Art by Jesse Rodriguez selected for the Cheech at the Riverside Art Museum

We are thrilled for MPAC founder Jesse E. Rodriguez that his art has been chosen for the permanent collection of The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, the first museum in the country exclusively showcasing Mexican-American art.

“Dalé Shine” is the first sculpture by a Texas artist to be added to the museum’s permanent collection.  

MPAC founder Jesse E. Rodriguez, aka Magnolia Grown, and Cheech Marin with “Dalé Shine”.

“I am humbled beyond belief to know that the art of our community will live in the museum that Cheech built,” said Jesse.

“Art of our community” is an apt description of Jesse’s work.

He created the six- by four-foot “Dalé Shine” out of wood salvaged from the original dance floor of a demolished 1928 community center. An oversized image of an iconic Stacy Adams wingtip shoe fills the silhouette of the Virgen de Guadalupe. Butterfly knives and steel railroad spikes radiate like a mandorla of light. The assemblage reflects the challenges of growing up in the barrio as well as the powerful symbolism found throughout Houston’s oldest Hispanic neighborhood of Magnolia Park.

“I hope this inspires other artists in the neighborhood to keep on creating,” continued Jesse.

The piece was donated to the museum by the Duthu Management Trust, and was the result of the museum’s intention to expand beyond Cheech’s personal collection of over 500 works.

“These additions to our permanent collections reflect our dedication and responsibility to represent narratives of our region and beyond, and to build on the generous gifts of Cheech and other donors. Our goal is to continue the transformative work that shapes the future of our collections, exhibitions, and programming at The Cheech…” stated Drew Oberjuerge, Executive Director, Riverside Art Museum.

The Cheech Center for Chicano Art & Culture opened in 2022 at the Riverside Art Museum about 50 miles east of Los Angeles.