Black velvet art highlights Latino history in Michigan

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — A new museum exhibit at the Library of Michigan is putting Chicano and Latino history in the spotlight through a vivid, often-overlooked medium: black velvet painting.

“Black velvet paintings basically are a painting where instead of being acrylic paint being painted on canvas, it’s actually painted on velvet—like the fabric,” said Jillian Reese, curator of exhibits. “Well, we have velvet paintings.”

Titled “Black Velvet: A Rasquache Aesthetic,” the exhibit features more than 100 works collected over the past decade by curators in Lansing and Detroit. It traces how the art form traveled from its roots in Mexico to the United States, and why it matters to Michigan’s Latino communities.

Library of Michigan Black Velvet exhibit (WLNS)

The collection ranges widely in subject matter—from Mexican folklore and landscapes to animals and religious figures—alongside pop icons like Elvis Presley, reflecting what appealed to tourists as the art surged in popularity during the 1960s and ’70s. Most of the paintings were created in workshops throughout Mexico and the southwest, often intended for the tourist trade, and some works arrived in Michigan with families who moved from California and Texas in the 1950s and ’60s.

Guest curators emphasize the exhibit’s cultural significance and its accessibility.

“The importance of black velvet must be understood as an instinct: the right to appreciate beauty in all its forms,” said Elena Herrada. “Love of velvet is a class statement. We grew up with velvets in our homes.”

Library of Michigan Black Velvet exhibit (WLNS)

The term “rasquache” refers to making art and beauty from everyday materials, an approach the exhibit embraces both in subject and design. On the back wall, a staged black velvet workshop demonstrates the process: artists stretch velvet over a wooden frame and apply color layer by layer. Carpentry frames echo traditional velvet presentation, and for the first time, the museum provides bilingual labels throughout in English and Spanish.

Reese said the museum aims to underscore that Latino cultural touchstones belong in Michigan’s state institutions.

“To understand that things are important culturally to certain communities in Michigan still belong in our museum, should be on display, and we should all be really interested in learning about them,” she said.

A section of the exhibit spotlights Michigan artists inspired by the guest curators’ collections, and design choices—from color palettes to typography—draw on Mexican American culture and the paintings themselves.

“The museum’s 2026 yearlong sharing of the velvets addresses the historical gaps in our Chicanx and Latinx representation in a significant State of Michigan institution while demonstrating their commitment to equity, educational inclusion and cultural stewardship,” guest creator Diana Rivera wrote in a news release. “Latinx” and “Chicanx” are gender-neutral terms used at Rivera’s request.

Guest curator Minerva Martinez said the exhibit is “vital” to the Latino community and said its presence at a state institution is significant.

The exhibit can be seen at the Michigan History Museum within the Library of Michigan complex, designed and fabricated by the Michigan History Center exhibits team with guidance from guest creators.