As a multi-generational icon, Cheech Marin is widely recognized as an OG Latino comic and actor. His counterculture humor as part of Cheech & Chong defined an era. Decades later, his early vision has been fully vindicated: the cannabis culture he pioneered is now entirely mainstream.

What fewer people know is that Cheech is also a leading collector of Chicano art worldwide. The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, known as “The Cheech”, opened in 2022  as part of the Riverside Art Museum in California. And his contributions to the world of art continue expanding.

Just a few weeks before Cheech turned 80 in July 2026, he donated pieces–including paintings, sculptures, drawings and photographs that he spent decades collecting–so they could be enjoyed by the public for decades to come. That art is now available for viewing in the collection “We the People: Chicano Art in the U.S.A.” The collection explores themes of belonging, cultural memory, immigration, and community, and features the work of more than 60 Chicano artists.

In this episode, Maria Hinojosa speaks with Cheech about his lifelong love of art, the artists he admires, and why preserving their work is a key part of his legacy.

Host: Maria Hinojosa

Producer and reporter: Adreanna Rodriguez

Editor: Julieta Martinelli

Social Media: Mary Juarez and Essam Aljahmi

Engineer: JJ Querubin

Managing Editor: Fernanda Echavarri

Executive Producers: Peniley Ramirez and Maria Hinojosa