Biography

Jacqueline Valenzuela (b. 1997, East Los Angeles, CA) received a BFA in Drawing and Painting from California State University, Long Beach (2019). Valenzuela has a forthcoming MFA in Drawing and Painting from the University of California, Los Angeles (2027). Her work has been exhibited nationally, including the South Gate Museum, Mexic-Arte Museum, Marietta Cobb Museum of Art, The Mexican Center for Culture and Cinematic Arts of the Mexican Consulate, The Cheech—Riverside Art Museum, the Brand Library & Art Center, Muzeo Museum, and Elverhøj Museum. Valenzuela’s work has been highlighted in both online and printed publications of LAist, Remezcla, a special re-issue of Lowrider Magazine, Juxtapoz, and Gata Magazine.

In 2023, she participated in the inaugural cohort for the Ellsworth Residency at ArtShare L.A. and has since served on the judging panel for the third and fourth residency cohorts. She was a 2023-2024 CAC Individual Artist Fellow for Los Angeles County and is currently one of the 2024-2025 Professional Artists Fellows for the Long Beach City Arts Council. Valenzuela was the Spring 2024 artist-in-residence for A Room of One's Own at Blue Roof Arts and was one of the fourteen artists-in-residence for Sound System: An Experimental Residency at the Torrance Art Museum in June 2024.

In Fall 2024, Valenzuela had her debut museum solo exhibition, “Con Safos, Con Fuerzas,” at the Bakersfield Museum of Art (BMoA). Her work has since been acquired into the museum’s permanent collection, marking a significant milestone in her career. Additionally, Valenzuela's work has been acquired by the AltaMed Art Collection, one of the most extensive and significant collections of Chicano art, further solidifying her role in the contemporary Chicano art movement.

Beyond exhibitions, Valenzuela has collaborated with major brands, including Meta x Ray-Bans and JC Penney, for commissioned artworks ranging from paintings to on-site murals. These partnerships have expanded her practice into large-scale public and commercial art, increasing the visibility of her work and its connection to the communities she represents.

At the heart of Valenzuela’s artistic pedagogy is a necessity for community outreach to historically underprivileged communities, such as the one she is a part of. She has facilitated lowrider-inspired workshops with the Ontario Museum of History & Art. Her “Build Your Own Lowrider” workshop was integrated into Summer 2024’s OC Fair for Chicano History Month and has been included as educational programming with the Petersen Automotive Museum during their exhibition, “Best in Low.” The Petersen has also permanently included this workshop as a post-visit activity for visiting LAUSD schools. Valenzuela is currently working on expanding this workshop with other local museums, schools, and government programs. She has also served twice on the judging panel for the annual student art exhibition at her alma mater, Whittier High School. Before becoming a full-time artist, she worked as a teaching artist in the non-profit sector in the greater Los Angeles area.

Valenzuela is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice is centered around depicting her personal experiences as well as the storytelling of other women who, like her, are in the Chicano world of lowriding. Her art practice reflects the deep roots she has planted in the lowrider community by bridging the gap between fine art and this underrepresented culture.

Photo by Argel Rojo, Courtesy of Los Angeles Performance Practice