'Chicanismo and the Art of Resistance: The Legacy of Ricardo Favela and the Royal Chicano Air Force'

This exhibit highlights the profound impact of Favela and the Royal Chicano Air Force (R.C.A.F.) on Chicano art and activism. Favela was a trailblazer in the use of calavera imagery to depict Chicano life, addressing issues and perspectives often marginalized in the mainstream. His involvement with the R.C.A.F.—a Sacramento-based Chicano art collective founded in 1969—offered him and his peers a powerful medium of expression through silkscreen posters. For the R.C.A.F., Chicano arte was not created for art’s sake but as a tool of resistance and empowerment, reflecting the cultural pride and activism central to Chicanismo.

The R.C.A.F. began as un grupo de estudiantes Chicanos with profe’s and community gente, who came together to form an art collective with the aim of making cultural arts accessible to the working-class raza—La Plebe!

As Favela often said, "Have causa, we’ll travel." In other words, your struggle is our struggle, and we will be there to support you with our arte.

Curated by: Florentina Favela and Eddie Salas.

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