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A longtime civic activist, Rojas-Williams volunteered in the last four Presidential elections. She serves as the Mayor's liaison to the Latino Heritage Committee, African American Committee, and Asian American Committee, and she was a member of the Mayor's Advisory Committee for the Siqueiros Mural and Interpretative Center at Plaza Olvera.
As an art historian she has taught at Cal State Los Angeles since 2007, where she also earned her Masters Degree. Included among her essays and research papers is "Los Angeles Street Mural Movement, 1930-2009." Her video on the subject of David Alfaro Siqueiros' murals, "Siqueiros: A Muralist in Exile" was featured in the Museum of Latin American Art's recent exhibition "Siqueiros Paisajista / Siqueiros: Landscape Painter."
Board President Bill Lasarow says, "The addition of Isabel provides exactly the kind of experienced leadership that the MCLA Board was looking for. She is not only a dedicated civic activist and a well informed student of mural and street art, but she also brings a dedicated sense of purpose and strong reputation for integrity to this position."
Rojas-Williams comes to MCLA at a key time for public art in Los Angeles, a moment in which the "street gallery" has been recognized as an important artistic arena by major museum and gallery exhibitions, yet also a time in which many of our greatest historical murals have been defaced by taggers or painted out altogether. The new Executive Director believes that her career up until now has prepared her to assume a leadership role in helping to further the former while addressing the challenge of the latter: "Renewing the Mural Conservancy's mission to preserve and document Los Angeles' cultural legacy in the public art arena is especially timely today. I further intend to heighten local awareness of this historic legacy, and to deepen the connections between artist and community."
MCLA was founded in 1987 in order to help protect, maintain and document public mural art in Los Angeles. The painting over of "The Freeway Lady" mural in 1986 precipitated artist Kent Twitchell together with Bill Lasarow, publisher of ArtScene and Visual Art Source, to launch MCLA. The Mural Conservancy was temporarily inactive from 2004 until 2010, re-launching at that time in recognition of the needs of a new generation. MCLA is a California non-profit organization, registered as a 501[c]3.
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Isabel Rojas-Williams |
