Faces Behind the Plate
An Artist Spotlight with Anthony Garcia Sr., (@Birdseedcollective, exploring the meaning, journey, and cultural power behind Colorado’s Chicana/o License Plate.
By CHELA LUJAN
What personal experiences or cultural influences inspired your designs for the Chicana/o/x license plates?
Growing up in a predominantly Latino community instilled in me a deep sense of pride in both my identity and my heritage. At an early age, I had the privilege of participating in the La Raza Youth Group, where I was introduced to the term “Chicano” and began to understand its profound significance. After more than 20 years of working within and for my community, I have come to fully embrace what it means to identify as Chicano. I am deeply honored to be part of such a rich and vibrant culture, rooted in history and resilience.
What is the biggest reason, influence, or thought choosing the motif you did for the design? How do the symbols, colors and patterns in your artwork reflect the broader themes of Chicana/o/x culture and identity?
As a Chicano artist, I strive to incorporate elements of my heritage into my work, often drawing inspiration from the serape blanket and the Southwest Chicano aesthetic. The vibrant colors and intricate patterns of this region deeply resonate with me, evoking a sense of warmth, nostalgia, and comfort. By referencing these cultural symbols in my art, I aim to create a connection that not only honors our history and identity but also invites others to experience and appreciate it. For me, the greatest joy comes from sharing this cultural narrative —reminding people of our enduring presence while celebrating its universal appeal.
Can you share a pivotal moment in your life that shaped your identity as a Chicana/o/x artist?
During my early journey of self-discovery as an artist, I had the opportunity to be a part of La Raza Youth Group. It was there that I was introduced to the rich symbolism and cultural heritage of the Maya and Aztec civilizations. I was immediately drawn to their intricate designs and glyphs, which captured my imagination and inspired my creative exploration. While I may not frequently incorporate these symbols in my current work, I am proud to acknowledge that practicing and studying them played a significant role in developing my artistic skills and deepening my appreciation for this vibrant cultural legacy.
Can you describe your creative process when designing the license plates? Did you face any challenges or breakthroughs?
Designing a piece for a license plate came with immense pressure, knowing it would represent the state and be seen by countless people daily. While my work can be found throughout the city and beyond, this project has undoubtedly been one of the most impactful of my career. To create this design, I carefully studied other custom Colorado license plates to ensure my work was both distinctive and aligned with existing designs. My goal was to craft a sunset that reflects my artistic style while remaining recognizable to the viewer, incorporating shapes and patterns rooted in Chicano art. Additionally, I aimed to replicate the mountains as closely as possible to those featured on standard Colorado plates—a challenge that required significant attention to detail. This project pushed me creatively and technically, making it a defining moment in my artistic journey.
How did collaboration with fellow artists influence your design choices or the final outcome?
I am incredibly pleased with the outcome of this piece and grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Larysa. Working alongside her was an exceptional experience; she is a talented illustrator whose contributions brought immense value to the project. Sharing this creative process with her not only alleviated some of the pressure but also made the experience truly rewarding. I am especially proud to see such a promising young artist like Laryssa Medina gain well-deserved recognition so early in her career, and I look forward to witnessing her continued growth and success as an artist in the years to come.
How can artists today continue to push boundaries and advocate for their communities through their work? In what ways do you believe these license plates contribute to the visibility and acknowledgment of Chicana/o/x culture in broader society?
I believe the most effective way for Chicano artists to push boundaries is by embracing creative freedom and not limiting themselves to art that solely contains cultural references. It is essential for us to represent our community across all artistic spaces, as this inclusivity strengthens our presence and influence. By establishing ourselves in diverse artistic arenas, we not only uplift our community but also ensure our voices are heard in broader conversations. Representation is key—it allows us to capture attention, foster understanding, and highlight the richness of our culture on a global scale.
What do you hope people feel or think about when they see the Chicana/o/x license plates on the road?
I hope this project has the greatest impact on our youth, inspiring them to embrace and take pride in their identity while encouraging them to pursue their aspirations as individuals of color. Recognizing and affirming their existence and potential is a vital first step in empowering them to achieve success and break barriers. My hope is that this work serves as a source of motivation and a reminder of the limitless possibilities available to them.
What does Chicana/o/x mean to you?
Being Chicano means embracing a rich cultural identity rooted in history, resilience, and pride while also pushing boundaries and redefining what representation looks like. It is about honoring the heritage of Indigenous symbolism, the vibrant traditions of the Southwest, and the unique patterns and motifs that reflect the Chicano experience. At the same time, it means moving beyond stereotypes, showcasing our presence and talent in all creative spaces, and proving that we can contribute meaningfully across diverse artistic platforms.
It’s about celebrating our identity while using it as a foundation to grow, create, and inspire others—especially the next generation. Recognizing and affirming the existence of our youth, encouraging them to dream big, and showing them they have a place at every table is central to this journey. Ultimately, being Chicano is about carrying forward a deep cultural pride while evolving and making an impact that uplifts our community and ensures our voices are heard.
An Artist Spotlight with Larysa Medina
(@larysamedina | larysamedinadesign.com), exploring the meaning, journey, and cultural power behind Colorado’s Chicana/o License Plate.
What personal experiences or cultural influences inspired your designs for the Chicana/o/x license plates?
Being Chicana has always been a big part of my life growing up. I am originally from Alamosa where the Chicano culture was and is still very rich and my family has always held our traditions and values close to heart such as homemade recipes and celebrations. When my family and I moved to Denver we became a part of a local Aztec dance group where I became Aztec drummer as well. When we were first talking about the concept amongst the group of artists for the license plate, that was something we all related too. Our traditions are strong and unity is so important and that was something I wanted to visually represent in the final design while also showing the diversity within it as well.
What is the biggest reason, influence, or thought choosing the motif you did for the design?
I designed the middle logo and Anthony Garcia Sr designed the serape background. For the middle logo I chose to design two hands coming together to represent the unity within our community, the roses are not only common within Chicano imagery but I wanted it to represent the love we all have for our traditions and values as well. We also chose to include the serape because the serape is a very powerful image that is very recognizable within our community as well as others and we all felt that it would not only represent Chicana/o/x Pride but also the variety and differences within it as well.
How do the symbols, colors and patterns in your artwork reflect the broader themes of Chicana/o/x culture and identity?
In the beginning, when we all met we went over numerous different symbols, color palettes and other ideas that we thought could represent Chicanismo while also keeping true to the Chicana/o/x representation. In the end, we settled on wanting to design something that was bold but also had a deep meaning. As said in my answer for question two, we wanted the design to represent unity and the love and pride we have for culture so that was something that was very specific we wanted the images to show. We chose the color palette specifically in serape to look like a sunset/sunrise to represent Colorado.
Can you share a pivotal moment in your life that shaped your identity as a Chicana/o/x artist?
I have always identified myself as an artist for most of my life but the moment that I started to identify as a Chicana artist was while I was in high school when I started to focus a lot of my designs and artworks based on my cultural influences and experiences. It was within this time that I decided to go to Warren Tech to learn graphic design where I continued to apply a lot of my identity within my work there as well while also exploring ways to find a creative career. For example, one of my designs that I did while I was in this program is my Never Summer Snowboard Design that I did in 2019. I based my theme on life and death for the design. Throughout my life my family has celebrated Dìa de los Muertos and I was taught to see and respect death as a part of life and I wanted to represent that. My snowboard design ended up becoming part of the Top 10 snowboard designs chosen by Never Summer Industries in 2019, it also won first place in the graphic design category at the 48th Annual Jeffco High School Art Exhibition, and was featured in the Denver Art Museum in 2022 and 2023.
Can you describe your creative process when designing the license plates? Did you face any challenges or breakthroughs?
This process started in February of last year where we all met which included Tim Hernandez who led our group and we spent a whole day reviewing a concept for the design. Once we had a good idea of what we wanted the license plate to represent, that was when I was chosen by our group to officially design the visuals for the license plate. For my process, I started off by drawing a few rough drafts in my iPad using Procreate which is where I drew the outline for the hands and later on shaded them in. For the circle, we talked about maybe doing a detailed border around the hands as well as different variations for the roses. This is where I met one challenge for this design which was I did like the idea of having a detailed border for the circle around the middle logo but I also thought it cluttered the design but was back and forth and in between for that but decided to go with a simple circle around it so it wouldn’t take away from the roses and the clasped hands. I created multiple variations for the roses and where they were placed on the middle logo so that we could visually see what works and what wouldn’t. For the roses I wanted to include Aztec geometrics, specifically I based the center of the rose on the Xicalcoliuhqui, which is a spiral and step shaped pattern that represents the movement of the sun, the sky, the clouds and the rain, this then fades into the pedals and I kept true to the color red within the roses because we wanted that to represent the love we have for a culture. The serape design for the background was created by Anthony Garcia Sr. where he perfectly captured the idea that we had for a serape pattern while also capturing that sunset/sunrise idea.
How did collaboration with fellow artists influence your design choices or the final outcome?
It was a big influence on the final design! We all worked together to bring this license plate to life. Even after the day that we all met, I stayed in contact with everyone to see what their thoughts were on the visuals I created and it was awesome to hear what they liked, what they didn’t, or what if we moved this here or there; it was an honor to work with these fellow artists while also learning about their influences as Chicana/o/x artists.
Do current issues facing the Chicana/o/x community, such as immigration policies or social inequalities, influence your work today?
Yes, it does. I actually recently finished a painting that I titled “Indigenous not Immigrant” which I wanted to base on immigration specifically from Mexico and South America and its historical significance since there is so much negativity around that especially in today’s society. I think art is a very important way of bringing attention to social inequalities and it is something I am trying to include in my work more.
How can artists today continue to push boundaries and advocate for their communities through their work?
I think artists can continue to push boundaries by basing a lot of their work on their cultural influences and experiences because that is something that is so unique that it is very interesting to see how they represent that in their artwork while also representing their communities with pride and love. I think that one of the beautiful things about art is that it can be anything and it is a story that will be told in so many ways because everyone who sees it will see in their own way compared to what it means to the artist and that within itself is very influential for others. I think the most important thing is to be unique and never quit making art!
In what ways do you believe these license plates contribute to the visibility and acknowledgment of Chicana/o/x culture in broader society?
I think these license plates are going to be huge for all of us who identify as Chicana/o/x because I think society specifically in Colorado are going to become more aware of our community, who we are as a culture and the historical significance that has taken place in our state which I think will overall have a positive impact on our community. I also would hope to see other states follow in our footsteps and create a special license plate for their Chicana/o/x communities as well.
What do you hope people feel or think about when they see the Chicana/o license plates on the road?
I hope they see it and be like hey, that’s a cool license plate and I hope they look it up to see what it signifies and how it will positively impact our community. I want people to be curious about it if they don’t know what is or what it means to be a Chicana/o/x. We want to proudly show who we are as a community while making a positive impact on society as whole in the end. However, we as Chicana/o/x have come a long way and we now have something that we can put on our vehicles that will represent our pride and proudly represent who we are.
What does Chicana/o/x mean to you?
Being a Chicana has huge significance to me, it represents who I am, where my ancestors came from and all the generations in between. I love our traditions and culture and how they shaped the person that I am today and the memories that I have with my family members both past and present. From homemade recipes, to the music, and celebrations these are things that I will always carry with me and proudly share with those around me.
All in all, being a part of the Chicana/o license plate is an honor. I will hold this experience close to my heart every day and it makes me feel like I am doing my part representing my cultural identity and where my family came from as well as the rest of the Chicana/o/x community in Colorado and it is something that I will continue to represent.
How to get a Chicana/o License Plate
STEP 1
Make a $50 donation below to El Movimiento Sigue for each vehicle and motorcycle you want to reserve plates for.
***The name you check out with must match the name on your vehicle registration. You must check out separately for each vehicle.
STEP 2
Receive a PIN# from El Moviemento Sigue. Once your donation is confirmed, you will be emailed a PIN# and instructions. PIN#s are processed manually, and may take up 3-5 business days.
STEP 3
Take the PIN# to DMV either online or in person. See frequently asked questions for how to order plates with the DMV.
