Cheech Marin’s Long-Awaited Chicano Art Museum Secures City Approval and $1 Million in Annual Funding

From Artnet News

Comedian and actor Cheech Marin is a man of many interests— he is one half of the legendary comedy duo Cheech and Chong. He is also an avid trivia player (he won the first Celebrity Jeopardy! tournament) and art collector, having put together a 700-work collection of Chicano art, which is thought to be the largest of its kind in the world.

Now, after years of planning, the long-awaited Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture of the Riverside Art Museum in Riverside, California, has finally received the green light from the city.

The Riverside City Council voted last week to approve plans to renovate the former city library to house the center, and to provide $1 million in annual funding to cover operating costs under a 25-year contract.

A city-funded management fee has been part of the deal since the initial 2017 agreement between the museum and the city, a representative of the center told Artnet News in an email. (Conder abstained, while two other members who own nearby businesses or property recused themselves.)