Chicano Art: 7 Key Works from Murals to Installations

Chicano artists in the 1970s used murals, posters, and installations to protest social issues and celebrate heritage. Judy Baca's The Great Wall of Los Angeles (1977–present) spans half a mile in San Fernando Valley, depicting California's ethnic history, co-founded with the Social and Public Art Resource Center. Amalia Mesa-Bains' An Ofrenda for Dolores del Rio (1984) transforms Día de los Muertos offerings into large-scale installations, introducing the term domesticana. Asco's First Supper (After a Major Riot) (1970) staged a street performance on Whittier Boulevard after the Chicano Moratorium, featuring Harry Gamboa Jr., Willie Herron, Gronk, and Patssi Valdez. Ester Hernandez's Sun Mad (1982) critiques pesticide contamination in Dinuba, California, parodying Sun-Maid raisins. Mario Torero's We Are Not A Minority (1978) at Estrada Courts in Boyle Heights honors Che Guevara, created with Rocky, El Lion, and Zade after the Chicano Park struggle. Mel Casas' Humanscapes series (1965 onward) uses an eight-by-six-foot movie-screen format with stenciled captions; Humanscape 41 satirizes Latino involvement in the Vietnam War. Frank Romero's Death of Rubén Salazar (1986) depicts the journalist's killing by police during the Chicano Moratorium, using bright acrylic colors.