As Hispanic Heritage Month begins, The Smithsonian’s Corazón y Vida traveling exhibit showcases the progression of lowrider culture in the United States at The Muzeo from Sept. 13 through Dec. 14, featuring donated pieces and in-house projects.
Lowrider history begins in Southern California, with much of its origin taking place in Whittier. The exhibit highlights movements from the political Chicano Moratorium in protest of the Vietnam War to lyrics by Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. It displays a culture that uses its colorful, lowriding cars to come together.
Identity, pride and family are words the exhibit uses to describe lowrider culture. It shows various photos of modeled lowriders in different manners, like in a quinceañera, showing off the zoot suit era and honoring the 1964 Chevy Impala, Gypsy Rose.
The first piece in the exhibit is a vibrant marigold lowrider bike, which was imprinted with a wood-grain detail and a linear trim of blue, pink and red lines intertwined with glitter. The silver spokes, gold chain and overall structure look like the armor of a knight and the print of a woman looks back at you from the spare seat on display.
Alyssa Gorny, who runs the social media marketing at Muzeo, and Gisele Robinett, graphic designer for Muzeo, collaborated on a project showcased at the event. The piece highlights the point of view from members of groups like The Anaheim Car Club and The Viejitos attending the Anaheim Car Show.
Don Lane, director of operations at Muzeo, said his favorite piece is the cherry red Belair converted into an electric vehicle. The trunk shows off a sound system blanketed in snake print and red with black and yellow trim, and a red and silver engine under the hood.
Professor of art history at Fullerton College, Megan Debin, hopes to bring the students of her Art of Mexico class to the exhibit to see the art, photographs and the lowriders themselves.
“To see these aspects of American culture celebrated and valued and included in the histories is really important considering what’s happening on the streets right now. I think that my students are going to love it,” said Deblin.
*This article was updated on Sept. 16, 2025, to correct the spelling of Snoop Dogg from Snoop Dog.*
