Mitote, Amigos Gathering: Selections from the Gilberto Cardenas & Dolores Carillo Garcia Collection

Mitote, Amigos Gathering is on view at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center through December 5, 2026. It's held in the Sam Z. Coronado Gallery on the second floor, 600 River St. in downtown Austin. The show brings together iconic paintings, sculptures, photography, printmaking, and mixed-media works by well-known Chicano artists, many of whom have roots in Central Texas. The pieces are on loan from collectors Gilberto Cardenas and Dolores Carillo Garcia.

The title comes from the Nahuatl word mitotiqui, which means to dance, gather, celebrate together, and make joyful noise. That's a good way to think about what's on the walls: each piece carries its own story, but together they build a larger conversation about cultural heritage and the relationships that shape our communities. Because the work spans so many mediums—painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, and mixed media—it's a broad look at Chicano art rather than a narrow slice.

The venue itself has its own history tied to the Chicano Movement of the 1970s, when UT Austin students campaigned for the establishment of the Cultural Center. The grounds now house an axolotl aquarium and several public art works, including Maya (2017), a hand-carved limestone sculpture by Reynaldo Alaniz inspired by the Mesoamerican Chacmool figure. The exhibition runs from June 6 through December 5, so you've got plenty of time to catch it. Admission is free.