10 Things About Alessandra Moctezuma & The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

“What keeps us going, ultimately, is our love for each other, and our refusal to bow our heads, to accept the verdict, however all-powerful it seems. It’s what ordinary people have to do. You have to love each other. You have to defend each other. You have to fight.”
—Mike Davis (1946 – 2022)

The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) invites all audiences to experience our world, our region, and ourselves through the prism of contemporary art. MCASD seeks to harness the potency of contemporary art to inspire expansive thinking and an inclusive world. MCASD engages regional, national, and international audiences including the binational constituency of the San Diego/Tijuana region. Having MCASD’s world-class collection on view alongside special exhibitions has been exceptional. Support from visionary supporters -foundations, corporate sponsors, and individuals – is key for MCASD’s space to truly achieve its vision. Alessandra Moctezuma is a professor of Museum Studies and Chicano Art as well as a MCASD Trustee.

#1 I was born in Mexico City, spending some of my childhood there. I then lived in Madrid for four years. As a teenager I moved to Los Angeles.

#2 My father was a Mexican film director, radio and TV personality.

#3 Recently, I went to Oaxaca and loved it. I love to travel so I hope to have a long enough life to go around the world.

#4 I read a lot and I also like books as objects. I like “Pedro Páramo” by Juan Rulfo. He was a photographer. That is the one work he wrote and is known for and it follows the magical realism tradition.

#5 I grew up with comic books like “Mafalda,” which is the feminist, Latin-American “Peanuts”. I own a lot of those comics. Through her, I became interested in trying to improve things.

#6 I have a Boston Terrier named Juno, a Flame Point Siamese cat named Mica, and a Tortoiseshell cat, with just one eye, named Dulce de Leche, but she should be named Demon.

#7 The feeling of being part of the community – a larger world – is really important to me. Isolation is really hard. We are all part of a larger society, so being actively engaged and involved is just what makes me happy.

#8 One thing about MCASD that attracted me was their focus on the collection and exhibitions, in showing artists from Tijuana and artists who deal with issues around the border.

#9 MCASD had several exhibitions that aligned with my personal interest as a curator and person who appreciates art, and who is interested in creating social change.

#10 Contemporary art is so important because it makes us understand what’s going on in our world. I am interested in how we can observe things and change them.

The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
700 Prospect Street, La Jolla

MCASD Downtown
1100 Kettner Blvd, San Diego

www.mcasd.org