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InFormation: 50 Years of the Royal Chicano Air Force
(This page is under construction)
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La Raza Galeria Posada has launched an impressive series of events and exhibitions celebrating the Royal Chicano Air Force and its 50 years of influence on culture, art, politics and social justice in Sacramento and beyond. The SPC is proud to be part of the planning committee for the effort. In April, as part of our Poetry Month celebration, we will feature a reading of Chicano poets and an exhibition of some of the many legendary small portraits made by Esteban Villa at literary events around Sacramento. We will update the schedule of RCAF events throughout the winter, spring and summer. The full schedule — still in progress — appears below the article.
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SPC is proud to participate in La Raza Galeria Posada’s regional tribute to the Royal Chicano Air Force/RCAF and its legacy of art, activism, and community.
La Raza Galeria Posada (LRPG) has announced a regional celebration titled InFormation in honor of the Royal Chicano Air Force (RCAF), a seminal collective of artists and activists founded in 1970 by Sacramento State art professors José Montoya and Esteban Villa, their students, and other community artists. Beginning in January and running through June 2026, fifteen art and literary organizations, including museums, galleries, library, and cultural centers in Sacramento, Roseville, Davis, and Woodland, many long associated with the RCAF, will present RCAF related exhibitions, artist panels, symposia, workshops, poetry readings, and film screenings.
InFormation was organized by members of La Raza Galeria Posada (LRGP), a former Royal Chicano Air Force organization that was revived in 2024 by RCAF artists, their descendants, and community supporters. Its mission is to conduct and promote research on the RCAF and its legacy as well as create Chicana/o and Latina/o cultural, artistic and scholarly activities for and with the community. LRGP chose to name the celebration InFormation not only because it reflects the RCAF’s military humor and persona, but also references alignment and coordination along with communication and knowledge, which embodies the regional initiative. This unique and historic collaboration will showcase the impact of the RCAF collective’s “artist wing” on Chicana/o art and U.S. art history along with the cultural and political contributions of its activist members and community organizations. Featuring a cross-section of organizations and media, it will also bring attention to our region’s cultural vibrancy and the RCAF’s enduring spirit of art, activism, and community.
Initially formed as the Rebel Chicano Art Front, the RCAF created individual artworks and group murals as well as posters for numerous Chicano educational, cultural, and political activities. The group early on began their enduring and important support of the United Farm Workers (UFW). As was true of other Chicana/o artists at the time, their posters were not individually signed, but marked with the group’s initials: RCAF. After being confused with the Royal Canadian Air Force, they decided to call themselves the Royal Chicano Air Force, and adopted military regalia and incorporated flight imagery in their murals and posters. After it moved off-campus and established the Centro de Artistas Chicanos (Chicano Artists Center) in 1973, the collective grew as artists were joined by other creatives, professors, community members, and political activists as well as the community organizations, Breakfast for Niños and La Raza Bookstore (later becoming the La Raza Galeria Posada). Their transformative, groundbreaking work initiated an explosion of Chicano art exhibits, murals, theatre productions, concerts, and myriad cultural celebrations in the community, many of which continue today. The group also fostered and promoted civic engagement and political activism which still resonates in the community.
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Note: Artwork: Juan Cervantes, Royal Chicano Air Force, 2006
PARTICIPANTS AND SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Some events are still being planned. All available information is included here.
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Sacramento History Museum
101 I Street, Sacramento, 95814
https://sachistorymuseum.org/
Delta Mello, Executive Director
Current Through April 5, 2026:
RCAF in Mictlán: 50th Anniversary of Dia de los Muertos
Exhibit featuring photographs, videos, ephemera, and artwork, the exhibition documents the RCAF’s Dia de los Muertos five-decade observance within Chicana/o history and its impact as the oldest in the Sacramento region. Curated by guest curator, Terezita Romo.
March 28, 2 p.m.:
Dia de los Muertos Founders Panel
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Verge Center for the Arts
625 - S Street, Sacramento, 95811
https://vergecontemporary.org/
Chase Dougherty Interim Director
Manuel Fernando Rios, guest curator
January 10 – March 22:
R.C.A.F. Mid-Flight: The Artwork and Influence of the Royal Chicano Air Force
The exhibition celebrates the groundbreaking contributions of the Royal Chicano Air Force and their blend of media, culture, performance, humor, and activism that championed Chicano pride, social justice, and community empowerment. It also honors their artistic influence, showcasing both the original members’ creativity and the work of artists inspired by their legacy.
January 10, 5-8 p.m.:
Opening reception
February 18, 6-8 p.m.:
RCAF Artists Panel Discussion
March 18, 6-8 p.m.:
Affiliated Artists Panel Discussion
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SMUD Art Gallery
6301 S Street, Sacramento, CA 95817
https://www.smud.org/
Lorrie Kempf, Curator
January 14 – April 1:
The Art of Juan Carrillo and Esteban Villa
April 1, 4:30-6 p.m.:
Closing reception
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CSUS Library Gallery
www.csus.edu/university-galleries/library-galleries/
Mya Dosch, art department professor
Janina Lopez, guest curator
February 12 – May 2:
Painting la Comuniversidad: Three Murals of the Royal Chicano Air Force
An exhibition featuring large-scale reproductions of RCAF murals and individual artworks, including posters and ceramics, from the university’s collections. Curated by Janina Lopez, it will also highlight the history of the Barrio Art Program and its on-going community engagement as well as audio from new oral histories with RCAF artists, public art tours, and digital guide.
February 11, 5 p.m.:
RCAF Artists Panel: 50+ Years of RCAF Mural Making
February 11, 6:30 p.m.:
Exhibition reception
February 13, 3 p.m.:
Exhibition Curator Walk-through with Janina Lopez Mural
April 8, 12 p.m.:
Site Tour: Metamorphosis with Janina Lopez
April 12, 1 p.m.:
Mural Site Tour: Southside Park with Janina Lopez
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Crocker Art Museum
216 O Street, Sacramento 95814
Javier Plasencia, Director of Education
jplasencia@crockerartmuseum.org
February 22 – June 28:
Rebels With La Causa: Royal Chicano Air Force Art and Activism, 1970-1990
The exhibition explores the creative production and expansive output of the RCAF, one of the Chicano Movement’s most prolific and impactful artist collectives. It highlights the posters created for the myriad artistic and cultural activities and spiritual ceremonies organized by the larger RCAF membership of artists, community organizations, and activists during their first two decades. Curated by guest curator, Terezita Romo.
March 14, 2 p.m.:
Film: Pilots of Aztlan: Flights of the Royal Chicano Air Force (1994) with filmmaker, Steve LaRosa
March 15, 2 p.m.:
Artist Gallery Talk: Luis C. González
March 22, 2 p.m.:
Artist Gallery Talk: Rudy O. Cuellar
April 11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.:
Symposium: RCAF’s Graphic Legacy
April 19, 2 p.m.:
Artist Gallery Talks: Amar Cid on Armando Cid and Tina Favela on Ricardo Favela
May (tba): Artist Gallery Talk: Irma Lerma Barbosa
June (tba): Artist Gallery Talks
June 21 (tba): Family Festival: Mercado de las Flores
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KVIE Channel 6
March through June:
Broadcast of its Royal Chicano Air Force: Art and Activism (Steve LaRosa and Toby Momtaz, 2021) and other TBD film(s) related to “art and activism.”
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Kaneko Gallery @ American River College
4700 College Oak Dr, Sacramento, 95841
https://arc.losrios.edu/about-us/our-facilities/kaneko-gallery
Patricia Wood, Director
April 13 – May 15:
Armando Cid, solo exhibition
April 14, 12 p.m.:
Community reception
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Sacramento Poetry Center
1719 25th Street, Sacramento, CA 95816
https://www.sacpoetrycenter.org/
Patrick Grizzell, Executive Director
April 1-30:
Esteban Villa Drawing Pad, an exhibition featuring sketches of local poets and audience members
Reception TBD
April 20, 7:30 p.m.:
Tribute to RCAF Poets
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Blue Line Arts
405 Vernon St. Roseville CA
May 9 - June 20:
Lorraine García-Nakata: Knowledge We Carry
A solo exhibition of recent works and sampling of earlier pieces, by RCAF artist Lorraine García- Nakata that opened in San Francisco in 2025 and now travels to Blue Line Arts. It includes recent paintings, signature large-scale drawings, fabric and paper pieces as well as a sampling of earlier sculpture and mixed media artworks.
May 16, 4 p.m.:
Artist Lecture
May 16, 5-7 p.m.:
Opening Reception
June 20, 5-7 p.m.:
Encore Reception
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California State Library
900 N Street, Sacramento, 95814
Sue Tyson, Head, California History Section
Through June 28:
Viva La Lucha: Art and Work of the Royal Chicano Air Force
Speaker Series interviews on their YouTube channel featuring RCAF artists, Juan Carrillo, Rudy Cuellar, Luis “Louie” González, Irma Lerma Barbosa, and Juanishi Orosco.
May 13, 4 p.m.:
Speaker Series: Stan Padilla
June 11:
Reading Room presentation with Luis C. González
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EVENTS TO BE SCHEDULED:
Machetes, S. A.
http://www.machetessa.org/home.html
Robert Aguallo
May: Film program in collaboration with La Raza Galeria Posada
Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer/TANA
1224 Lemen Ave, Woodland, 95776
José Arenas, Director
May: Printmaking workshop(s), exhibition, and/or community celebration.
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Manetti Shrem Museum, UC, Davis
254 Old Davis Rd, Davis, CA 95616
manettishremmuseum.ucdavis.edu/
Qianjin Montoya, Academic Liaison
May: Collaborative program with Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer/TANA that will amplify their connections to the work of the RCAF in their art and community.
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Sol Collective
2574 21st Street, Sacramento, 95818
Estela Sanchez, Executive Director
estela@solcollective,org
May: Program(s) related to the RCAF artists and community activists in collaboration with La Raza Galeria Posada
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Washington Neighborhood Center
400 16th Street, Sacramento, 95814
https://washingtonneighborhoodcenter.org/
Jocelin Hernandez, Director
June: Program(s) and/or exhibition related to a long standing relationship with the RCAF
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