8 April 23 - 29, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Culture on Canvas Art on Main’s Chicano exhibit redefines the East Dallas experience with works from nearly 60 artists, now through May 2. BY PRESTON BARTA A rt does not always hang qui- etly on pristine white gallery walls. Sometimes, it rolls down the street on gleaming chrome wire wheels, pulses to the rhythm of music drifting through an open door and beckons passersby to step out of the ordinary and into a world alive with story and color. From April 9 through May 2, Art on Main transforms into a beating cultural heart for Chicano, a sprawling, 58-artist group exhibi- tion that demands you look, listen and re- member. Curated by the visionary duo Junanne Peck and Ariel Esquivel, the show is an unapologetic exploration of identity, cultural influence and the lived experiences of the Chicano community across Dallas- Fort Worth and beyond. Through 79 contemporary works span- ning painting, photography, metal sculpture and printmaking, the exhibition weaves a massive, colorful tapestry of resilience. It captures both the brutal hardships and the brilliant celebrations of a community whose roots run deep in the Texas soil. The Curators Behind the Canvas Every great exhibition starts with a story, and the story behind Chicano is fiercely personal. For the past few years, Peck and Esquivel have collaborated to carve out spaces for un- derrepresented voices. This show, however, strikes a different, much closer chord. “We chose to begin with Chicano art be- cause it lives in us,” the exhibit’s duo tells the Observer. “It is history, identity and resil- ience, especially here in Texas, where those roots run deep.” For Esquivel, a Texas-based artist and printmaker, the exhibition is a profound act of self-discovery and homecoming. Raised primarily by her mother’s side of the family, she spent her youth fielding the exhausting, all-too-common questions about her iden- tity. It was not until she began digging into her ancestry that she unearthed deep, vi- brant ties to the Mexican-American com- munity, including an unexpected connection to lowrider culture in Dallas. “Our curatorial approach comes from the heart and our deep connection to the Chi- canx movement,” Esquivel says. “We wanted to create a space where artists could share their stories honestly, and where the commu- nity could see themselves reflected in the work. This exhibition isn’t just art on walls. It’s about visibility, healing and creating space for voices that are often overlooked.” Peck, who was born in Texas and raised in New Mexico, absorbed the color and tra- dition of Mexican art from an early age. As a grandmother to children with Hispanic her- itage, she brings a fierce maternal drive to the project, ensuring these cultural roots are nurtured and never forgotten. Together, they have built something far greater than a traditional art show; they have built a sanctuary. Brushstrokes of the Everyday The 58 artists featured in Chicano do not deal in distant abstractions. They paint, sculpt and photograph the beautiful, gritty reality of daily life. The gallery space pulses with stories of family, labor and faith. Take Rodrigo Paredes’ striking painting, “El Paletero.” The piece captures the quiet dignity of an elderly ice cream vendor navi- gating an urban alleyway. Inspired by the real-life story of Fidencio Sanchez, a be- loved paleta man from Chicago, the painting is a raw, emotional tribute to the relentless work ethic that defines so many Mexican- American families. It is a visual monument to the unsung heroes who push heavy carts through hot streets to put food on the table. Then there is Ally Golden’s “Super Ballers,” a piece that beautifully collides generations and subcultures. Golden draws inspiration from childhood days spent in Santa Ana, watching fruit vendors under the watchful gaze of a Guadalupe mural. The piece features her late uncle and, brilliantly, a quote from the British rock band The Smiths — a playful but accurate nod to the massive, passionate Chicano fanbase the band commands. “I hope to make the world a more loving place,” Golden says. “And to make Chicanos everywhere feel seen.” For painter Hermila Cuevas, “Chicome- coatl: Giver of Harvest” is an oil on canvas that brings the Mexica corn goddess to life as a nur- turing figure cradling multicolored maize — an image rich with themes of growth, protection and abundance that honors the enduring power of ancestral sustenance. And in “Crown of Vibrancy,” Lisa Batch- elder channels her Oak Cliff upbringing into a surreal, mixed-media explosion of flora and fauna. Drawing parallels between a pea- cock’s brilliant crown and Christ’s crown of thorns, Batchelder proves that even in mo- ments of profound suffering, life continues to bloom with vivid, unstoppable color. Low & Slow: Streets as a Gallery You cannot tell the story of the Chicano ex- perience in Texas without stepping outside the gallery doors. On Saturday, April 18, from 3 to 6 p.m., Art on Main spilled out onto the pavement for Low & Slow (Bajito y Suavecito). Partnering with the United Lowrider As- sociation (ULA) of Dallas-Fort Worth, the event featured authentic Chicano lowrider vehicles. This was not merely a car show — it was an exhibition of monumental kinetic sculptures. For decades, lowrider culture has been a cornerstone of Chicano tradition, serving as a powerful method of creative expression and a deliberate pushback against societal stereotypes. These meticulously customized vehicles with their candy-paint finishes, en- graved chrome and plush interiors are passed down through generations, essen- tially rolling family heirlooms. Artist Cease Martinez captures this exact sentiment in his acrylic work titled “Cultura.” “My inspiration comes from Chicano cruising culture as a space of pride, connec- tion and self-expression,” Martinez says. He elevates the everyday moment of cruising into something deeply symbolic, proving that culture more than just a concept; it’s something physically carried and shared. By bringing the lowriders to Art on Main, Peck and Esquivel dismantled the invisible barrier between “fine art” and “street art.” They honored the builders and mechanics as master craftsmen, showing that art moves, speaks and occasionally hits the switches to bounce on its wheels. A Community Lifeline Chicano is designed to be an active, breathing community participant. The ex- hibition refuses to be a passive viewing ex- perience. Art on Main is donating 10% of all art sales to Vecinos Unidos DFW, an organization working to inform, uplift and mobilize immi- grant and marginalized communities across North Texas. This partnership transforms the purchase of a painting into a direct invest- ment in the neighborhood’s future. The exhibition will culminate in a closing reception on May 2, held from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., with a special featured performance by acclaimed poet and performer Tammy Go- mez. Known for her powerful voice and deep roots in Chicano storytelling, Gomez brings an embodied layer of language, mem- ory and cultural resonance to the space. As Esquivel and Peck note, the core concept underpinning much of this work is the sim- ple, unifying truth that “we’re all immi- grants.” The Legacy of East Dallas East Dallas holds a rich, complex Chicano history. The streets surrounding Art on Main have witnessed generations of strug- gle, triumph and cultural evolution. With this exhibition, the gallery honors those deep roots, pulling them up through the concrete so a new generation can see and feel them. The stories of resilience are still here. They are alive in the brushstrokes of Ally Golden, the welded metal of Hermila Cue- vas and the gleaming chrome of the ULA lowriders. Chicano is a loud, proud declaration of a community that refuses to be quieted, sani- tized or forgotten. It’s an invitation to step out of the inevitable early-onset Texas heat, walk into the gallery and experience the in- herited heart of a community that continues to paint the world in its own beautiful, vi- brant image. The Chicano Group Art Exhibition runs until May 2 at Art on Main, 4428 Main St., ▼ Culture Courtesy of Cease Martinez Cease Martinez’s “Cultura” transforms an everyday moment into a powerful symbol of shared heritage. Courtesy of Lisa Batchelder Lisa Batchelder’s “Crown of Vibrancy”
