In the new group show at the Petaluma Arts Center, there’s no single unifying visual theme. On display are faces — young and old — alongside animals, insects, birds, cars, motorcycles, trucks, skeletons, monsters, angels and saints. The works capture people laughing, eating, grieving; some appear defiant or reflective, some are together, others alone.

What ties together the strikingly diverse images in “Xicano Community Narratives: A Collection of Work by Bay Area Chicano Artists” is the shared culture and heritage of the 20 highly skilled artists featured across the arts center’s two galleries.

‘Love and gratitude’

This juried exhibition, selected by a group of local artists, opened last month with a community reception and open house. It will remain on view through Nov. 1.

“When I see the beautiful work created by members of my community, I am filled with so much love and gratitude,” said Anabell Nuñez, one of the jurors, addressing a crowd of visitors on opening night.

In her remarks, Nuñez shared her own journey of cultural discovery, recalling how, as a child, she learned to embrace and celebrate her roots.

“When I was in elementary school, I would ask my mom, ‘What are we?’ and she said, ‘We’re Indigenous. We’re Indian,’” Nuñez recalled. “In school one day, the teacher said, ‘Who here is Indian?’ and I raised my hand along with all the other Indigenous kids.”

Nuñez described how local tribal elders would often teach Indigenous children how to weave baskets and make fry bread.

“We’d take field trips, we’d learn stories and I loved it,” she said. Later, Nuñez also learned about her Chicano roots.

“I now know that you need to know where you came from to know where you are going,” she said.

Powerful symbols

The term “Chicano,” sometimes spelled “Xicano,” has been embraced by generations of Americans of Mexican descent. It became a powerful symbol of cultural pride and empowerment during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and continues to hold that significance today.

The Petaluma exhibit features a wide range of works, from the autobiographical to the surreal, from personal to political, from symbolic to highly realistic. One highlight is Martín Zúñiga’s vibrant metal sculpture, “El Chapulin Colorado,” which honors a beloved Mexican TV character — a crime-fighting hero dressed as a red grasshopper.

“For us,” writes Zúñiga in a note accompanying the sculpture, “he was funny, lovable and someone our neighborhood could look up to.” The towering piece is made from old farm equipment and hand tools, including his father’s wrench. “He is quite literally built from the work and life of our community.”

Other standout pieces include Edilia Mendez’s “The Three Souls,” which uses a striking graphic art style to portray three Indigenous women, their faces marked only by a blood-red handprint.

It is a symbol of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls movement.

Bryan Vargas’s oil-on-canvas piece “Deeper Than Blood” shows three men posing together in front of a sign at Santa Rosa’s Southwest Community Park, rendered with stunning detail.

Peter Perez’s “Artists Against Gun Violence” vividly explores the impact of gun violence, depicting a row of enormous cartoon gun barrels aimed at a lone paint palette, standing firm with a brush in hand. And Mayolo Gomez’s “Madre Mia, Madre De” — an oil-on-canvas — blends portraiture with a mystical collage of patterns and symbols.

work by Formerly incarcerated artists

In the side gallery, a special exhibit titled “Chicanos in Cages” features works by formerly incarcerated artists.

From tattoo-style sketches to intimate, diary-like drawings, the pieces speak to the artists’ hopes, fears and beliefs. The collective power of the assembled imagery is both beautiful and deeply moving.

Other artists featured in the show include Brian Arriaga (B’Loved), Mo Bernal, Walter Chavez, Rosa Diaz-Serrano, Jocelyn Garcia, Alexis Ginez, Nathan Gomez, Josue Orellana, Valerie Calzada-Martinez, David “Chop” Martinez, Irma Rodriguez, Manny Rodriguez, Alex Roman, Eduardo Soto Ceron and Andrew Valencia.