Radical Histories: Chicano Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum

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The Huntington hosts the West Coast debut of “Radical Histories: Chicano Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum,” on loan from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The exhibition’s 60 bold works by some 40 artists and collectives span more than six decades of Chicano printmaking as a form of resistance, community building, and cultural reclamation. 

Starting with the late 1960s Delano Grape Strike, which led to the formation of the United Farm Workers (UFW) labor union, the prints in “Radical Histories” capture pivotal moments in the history of community activism and the formation of collective identity. Chicano/Chicana artists used silkscreens, posters, and offset prints to mobilize communities—often with biting humor, vibrant colors, and unmistakable urgency. 

The exhibition is arranged in five thematic sections: “Together We Fight,” “¡Guerra No!” (No War!), “Violent Divisions,” “Rethinking América,” and “Changemakers.” Each section highlights how Chicano artists have used the accessible and reproducible medium of printmaking to confront injustice, affirm cultural identity, and engage in transformative storytelling. 

Unique to The Huntington’s presentation of “Radical Histories,” the institution has commissioned a mural by Los Angeles–based artist Melissa Govea (Purépecha) in collaboration with Self Help Graphics & Art, the pioneering East Los Angeles print studio that has supported Chicano and Latino artists since 1973. Govea is known for her interdisciplinary practice, which explores labor, identity, and community. The mural, inspired by works in the exhibition, will be on view in a dedicated section of the gallery, bridging the legacy of the 1960s with contemporary movements.