{"id":272212,"date":"2026-04-17T07:10:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T07:10:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/272212\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T07:10:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T07:10:16","slug":"roxana-velasquez-reshapes-the-san-diego-museum-of-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/272212\/","title":{"rendered":"Roxana Vel\u00e1squez reshapes the San Diego Museum of Art"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Roxana Vel\u00e1squez, executive director of the San Diego Museum of Art. (Photo by Alejandro Maciel)<\/p>\n

For Roxana Vel\u00e1squez<\/a>, art is not a static object hanging quietly on a wall. It is a living force \u2014 something that runs through her DNA. As executive director of the San Diego Museum of Art<\/a>, her leadership is defined by a rare sensitivity shaped within some of the world\u2019s most prestigious cultural institutions.<\/p>\n

With a refined eye that balances the classical and the contemporary, Vel\u00e1squez has elevated the museum\u2019s aesthetic standards, turning its galleries into spaces that tell the story of humanity through beauty, emotion and memory.<\/p>\n

That transformation is now entering a new chapter. A $105 million expansion, designed by Foster + Partners and led by Norman Foster, will add new galleries and educational spaces while seamlessly blending modern architecture with the historic character of Balboa Park. Museum officials say the project will help define the institution\u2019s next century.<\/p>\n

A museum built on centuries of art<\/p>\n

We meet on a March afternoon, and within minutes one thing is clear: Vel\u00e1squez is deeply passionate about art and equally committed to making it accessible.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis museum was founded 100 years ago,\u201d she says. \u201cIn the United States, a century feels old. In Mexico, it\u2019s just getting started. But it\u2019s a very special museum.\u201d<\/p>\n

The San Diego Museum of Art houses more than 25,000 works from around the world<\/a>, spanning ancient Egyptian artifacts, 16th\u2011century Buddhist sculpture, Spanish Golden Age painting, and European masters of the 17th and 18th centuries.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Saint Francis in Prayer in a Grotto (detail), ca. 1655, by Francisco de Zurbar\u00e1n. Oil on canvas. Gift of Conrad Prebys and Debbie Turner, 2014. (Courtesy: The San Diego Museum of Art.)<\/p>\n

\u201cIn these galleries you\u2019ll find El Greco, Goya, Murillo \u2014 an entire room dedicated to Spain\u2019s Golden Age,\u201d Vel\u00e1squez says. \u201cI dare say it\u2019s one of the most complete museums in the region.\u201d<\/p>\n

All of it sits at the heart of Balboa Park, one of the nation\u2019s most celebrated urban parks.<\/p>\n

Her voice brightens as she describes the collection. \u201cWe have French Impressionists \u2014 Monet, Van Gogh \u2014 but also a strong presence of Latin American art. From Mexico alone: Diego Rivera, Orozco, Siqueiros, Z\u00fa\u00f1iga, Ramos Mart\u00ednez, spread across more than 20 permanent galleries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the past 15 years, Vel\u00e1squez has overseen the acquisition of 2,560 new works, ranging from paintings and drawings to photography, sculpture, video and objects.<\/p>\n

Among them are major pieces such as Saint Francis in Prayer in a Grotto by Francisco de Zurbar\u00e1n, a 17th\u2011century masterpiece, and Nymph of Spring by Lucas Cranach. In 2017, the museum also acquired its first painting by John Singer Sargent, John Alfred Parsons Millet.<\/p>\n

From Mexico City to San Diego<\/p>\n

Vel\u00e1squez came to San Diego specifically to lead the museum \u2014 not in pursuit of the American dream, she says, but to continue a life already immersed in art.<\/p>\n

\"Lucas<\/a>Lucas Cranach. Nymph of Spring, ca. 1540. Oil on panel. (The San Diego Museum of Art.)<\/p>\n

\u201cI was living my own dream in Mexico,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Raised in Mexico City, she grew up surrounded by art and museums where access was considered a right.<\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoyed it so much that I decided to study art history,\u201d she says. Her career began as a curator at the Museo Nacional de San Carlos, where she later became executive director. Before arriving in San Diego in 2011, she also led the Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes.<\/p>\n

Growing up in that environment taught her early on that art has a tangible effect on people. \u201cYou can see it in their eyes, in their faces, when they\u2019re standing in front of a work,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Building audiences across borders<\/p>\n

When Vel\u00e1squez first took the helm in San Diego, she walked every gallery and quickly recognized both the museum\u2019s potential and its limited visibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cI realized we had an extraordinary museum that very few people truly knew,\u201d she says. \u201cThe priority was to reveal the treasures we had.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, attendance reflects that effort. Visitors come not only from San Diego, but from Los Angeles, San Francisco and Orange County, with many also crossing the border from Baja California.<\/p>\n

One of the most meaningful outreach efforts involves maquiladoras in Tijuana. Since transporting original works isn\u2019t feasible, the museum produces high\u2011quality reproductions and installs them in factories so workers\u2019 children can experience the art.<\/p>\n

A pandemic pivot that paid off<\/p>\n

\"Roxana<\/a>Roxana Vel\u00e1squez. (Courtesy The San Diego Museum of Art.)<\/p>\n

By 2019, the museum was thriving. <\/p>\n

Then came March 2020.<\/p>\n

With doors closed, Vel\u00e1squez and her team pivoted quickly. Years earlier, the museum had launched a mobile app, giving it a head start in moving online.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe stayed present,\u201d she says, \u201coffering a moment of relief to people who were scared and exhausted.\u201d<\/p>\n

The impact exceeded expectations. Summer camps that once served about 20 students in person reached up to 1,500 children online, from states across the country.<\/p>\n

As in\u2011person visits returned, so did audiences \u2014 this time supported by bilingual labels and multilingual digital guides. \u201cWe want people to feel included,\u201d Vel\u00e1squez says.<\/p>\n

Mexico\u2019s artistic voice, amplified<\/p>\n

Sharing art, she insists, is the greatest reward. That philosophy guides efforts to bring major Mexican artists to San Diego, including Oaxacan painter Sergio Hern\u00e1ndez, often considered an artistic heir to Francisco Toledo.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>The work of Sergio Hern\u00e1ndez, the Oaxacan painter considered an artistic heir to Toledo, will be featured at the San Diego Museum of Art in the near future. (Courtesy: The San Diego Museum of Art.)<\/p>\n

\u201cFor many, Mexico is tacos and mariachi,\u201d she says. \u201cThat\u2019s beautiful \u2014 but we are much more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hern\u00e1ndez\u2019s work, rooted in tradition and sophistication, will soon be featured at the museum, accompanied by cultural celebrations.<\/p>\n

A cultural connector<\/p>\n

Vel\u00e1squez thrives in collaboration, working with neighboring institutions in Balboa Park such as the Timken Museum, Mingei International, and the Centro Cultural Tijuana.<\/p>\n

\u201cArt is part of my DNA,\u201d she says with a smile. \u201cIt unites people. It erases differences. Art is a space where emotions are shared, no matter where you come from.\u201d<\/p>\n

Celebrating 100 years \u2014 and looking ahead<\/p>\n

To mark its centennial, the museum has launched an ambitious program that includes:<\/p>\n

Major exhibitions, including SDMA 100 Years and a landmark Toulouse\u2011Lautrec show<\/p>\n

Centennial events, with galas, international talks and a free Birthday Fest<\/p>\n

Expanded inclusion, bringing art beyond museum walls and reflecting the region\u2019s binational identity<\/p>\n

For Vel\u00e1squez, the first 100 years are only the beginning. In her hands, the museum is a living canvas \u2014 one that reminds us that before a masterpiece, we all share the same emotional language.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Roxana Vel\u00e1squez, executive director of the San Diego Museum of Art. (Photo by Alejandro Maciel) For Roxana Vel\u00e1squez,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":272213,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[2308,4549,118067,74,76,63386,75],"class_list":{"0":"post-272212","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-art","9":"tag-balboa-park","10":"tag-roxana-velasquez","11":"tag-san-diego","12":"tag-san-diego-headlines","13":"tag-san-diego-museum-of-art","14":"tag-san-diego-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=272212"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272212\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/272213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=272212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=272212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=272212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}