The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art, Culture & Industry of the Riverside Art Museum, lovingly abbreviated to just “The Cheech,” is expected to open in Riverside, California later this year. It’s been a labor of love for the 74-year-old collector who jokingly described the Chicano art collecting scene as “not a crowded field” to The Art Newspaper.

The Chicano Art Movement grew out of a larger socio-political movement begun in the 1960s by Mexican-Americans fighting for greater political capital and visibility, while also embracing their rich and unique cultural heritage through art. For Marin, a longtime art lover, that meant a chance to balance the scales. As he explained, “When I discovered the Chicano painters, I thought: ‘These guys are really good. I know every painter in the world, how come they’re not getting any shelf space?” That won’t be a problem at “The Cheech,” which will feature more than 700 pieces of Marin’s extensive collection, including works by Frank Romero, Ricardo Ruiz, and Margaret García, among others.

While some may still find it hard to reconcile the pot-smoking comedian of the 70s with the cultured figure Marin strikes today, he doesn’t seem to be one of them. As he told the Los Angeles Times, Cheech & Chong have always taken themselves seriously, sharing, “We are artists, we work hard.” And thanks to all that hard work, the art of other Chicano artists is finally being recognized.