheechcenter ) as part of Chicano Camera Culture, curated by Elizabeth Ferrer (@evferrer ). I spoke about what I witnessed during the first Trump administration, and what we are seeing again today. This is why photography matters. Not just to document, but to insist on memory. To resist erasure. To hold the line when history begins to repeat itself. Grateful to be in dialogue with artists who have shaped and continue to shape the landscape of Chicano and American photography. Artist in the Exhibition: @laura_aguilar_photo Max Aguilera-Hellweg Asco @chuybenitez Louis Carlos Bernal @robertcbuitron @a.westside.story @billythecamera Oscar R. Castillo @camilocruzarte @cmfrndz @harry_gamboa_jr Miguel A. Gandert Luis C. Garza @thaliagochez @kengonzalesday Fabián Guerrero Alma Lopez @annielopezartist Martina Lopez @arimejorado @jmmgarza @yu.lis.sa @starmontana Delilah Montoya @iediaries @laxalbondigita @desmothernista Chuck Ramirez @danielramosphoto Eduardo L Rivera Reynaldo Rivera George Rodriguez Rudy Rodriguez @lupewhat @veteranas_and_rucas Diana Solís @adatrillophotography John M. Valadez Patssi Valdez Ricardo Valverde Maria Varela Kathy Vargas Yolanda Vasquez Petrocelli Christopher A. Velasco @barrionerd

I spent the last two days at the @latinxfreedomproject where veterans of the civil rights movement and scholars gave a series of truly inspiring presentations. They included a keynote address by New York Young Lords cofounder Juan Gonzalez, and a panel on the early days of the Chicano movement in the Southwest with presentations by Vickie Castro and Lorenzo Cano. Other photos: with @downtownmuse Melissa Richardson Banks and @arlenedavila1 , founder of the @latinxprojnyu , and with pioneering LA-based photographer of the Chicano civil rights movement @luiscgarzaphotos . What an amazing experience to be in the presence of so many veteranos. Thanks and appreciation to @jfernandez1202 and Felipe Hinojosa for organizing such a powerful and needed event.

The Chicano Camera Culture catalog is just out and Hyperallergic has named it as one of the 10 Art Books for Your Spring Reading. On behalf of the photographers and authors, I am thrilled for this recognition. Here is what Lakshmi Rivera Amin has to say: Chicano Camera Culture: A Photographic History, 1966 to 2026, edited by Elizabeth Ferrer | Riverside Art Museum and the University of Washington Press, March Countless images in this catalog are seared into my mind, leaving behind a layered indentation of five decades of Chicano photography in all its complexity. Coinciding with a two-venue exhibition of the same name at The Cheech and the Riverside Art Museum in California, Chicano Camera Culture is a palimpsestic ode to the photographers who documented Mexican-American diasporic identity and political movements, shaping them in turn. The late Rudy Rodriguez’s snapshot of Dolores Huerta speaking at a rally in 1974, in particular, stands as a testament to the women who molded Chicano political consciousness and to the artists who expanded its visual language. Special thanks to my fellow authors, @cvillasenorblack Jennifer Gonzalez @deannaledezma Nicole Scalissi, and @marytlikesart . Thanks to the folks at @thecheechcenter including Valerie Found, Sophia Esparza, Jen Kanter and @causeconnect . I am ever grateful to the @hlucefdn , which made such a handsome volume possible. A huge shout out to our wonderful graphic designer @philkovacevich . @thaliagochez , an immensely talented young photographer, provided the cover image for the book. And of course, eternal thanks to @cheechmarin for believing in this project and for his deep support of Chicano artists. The book is distributed by @uwapress and is the first publication to comprehensively examine the rich history of Chicano photography since the civil rights era. Gracias a todos.

Dolores Huerta speaking at a rally, 1974. Photograph by Rudy Rodriguez, 1936-2001. This work is included in the exhibition Chicano Camera Culture: A Photographic History, 1966-2026, currently on view at The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, Riverside, CA. After much thought and discussion, as well as in consultation with The Cheech and with the artist, I decided to remove a portrait of Cesar Chavez by George Rodriguez, Rudy’s brother, from the exhibition. In a statement in the gallery explaining this removal, I acknowledge Chavez’s critical importance to the Chicano civil rights movement, but note that his repeated actions are antithetical to the cultural values that are foundational to the exhibition. The removal of this photograph acts to honor and recognize the women he victimized and has been carried out in the spirit of equity and social justice. A new work by George Rodriguez, a key chronicler of the Chicano the civil rights movement, will replace the photo we removed. Photo credit: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of George Rodriguez in memory of his brother. Copyright Estate of Rudy Rodriguez.

The Honolulu Museum of Art @honolulumuseum has an outstanding exhibition on view right now of ceramic sculpture by Hawaiian-born artist Toshiko Takaezu (1922-2011). With her signature closed forms, she transformed the ceramic vessel into both a sculptural object and an abstract painting in the round. The interiors of these works, which she called “the dark space that you can’t see,” seem to hold secrets or the possibility of new form, sometimes revealed through sound elements. This was the first retrospective of this truly innovative artist. This work is a collaboration with Lenore Tawney. And the museum and its permanent collections are totally worth a visit!

A few views of Shangri-La, tobacco heiress Doris Duke’s home, now a museum of Islamic art, in Honolulu. The place is over-the-top beautiful and the works on view are spectacular. But as the excellent docents point out, ethical issues abound in the acquisition of some (not all) of the objects on view. Much of the work here is architectural, like entire walls, ceilings, and mosaics, that were removed from ancient buildings in Iran, Turkey, and other nations.

With my Hawaiian family…

Some scenes from a memorable weekend at the opening of the Chicano Camera Culture exhibition at @thecheechcenter : 1. Photographers at the opening reception. A true gathering of the tribe from across the United States. 2. The photographers being photographed. I have never had so many cameras on me in my life! 3. With @duronveritas , @cheechmarin , @downtownmuse , Mary Duron, and museum interim director Valerie Found. 4. Showing Cheech some photos by Louis Carlos Bernal, often called “the father of Chicano photography” 5. With photographers @annielopezartist , @robertcbuitron , @danielramosphoto @a.westside.story @pilsenita and @adatrillophotography 6. Our Sunday panel discussion with @jmmgarza , @robertcbuitron , Martina Lopez, @cmfrndz , and @billythecamera . Huge thanks to all!!!

Chicano Camera Culture at The Cheech. The photographers have arrived and Cheech is in the house! We open tonight and this will be a historic gathering of Chicanx photographers working across six decades and across the United States. 1. Cheech Marin being interviewed. 2. Cheech with @robertcbuitron (Robert is standing before a portrait by @harry_gamboa_jr from the iconic series Chicano Male Unbonded.) 3. Me with pioneering civil rights era photographer @luiscgarzaphotos 4. Cheech looking at cyanotypes with Annie Lopez 5. With @pilsenita Diana Solis 6. And with @desmothernista Ruben Ortiz.