@ the Cheech
EXHIBITION ON VIEW: March 28, 2026 – October 23, 2026
Location: Altura Credit Union Community Gallery
This exhibition is a visual exploration of the Inland Empire, told through the combined perspectives of two artists raised in Redlands, California: James McClung and Marcus Mercado. While their individual styles differ, they are united by a shared commitment to storytelling and to re-examining the environments that have shaped them.
Growing up in the Inland Empire means living within a region often overlooked, misunderstood, or reduced to stereotypes. Yet within its cities lies a uniquely diverse landscape — industrial corridors, suburban sprawl, historic downtowns, desert edges, mountain backdrops, and the everyday spaces where culture, identity, and community intersect. This body of work documents and reinterprets these scenes through a stylistic lens that elevates the familiar into something worth lingering on.
Through imagery depicting locations throughout the surrounding cities, the artists highlight the beauty, tension, and character embedded in the Inland Empire’s built and natural environments. Parking lots, street corners, signage, storefronts, and neighborhoods become subjects — not as background elements, but as central figures in the story of the region. By focusing on what is often passed over, the work invites viewers to see these spaces with renewed attention and appreciation.
James McClung and Marcus Mercado approach these scenes with contrasting visual languages that complement one another. Together, the work creates a dialogue — between styles, between artists, and between the viewer and the place being represented.
Ultimately, this exhibition serves as both a celebration and a recontextualization of the Inland Empire. It reclaims visual narratives of the community and presents them with intention, care, and pride. By offering a new way of seeing what has long existed, the exhibition sparks conversations about place, belonging, and the value of overlooked landscapes.
“Miranda’s” by James McClung & “Sand Bernardino Depot, Mt. Vernon” by Marcus Mercado
About the Artists
James McClung
James McClung is a self-taught visual artist based in Redlands, California, whose work bridges personal experience, travel, and regional identity. Drawing inspiration from the stark landscapes of Joshua Tree, the quiet expanses of New Mexico, and the vibrant streets of New York City, Amsterdam, and India, McClung creates imagery that is both contemplative and visually striking.
In recent years, he has turned his focus toward his home region of the Inland Empire, exploring its overlooked narratives, shifting landscapes, and unique cultural textures. Through his work, McClung examines the intersections of memory, place, and perception, crafting pieces that are at once intimate and expansive, inviting viewers to reconsider familiar spaces.
His work has been recognized by major public collections, including The Cheech, Riverside Art Museum, Beth Rudin DeWoody, and actor and collector Jason Lee. With commitment to thoughtful storytelling and visual exploration, McClung continues to develop a distinctive artistic language that resonates across geographic and emotional landscapes.
Marcus Mercado
Marcus Mercado is a visual artist from Redlands, California. His works deal with themes of memory, place, consumption, neglect, and identity. His artwork focuses on buildings and landscapes that appear destroyed and abandoned; a nod toward neglect and memories of a by-gone era. He invites viewers to connect their own personal memories towards locations portrayed, a self-reflection on not only how we inhabit spaces, but also how we leave those spaces after they are abandoned.
Mercado uses colors within his works to bring a sense of innocence towards the seriousness of defaulted business and bankrupt properties. A local of the Inland Empire, Mercado has seen the removal of orange groves and strawberry fields with the emergence of warehouses and commercial developments. Family run restaurants and shopping centers that have since closed due to financial hardships from commercial competition. Loose brushstrokes give a sense of the blurred memories of the past as well as the disorienting perception of how our environment is treated through human interactions. Mercado suggests the reality of permanence and the effects of neglect that befall on the structures we leave behind. As you look at these works, think of how you may have interacted with these locations and what the future holds for those buildings that still remain.
Mercado received his BFA in visual arts from the California State University San Bernardino. His paintings can be seen in galleries within the Inland Empire as well as murals displayed throughout Redlands.
