Late one Saturday night this past December, we approached our destination in Fountain Valley, California, to find a large gathering of Latinos out in front of the brightly lit establishment. There was definitely a buzz circulating through this devoted crowd. Inside, we were introduced to Jose Lopez, the "ringmaster" of this event and founder of the tattoo parlor next door, Lowrider-Style Tattoos. With a wide grin and a firm handshake, he welcomed us into his first Latino art gallery opening.
By the looks of the crowd, this first shot out of the gate appeared to be quite a success. The walls were covered from corner to corner with the artwork from our brothers who strived to produce inspirational works of art that depict every facet of being a Latino in America. With a cast that encompasses every corner of the Latin art movement, the likes of Cartoon, OG Abel, Gerald Mendez, Fonzy, Noah, Tony Zarco and Wiro were among the top-notch artists who lent out their work for this collective effort toward more gallery openings in the future.This event is the first of many for Jose, who boasted of more to come as the crowd began to leave after their six-hour stay. When all was said and done, an event like this can only bring artists together and make it possible for them to push further into the mainstream and solidify the thought that we as a people are a force to be reckoned with.