Age Group:
Early Childhood (Ages 0-5), School-aged children (Grades K-2), School-aged children (Grades 3-6), Teen (Junior High), Teen (High School), Adults, Family, All AgesProgram Description
Details/Detalles
Join us for a special 1st Thursday Art Reception in the Faulkner Galleries featuring Raíces y Sueños, an exhibit by Los Angeles based artist Jacqueline Valenzuela.
This vibrant exhibition explores the intersection of Chicana identity, lowrider culture, and fine art through the lens of an artist whose creative journey began on the boulevard. Blending traditional oil painting with automotive techniques learned in an auto body shop, Valenzuela transforms surfaces, from canvas to car parts, into narratives of resilience, femininity, and cultural pride. Her own 1975 hot pink Cadillac Eldorado, “La Playgirl,” served as both inspiration and canvas.
Her mixed-media works, rich with bold color, portraiture, and urban landscapes, pay homage to the often overlooked women in the lowrider scene. Every piece is deeply rooted in lived experience and community, offering a sense of home to viewers with shared cultural ties.
Raíces y Sueños honors lowriding not only as an art form, but as a sacred expression of identity, tradition, and transformation.
About the Artist
Jacqueline Valenzuela is an interdisciplinary artist and lowrider enthusiast based in Los Angeles. A graduate of Cal State Long Beach and current MFA candidate at UCLA, her work has been exhibited nationally and acquired by institutions such as the Bakersfield Museum of Art and the AltaMed Art Collection. Her practice extends beyond gallery walls through murals, public art, and hands-on community workshops like “Build Your Own Lowrider,” presented at venues such as the Petersen Automotive Museum.
Don't miss this opportunity to meet the artist and experience an unforgettable celebration of art, culture, and community.
Disclaimer(s):
Participants in this event may be photographed by Library staff. These photos may be used in promotional or educational publications, including in print, social media, and presentations. Please see staff if you do not consent to having your photo taken. Staff will obtain individual, signed photo releases of photographs that contain only an individual as opposed to a group.