Mexican Heritage Corporation presents
Mi Coche - My Culture: Livin' the Lowrider Lifestyle
 |
DatesFebruary 28 through August 29, 2008 LocationMexican Heritage Plaza La Galerķa TicketsThis exhibit is free and open to the public. Box OfficePlease call (408) 928-5524 if you wish to arrange for a group tour. |
This unique visual arts exhibition explores the art, design, and Chicano subculture of automobiles, beginning with the San Jose lowrider explosion of the 1970's and continuing through today's custom car industry and certified lifestyle.
Growing up on the west coast places one in the epicenter of car culture. Within that culture are a multitude of subcultures and the one that exploded within the Chicano community of East San Jose was the Lowrider movement of the 1970's.
Owning your own car, customized with eye catching paint, plenty of chrome, and suspension so low it nearly scraped the ground, gave you enough attitude to tilt your head back and soak up all the attention. You could spend your nights cruising around town, listening to WAR's "Why can't we be friends?" or Tower of Power's "You're still a young man," looking for the current hangout for the night. Once you found the place, you rolled in low and slow, scraping your back bumper while looking out for all the beautiful Chicanas. There would be row after row of big, sleek Chevrolet Caprices and Impalas displaying their club placas in the rear window. Young men circulated around the packed lot, socializing and swapping car stories of how their fathers used to cruise to the latest in custom trends, and recruiting for the many brotherhoods.
These were the Golden Years of lowriding. More than thirty years later, an entire industry of custom car products and car magazines, as well as a certified lifestyle have gone world wide and are still going strong here in East San Jose.
Read the complete press release for this exhibit.
See the exhibit featured on CBS 5
Watch a story about the exhibit from the Mercury News
|
|
|
|
|
|