Lowrider Culture in the United States Exhibit Features Photographs By Gabriela Campos

 Via Smithsonian

 La Raza Park, 1980, photo Lou DeMatteis/Española, New Mexico, 2017, photo Gabriela E. Campos/Newark, Cal., 2020, photo Amanda Lopez*

Corazón y vida : Lowriding Culture is appearing at The Smithsonian Museum of American History opening September 26, 2025

MUZEO Museum and Cultural Center , Anaheim, California - 9/13/2025 - 12/14/2025


Lowriding is a quintessential Latino/a tradition started by Mexican American communities in the 1940s to assert their space and empower their lives. This unique car-making tradition is infused with Latino/a soul, entrepreneurship, and ingenuity. A mix of innovation and tradition, lowriding is an affirmation of identity and values that have reached beyond the United States to influence popular culture worldwide.

Lowrider Culture in the United States / Cultura Lowrider en los Estados Unidos is a new exhibition from the Smithsonian that will highlight a diverse selection of vibrant photographs and prints depicting lowrider culture and iconography while documenting its styles in the United States.

This traveling exhibition is based on research from the Smithsonian and will include objects from lowriding art and trade. Audiences will encounter a multifaceted picture of the American experience by learning about the Latino/a community identity through the lens of lowriding and its rich stories of creativity, family, and tradition. Lowrider Culture will examine the history of the post-World War II Mexican American community and the cultural expressions of lowriding through technology, innovation, and style.

A lowrider image by photographer Gabriela Campos, featured in the exhibition

Holy Thursday Visit to Santuario De Chimayo, Chimayo, New Mexico, 2022

Photo by Gabriela Campos

Lowrider Culture in the United States / Cultura Lowrider en los Estados Unidos will launch in 2025 and tour through 2028. Venues and dates here.




ArtDaily: Lowrider exhibitions set to cruise into the Smithsonian

Lowrider exhibitions set to cruise into the Smithsonian

Lowrider Culture in the United States / Cultura Lowrider en los Estados Unidos

Limited Edition of Lowrider Magazine Dedicated to the Women Shaping the Culture Features Photographs By Gabriela E. Campos

 

Limited Edition of Lowrider Magazine Dedicated to the Women Shaping the Culture 

Special issue was completely written and designed by women.  

Gabriela E. Campos

Known for their hopping hydraulics, custom upholstery, and intricate paint jobs, lowrider cars are symbols of empowerment and freedom, and a celebration of the broader lowrider culture. To honor Women's History Month and celebrate women who have played integral roles in lowriding culture, Mexican beer manufacturer Modelo partnered with MotorTrend Group (the parent company of MotorTrend and Lowrider magazine) to produce a limited edition of Lowrider.

The special, one-time reissue of Lowrider (which you can read in digital format here) champions the women of lowriding. It's made by women, for women—from the editorial direction led by Dr. Denise Sandoval, a professor of Chicana/o studies, to the photographers, creative directors, writers, and more. Modelo donated advertising space in the publication to women-owned businesses to further support and spotlight entrepreneurs driving the lowrider industry.

The roots of lowriding trace back to the 1940s when car culture was beginning to take hold across post-WWII America. As the hot rod trend swept the country, Mexican Americans began to alter their cars as a means of distinguishing themselves on and off the road. Eventually, the concept of lowriders and the broader lowriding culture stretched far beyond customizations and the Mexican American community.

Historically, depictions of women in Lowrider magazine were often limited to models on the hoods of cars. This limited-edition revival highlights the women behind the wheel who have fought for their place as drivers, builders, mechanics, painters, and welders in a male-dominated world.

Lowrider magazine ceased regular print publication in 2019. Fans in the Los Angeles area can be the first to get a copy of the magazine at the Lowrider Long Beach Super Show at the Long Beach Convention Center on Saturday, March 9, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific time. Fans nationwide can access the digital version of the issue here.