Wayne Alaniz Healy, “Bolero Familiar” (2002), serigraph, 35 ½ x 49 ½ inches (image courtesy of McNay Art Museum, gift of Harriett and Ricardo Romo, 2009.57. © Wayne Alaniz Healy)

With 73 serigraphs and lithographs made between 1980 and 2010, and drawings from both the collection of the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio and the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, Estampas de la Raza: Contemporary Prints from the Romo Collection and the Royal Chicano Air Force spotlights a vital but largely overlooked segment of contemporary American art, celebrating the collaboration and creativity of artists and print shops in California and Texas.

Organized thematically into five sections, this exhibition at the Crocker Art Museum explores universal themes and key aspects of the Latinx experience: the identity of individuals who struggle to define themselves; the struggle of the Chicano movement to achieve economic, political and personal equality; the tradition, memory and culture of everyday life; emblematic figures who represent social and political causes; and the influence of Latinx culture on contemporary American life and art.

Many artists from La Raza stamps were inspired by the Chicano movement of the 1960s and 1970s and draw on artistic traditions ranging from Mexican printmaking to mural painting, as well as other sources such as folk art, pop art and graffiti. The breadth of art on display proves that Latinx art and artists are far from homogeneous, and the variety of works highlights the many facets of Latinx and Chicanx culture. Yet what unites the artists in the show is the shared experience of navigating what it means to be both Mexican and American in the modern United States.

La Raza stamps is visible at the Crocker until October 1st. Support for this exhibition is provided by Art Bridges.

To learn more, visit crockerart.org.