Walls that Speak
Walls that Speak: New Work by Man One, Cosmé Cordova and Joe Ded
April 9 – July 26, 2026
This exhibit highlights recent work not previously exhibited in a museum setting by three local mid-career Chicano artists. Each has used his expressive style to both create important works of art and to build community engagement in their hometowns.
Ontario artist Man One’s career as a muralist engages communities of the Pomona Valley and greater Los Angeles by addressing an engaged public on outdoor murals. He is creating an original site-specific mural for Walls That Speak.
In addition to his 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.
Joe Ded is a versatile artist who is steeped in the Chicana/o mural movement of East Los Angeles of the1970s. Largely self-taught, he is based in Montclair. His iconography draws from a wide range of popular and art historical sources. His art and talent continue to develop as opportunities for large scale works emerge.
These three uniquely talented artists are living evidence of the power of art to be an influential method of individual expression and community engagement.
Walls that Speak: Chicana/o Mural Art, 1970s -1990s
April 9 – 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 encompass religious subjects, Indigenous motifs, political and social commentaries, modern portraiture and urban culture.
The Southern California Chicano Mural Movement provides an essential background to appreciate the art created by Man One and Cosmé Cordova that is being exhibited in the museum’s Main Gallery. 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.
The Southern California Chicano Mural Movement provides an essential background to appreciate the art created by Man One, Cosmé Cordova and Joe Ded that is being exhibited in the museum’s Main Gallery.
