Carlos Almaraz was a first in many regards: first Chicano artist to cross the bridges of the LA River into the art galleries and museums of LA’s Westside; first to live in New York City, China, and Cuba; first openly gay artist; and first well-known Chicano visual artist to die as a result of AIDS. After migrating from Mexico to America as a child, Carlos became a distinguished leader of the Chicano Art Movement. Creating larger-than-life paintings filled with passion, he showed his commitment to East LA’s emerging civil rights movements.