Inside The Cheech, where Cheech Marin's art collection tells decades of Chicano stories

[00:00:04]Happy birthday Cheech. He turned 80 today and yesterday he had an early celebration at the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture at the Riverside Art Museum. Marin first became famous in the 70s as half of the stoner comedy duo Cheech & Chong. He went on to a long successful career as an actor and is an avid collector of Chicano art, much of it on display at that museum in Riverside. So, how did he get involved with Chicano art and why is he so passionate about it and passionate about sharing it with others? Our David Ono sat down with Cheech recently and asked him those questions and more. It's the latest installment in David's Faces-ism series.

[00:00:41]>> He was born Richard Anthony Marin, but we know him as Cheech, a nickname he's had since he was a newborn in South LA.

[00:00:48]When I was a kid, he made me and so many others laugh. Today, what he did with that success allows us all to learn more about the proud Chicano that he is. And we call this episode of Faces-ism the Cheech.

[00:01:02]Right in the middle of this beautiful community of Riverside is what used to be their public library. Today, it's known as the Cheech as a bronze statue of Cheech Marin welcomes you inside his center for Chicano Art and Culture.

[00:01:15]>> That's almost like a stained glass.

[00:01:18]>> Oh, yeah.

[00:01:19]>> being in a church here, you know?

[00:01:20]>> It's modern stained glass.

[00:01:21]>> As I sit down with a legend in front of this beautiful 27-ft tall masterpiece, Cheech Marin tells me how his journey with art began as a 9-year-old in LA when he was challenged by his cousin.

[00:01:33]>> Cheech, you go learn about art.

[00:01:35]Okay. How do you do that? You know? So, I went to the started going to the library every week, every Saturday.

[00:01:40][music] Okay, what do you want to learn about today? Impressionism or Expressionism?

[00:01:46]I don't know the difference, so and we went through everything.

[00:01:49]>> It's only fitting the city of Riverside offered this former library as a home for his collection.

[00:01:54]>> There's some coincidences there because here you are in this >> in the library.

[00:01:59]>> Haha. [laughter] >> Your collection is large. It's tremendous. You have donated everything that you've collected.

[00:02:06]>> Just about. 66,420 square feet. That's the sign. 420.

[00:02:14]And I swear to God they're right here.

[00:02:15]Where is it? 420, that's the I was looking for a sign, you know, and that was the sign.

[00:02:20]>> The request LINES ARE NOW OPEN. KGFJ SOUL RADIO.

[00:02:25]>> IT'S OPEN, MAN.

[00:02:26]>> CHEECH BECAME famous in the '70s when he partnered with Tommy Chong. For years they made movies and comedy albums about the drug and counterculture movement.

[00:02:35]Marijuana was illegal and even shunned.

[00:02:38]Yet, they made people laugh by getting stoned. That success enabled Cheech to collect what he loves so much, Chicano art. But what is Chicano?

[00:02:48]>> That was first an insult. It's like a low-grade los de abajo, you know, the underdogs. And I think during my father's era, they started, "Yeah, I'm a Chicano. Okay, you know." Then it gained a movement during the Chicano civil rights movement, you know, it was a Chicano. It was Chicanos who were already here and have been born here and now want the exact same rights that every other American enjoyed.

[00:03:15]>> One scarring moment in Chicano history was August 29th, 1970. They called it the Chicano Moratorium. This demonstration in East LA erupted into violence when the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department pounced on the peaceful protesters. Our own cameras captured deputies brutally beating citizens.

[00:03:32]Three people were killed.

[00:03:36]This art tells their story in a beautiful way. Whether it's stained glass that changes as you move or paintings of everyday life.

[00:03:45]>> And by and large, that's what Chicano art is. This is this is my neighborhood.

[00:03:50]These are the activities [music] that are going on in my neighborhood. How's it look to you? Is this like your neighborhood?

[00:03:56]>> As we work our way through the gallery, Cheech gushes over the beauty of what he sees.

[00:04:00]>> You see all this all this all this all this all this.

[00:04:04]>> The detail.

[00:04:04]>> The [music] detail and the angularity of of the painting and how it draws your eye to this point and then this point and then this point and you see everything and it's a very kind of backyard typical barbecue scene just like Norman Rockwell Chicano style, you know?

[00:04:21]>> That's fantastic.

[00:04:23]>> Artist Margaret Garcia from Boyle Heights is proud to show her work here.

[00:04:28]>> We are American [music] citizens. I'm an American. We're here and we've been here a long time.

[00:04:33]>> The arrest of the paleteros. This is this is funny and it's serious and it's incredibly well painted. [music] They sent the SWAT team in to arrest the ice cream men.

[00:04:46]You know, the paleteros. It tells you the whole absurdity of that whole movement and they didn't go down there to help people. You know, they kind of just wanted to show force to them.

[00:04:57]>> Frank Romero painted this 30 years ago in Echo Park.

[00:05:03]Some would argue little has changed.

[00:05:07]Art allows us to be seen and heard to connect.

[00:05:11]>> People come from all over the world to see the Cheech. He's given us something that no other place in America has. In [snorts] the first two years $29 million >> [music] >> into our economy.

[00:05:20]>> The response has been unbelievably fantastic. [music] >> It's only fitting that this one-time library continues to teach. All thanks to a little boy who spent his Saturdays in a library learning about art.

[00:05:35]>> Cheech Marin's art collection is over 700 pieces that he has spent 40 years gathering which is half his life. As we celebrate his 80th birthday. Happy birthday to Cheech. David Ono, ABC 7 Eyewitness News.