Royal Chicano Air Force RCAF Rudy Cuellar

Rudy Cuellar is a founding member of the Sacramento-based artist collective, the Royal Chicano Air Force (RCAF), along with Jose Montoya, Esteban Villa, Juanishi Orosco, Max Garcia, Louie The Foot Gonzalez, and Ricardo Favela. The RCAF represents a major part of California's history, in particular, the Chicana/o/x civil rights and labor organizing movement of the United Farm Workers. RCAF is internationally recognized for its mural paintings, poster art production, individual artistic contributions, community activism, and its outrageous humor. RCAF has maintained a three-decades long history of engaging communities to express their Chicano culture, history and struggle for equal rights. Rudy just received honors from the Smithsonian showing 10 of his works. Rudy is currently working on silver art creating bolo ties, silver rings, and other objects at times combining metals like copper, brass and silver. About the artwork on the episode description from the Smithsonian website ABOUT THIS ARTWORK
Some civil rights–era activists and artists used their artwork to express skepticism at the 1976 Bicentennial, feeling its celebrations of liberty at odds with the historical experiences of many U.S. citizens. Cuellar, a member of the Royal Chicano Air Force (RCAF) art collective, shows a young man gagged by a padlock that reads “Made in USA.” His work is taken from a 1954/68 print by Adolfo Mexiac, who created the image to protest U.S. intervention in Guatemala and Mexican state violence. Surprisingly, Cuellar’s print also announces an art exhibition, showing how the RCAF creatively integrated their critical statements into their work. https://youtu.be/BWybYfyfRK4