[New] CSUSB awards inaugural Pr esident’s Medal to Richard ‘Cheech’ Marin

By Community News

The annual President’s Holiday Dinner is a showcase of Cal State San Bernardino’s accomplishments and also a time to honor supporters, donors and its Philanthropic Foundation Board of Directors

But the highlight for this year ’s event, held at the Mission Inn in Riverside on Nov 30, was the firstever awarding of the President’s Medal, which was presented by CSUSB President Tomás D Morales to Richard “Cheech” Marin

“Mr Marin was selected because of his accomplishments as an actor, author of children’s books and a preeminent collector of Chicano art,” said Morales “His recent partnership with the Riverside Art Museum to establish The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano

Art and Culture is having a huge positive impact right here in the Inland Empire ‘The Cheech,’ as this museum is affectionately named, has already become a cultural icon and destination ”

“Literally born in East L A , this multi-talented man has refused to rest on his laurels and has instead continued to create, to perform and to give back to the community He has become an icon, and one who is now sharing his energy and largesse with the people of the Inland Empire,” Morales said “We are incredibly honored that he has graciously accepted this inaugural CSUSB President’s Medal ”

The CSUSB President’s Medal was created and presented in recognition of an individual’s extraordinary achievements to a field, profession or our nation, and/or to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the wellbeing of others The recipients have not attended and/or are not graduates of CSUSB

The university’s leadership and alumni regard the CSUSB President’s Medal as evidence of genuine eminent distinction

Best known as one half of the hilariously irreverent, satirical, counter-culture, no-holds-barred duo Cheech and Chong, Marin is a multi-generational star and widely acknowledged as a cultural icon His memoir, entitled “Cheech is Not My Real Name But Don’t Call Me Chong!,” was released in 2017 Along with films and awardwinning albums as the comedy duo, Marin wrote, directed and starred in the comedy “Born In East L A,” has appeared in over 20 films, and has been a television staple from many years appearing in action, dramas and comedies

He has appeared in animation film roles (“Oliver & Company,” “The Lion King,” “Cars” and more) and as an author of children’s books, such as “Cheech the School Bus Driver,”

Marin is recognized as a preeminent Chicano art advocate In the mid-1980s, he began developing what is now arguably the finest pri- vate collection of Chicano art Much of it formed the core of his inaugural exhibition, “Chicano Visions: American Painters on the Verge,” which broke attendance records during its groundbreaking 15 city tour during 2001-2007 to major art museums across the U S

Marin’s goal to introduce Chicano art to a wider audience has resulted in his part- nership with the city of Riverside and the Riverside Art Museum The Cheech, which opened on June 18, serves as the permanent home for his more than 700 works of Chicano art, including paintings, sculptures and photography

Collectively, it is the most renowned Chicano art collection in the United States and already a must-visit location in the Inland Empire

Inland Valley students will now have an opportunity to be exposed to contemporary Latin American and Latinx art thanks to a grant from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians

The grant will allow underserved students from school districts in Riverside and San Bernardino counties to be transported to the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) in Long Beach California where they will participate in MOLAA’s APRENDE (Learn) program

MOLAA’s APRENDE (LEARN) program is the Museum's core arts education program and was developed to increase access to high-quality and culturally relevant Arts curriculum and experiences in the region's schools and communities The APRENDE program ensures that schools, regardless of their budgetary constraints, are given the opportunity to experience MOLAA and enrich their students' academic experience APRENDE reaches economically and socially disadvantaged youth and residents by providing low-cost or free onsite exhibition tours; online virtual tours; art workshops; lectures and educator training sessions; downloadable curriculum resources; and other learning experiences

“We are honored to have partnered with the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians to provide students from Riverside and San Bernardino counties with exposure to contemporary Latin American and Latinx art,” said Lourdes I Ramos, Ph D , President & CEO of MOLAA “This very special program will connect Latinx children with their cultural heritage and introduce nonLatinx youth to the rich artistic and cultural heritage of Latin America Our goal is to provide arts and arts education for underserved students which is particularly important given the mounting public-school cutbacks in arts and music programs ”

MOLAA’s onsite and virtual school tours are accompanied by a robust set of interpretive content that will expand the understanding of Latin American and Latinx art They address issues and topics that are relevant and central to the identities and experiences of regional youth and families while also addressing global concerns

MOLAA’s APRENDE program is particularly important now given that public schools have continued to shift instructional time and resources toward math and language and away from subjects such as art, music, foreign language, and social studies The lack of arts education particularly impacts students of color Research has consistently shown that access to arts education is lower in African American and Latinx communities and has been steadily declining for 30 years

Unfortunately, public schools do not have the resources to utilize the arts to reach their neediest students As a result, teachers must seek supplemental programming outside of the classroom setting to expose their students to instructional subjects that had once been commonplace in schools To respond to this need, MOLAA has committed extensive resources to its APRENDE programming to ensure that youth, families, and educators have access to high-quality arts education programs The program ensures that schools, regardless of their budgetary constraints, are given the opportunity to experience MOLAA and enrich their students' academic experience

Inland Valley school districts interested in participating in the program should contact MOLAA at (562) 2164112 or write to tours@molaa org