Walls that Speak:  New Work by Man One and Cosmé Cordova

April 8 – July 12, 2026

This exhibit highlights recent work not previously collected into a gallery setting by two mid-career Chicano artists mid-career.  Both men have used their expressive styles to not only create important works of art but also to build community engagement in their hometowns.  Man One’s career as a mural artist addresses the communities of the Pomona Valley as well as greater Los Angeles by speaking directly to an engaged public outside of traditional gallery venues.  He is creating a site-specific mural for Walls That Speak.

In addition to his own art practice, Cosmé Cordova has been an inspirational leader in Riverside as the owner of Division 9 gallery.  He developed community engagement in the arts as the co-founder of the Riverside Arts Walk and an annual citywide celebration of the arts on Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).  His own art is a unique synthesis of graffiti, abstract forms and imagery.

Walls that Speak:  Chicana/o Mural Art, 1970s -1990s

April 8 – July 12, 2026

The Chicano Mural Movement created by an immensely talented group of Chicana and Chicano artists is an essential chapter in the history of contemporary art in Southern California.  Well researched by art historians, it is estimated that over 1,500 murals were created in California during the 1970s alone.

By fearlessly appropriating public spaces, Chicano and Chicana artists invented a new style and iconography which addressed the artists’ heritage and identities.

This educational exhibit presents reproductions and descriptive texts of some of the best-known works of the Southern California Chicano Mural Movement.  Themes range from religious subjects,  Indigenous motifs,  political and social commentaries, modern portraiture, to urban culture. 

The Southern California Chicano Mural Movement provides the necessary background to appreciate the art exhibited in the CCMA’s Main Gallery by Man One and Cosmé Cordova It will help museum visitors better understand the roots of art being made in the 21st century by contemporary  Chicano and Chicana artists as well as the outstanding murals painted during October, 2025,  in downtown Ontario.