
15 Sep SON CUATRO: Cheech in Conversation with Margaret Garcia
Margaret García is the featured artist in this episode of the “Son Cuatro: In Conversation” podcast co-hosted by art advocate Cheech Marin with Todd Wingate, Director of Exhibitions and Collections at Riverside Art Museum (RAM) and Anna Bermudez, Chief Curator at the Museum of Ventura County. Arts marketing strategist Melissa Richardson Banks of CauseConnect — who also manages Cheech Marin’s notable Chicano art collection — is the moderator and producer of this series.
Part of RAM’s continued programming leading up to its opening of The Cheech, “Son Cuatro: In Conversation” is focused on sharing the work and the stories of Chicana/o/x artists, gaining their insights, and helping to inspire more community interaction and support for The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of Riverside Art Museum. Syndicated nationally through Richardson Banks’ MUSED: LA 2 HOU platform, this inaugural four-part series is made possible through the generosity of the Union Pacific Foundation.
Each artist conversation is recorded live with an audience via Zoom and edited into a separate audio episode. The programs are available for listening through RAM’s website at www.riversideartmuseum.org/soncuatro and on nationally syndicated podcast platforms such as Apple, Pandora, Google, iHeart Radio, and others.
Check out the works by Margaret on her website and on social media: Facebook and Instagram. Her solo exhibition “Arte Para la Gente: Margaret García” is on view Thursday, November 11, 2021 through Sunday, May 8, 2022 (opening reception on Saturday, November 13 at 2:00 PM Pacific) at the Museum of Ventura County (100 E. Main St., Ventura, CA 93001 – www.venturamuseum.org).
Enjoy the conversation.
~ Melissa Richardson Banks
EPISODE NOTES
Melissa Richardson Banks introduces the program and Cheech talks about his relationship with Margaret and her work, particularly “Janine at 39, Mother of Twins,” which was one of the most popular artworks displayed during his “Chicano Visions: Painters on the Verge” museum exhibition tour. He says that her paintings “tend to be lush” in terms of subject matter and generous use of paint. Cheech shared that Margaret’s paintings are among his favorites in the collection because he can stare at them for a long time and they remind him of neighborhoods that he knew from his childhood. Key questions posed to Margaret by Cheech, Anna Bermudez and Todd Wingate includes “why did you become an artist,” “who influenced you,” and more. Margaret turned the tables on Cheech a few times, particularly with the devastating story he often shares about his grade school teacher proclaiming that he would “never be an artist” after viewing his artwork. He often shares that she is the “most improved” artist, but she countered that she focuses on evolving.
ABOUT MARGARET GARCIA: Margaret García says “her work provides a look at my community through the presence of the individual” and her desire is for her work “to be pertinent and meaningful.” Although she does not consider her work overtly political, over time, she has come to realize that many of her portraits belies the stereotypes given to any one culture by the media. In addition to her portrayals of sensual women of mixed race, many of García’s street scenes and landscapes depicting her neighborhood of Highland Park are in Cheech Marin’s collection. A teacher and a mentor to many young artists, García studied fine art at California State University, Northridge; Los Angeles City College; and the University of Southern California. Her work has been exhibited in group shows throughout the United States and in Europe, and she is published widely. García teaches and lectures extensively on art in different cultures. Her first solo museum exhibition opens this October at the Museum of Ventura County (www.venturamuseum.org). Learn more at www.margaretgarciastudio.com. During the pandemic, García conceived her “Prayers” project and has been a mentor, inspiration, and champion for the team that now leads Prayers Worldwide. Visit www.prayersfromla.org.
ABOUT THE CO-HOSTS
SPECIAL THANKS
- Raul Pacheco of Ozomatli generously allowed use of clips from his song “LaLaLa” for the intro and outro of this podcast.
- Eva Crawford designed the logo for “Son Cuatro: In Conversation” and created the episode artwork.