We’ve all heard negative Latino stereotypes. For Chicano artist Juan Fuentes, “My goal has always been to portray our people in a very positive, beautiful, and dignified manner in contrast to the continual negative portrayal of us in the media.”
Fuentes’ parents were born in Texas and later migrated to New Mexico, where he was born, moving again in 1952 to California. He grew up in farm labor camps, “picking fruits and vegetables along with my parents and 11 brothers and sisters. Neither parent was able to attend school growing up, and we relied on each other to survive the hardships of being poor and working in the fields,” his website explains.
“My art and social activism stems from my strong conviction that art is needed to make social change a possibility, to help heal the injustices faced by people of color around the world,” he continued, noting civil rights, Chicano, Black Power, Native American, and anti-war movements of the 1960s and ’70s as inspiration.
This Saturday, Feb. 7, a collection of his work titled Paso de la Luz opens at Pocket Gallery on Pine (849 1/2 13th St., Paso Robles; 2 to 5 p.m.). Fuentes will attend a closing reception on Saturday, March 28 (2 to 5 p.m.).
The Pocket Gallery is curated by Susan Lyon and is open Saturdays from 2 to 5 p.m. or by appointment (email susan@ctcranch.com). ∆
This article appears in Feb 5-12, 2026.