The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) announces "The Dean Collection Presents: Hometown Heroes," a new exhibition opening April 18, 2026, alongside "Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys." To celebrate San Diego’s creative community, Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys approached MCASD with the idea of spotlighting local artists from the Dean Collection to accompany the run of "Giants." MCASD collaborated with the Deans to organize "Hometown Heroes," which will feature photographers MJ Pimentel, Oscar Cruz, and Chata, drawn from the Dean Collection, in dialogue with selected works from the museum’s permanent collection by regional artists Andrea Chung, Esteban Cabeza de Baca, and Fox Maxy. Works by Pimentel, Cruz and Chata capture facets of life in San Diego with images that speak to the encroachment of gentrification, a longstanding history of Chicana/o/e activism, lowrider car culture, and community pride. With an eye towards the natural environment, Chung’s cyanotypes of lionfish shed light on the enduring effects of colonialism, while Cabeza de Baca’s layered painting and Maxy’s sculptural video installation point to the cultural and ecologic forces that have shaped the U.S. /Mexico border region. This exhibition celebrates San Diego’s artists and histories born from a recent acquisition made by The Dean Collection. "Neighborhood Visualz," an exhibition showcasing film photographs by Cruz and Pimentel, was on view at Por Vida, a coffee shop and gallery in Barrio Logan, when Swizz Beatz (Kasseem Dean) paid a visit and decided to purchase the entire show. This is in line with the Deans’ unique approach to collecting that centers on forming personal relationships with artists and amplifying voices that have been historically underrepresented. This MCASD exclusive exhibition centers Black, Brown, and Indigenous experiences at a critical time. As the first "Giants" venue incorporating both English and Spanish labels, MCASD continues to further their commitment to highlighting the work of Latino/a/e artists in the broader San Diego community and beyond. Local traditions will also be incorporated into the run of "Giants," starting with a performance and blessing by Danza Mexi’cayotl—one of the oldest and most respected Chichimeca-Azteca dance groups in San Diego County—to kick off the exhibition’s opening celebration. "Hometown Heroes" is curated by MCASD Associate Curator, Amy Crum, and will be on view April 18 through Nov. 8, 2026.
