A Great Day in East L.A.: Celebrando the Eastside Sound is a multi-media exhibition that explores the dynamic musical influences of East Los Angeles artists who developed an eclectic musical identity and history. Against all odds, East L.A. artists created a rich musical tradition that became well known all over the world in the twentieth century and into the present. The exhibition centers on the portraits and oral histories of musicians taken by award-winning photographer and filmmaker Piero F. Giunti. For over a decade, Giunti in partnership with musician Mark Guerrero located, photographed, and recorded the testimonies of iconic multigenerational musicians and genres that defined Eastside sound and extended well beyond the streets of Los Angeles. The exhibit is co-curated by Piero F. Giunti, Dr. Jorge N. Leal, Mark Guerrero, and the LA Plaza Curatorial team Karen Crews Hendon, Esperanza Sanchez, Carolyn Lopez, and Thomas Rosenquist.
The exhibition showcases Giunti’s portraits in addition to more than 500 musical albums and instruments, flyers, posters, stage costumes, fan-wear, manuscripts and lyrics, band t-shirts, music awards, publications, art, videos, and other ephemera presented in six themed galleries comprising The Venue, El Rockero Store, The Garage, Radio Rebelde, From East Los to the World, and Come On, Let’s Go! Other ephemera display rare photos of Ritchie Valens, a presidential medal given to Lalo Guerrero, and La Bamba’s first film script, which featured songs and appearances by Los Lobos, arguably the most prominent band that emerged from East L. A.
Dr. Jorge Leal is the lead exhibition writer for the majority of the gallery text panels, which presents an immersive narrative to LA Plaza visitors. Dr. Leal also coordinated a team of UC Riverside undergraduate and graduate students who collaborated in the research and writing of the extended labels that include music genres, stage attire, and descriptions of the bands represented. The UC Riverside team includes Christella Maldonado, Hailee, Menchaca, Amari Navarro, and Carolyn Starr.
Musicologist Dr. Alexandro D. Hernández, CSU Dominguez Hills, contributed an essay describing What is the Eastside Sound? included in The Venue entry gallery.
Musician and historian Mark Guerrero contributed The Venue and The Garage text giving an intimate insider’s perspective, and Piero F. Giunti contributed his photography statement about the origin of the Great Day in East L.A. project, as well as text about Tierra’s Salas brothers and Los Lobos.
Credit image: Piero F. Giunti (1985). Aztlan Underground, 2014-2025. Archival pigment print. Courtesy of the artist ©Piero F. Giunti. Used with permission, all rights reserved