Roxana Velásquez, executive director of the San Diego Museum of Art. (Photo by Alejandro Maciel)
For Roxana Velásquez, art is not a static object hanging quietly on a wall. It is a living force — something that runs through her DNA. As executive director of the San Diego Museum of Art, her leadership is defined by a rare sensitivity shaped within some of the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions.
With a refined eye that balances the classical and the contemporary, Velásquez has elevated the museum’s aesthetic standards, turning its galleries into spaces that tell the story of humanity through beauty, emotion and memory.
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’s next century.
A museum built on centuries of art
We meet on a March afternoon, and within minutes one thing is clear: Velásquez is deeply passionate about art and equally committed to making it accessible.
“This museum was founded 100 years ago,” she says. “In the United States, a century feels old. In Mexico, it’s just getting started. But it’s a very special museum.”
The San Diego Museum of Art houses more than 25,000 works from around the world, spanning ancient Egyptian artifacts, 16th‑century Buddhist sculpture, Spanish Golden Age painting, and European masters of the 17th and 18th centuries.
“In these galleries you’ll find El Greco, Goya, Murillo — an entire room dedicated to Spain’s Golden Age,” Velásquez says. “I dare say it’s one of the most complete museums in the region.”
All of it sits at the heart of Balboa Park, one of the nation’s most celebrated urban parks.
Her voice brightens as she describes the collection. “We have French Impressionists — Monet, Van Gogh — but also a strong presence of Latin American art. From Mexico alone: Diego Rivera, Orozco, Siqueiros, Zúñiga, Ramos Martínez, spread across more than 20 permanent galleries.”
Over the past 15 years, Velásquez has overseen the acquisition of 2,560 new works, ranging from paintings and drawings to photography, sculpture, video and objects.
Among them are major pieces such as Saint Francis in Prayer in a Grotto by Francisco de Zurbarán, a 17th‑century 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.
From Mexico City to San Diego
Velásquez came to San Diego specifically to lead the museum — not in pursuit of the American dream, she says, but to continue a life already immersed in art.
“I was living my own dream in Mexico,” she says.
Raised in Mexico City, she grew up surrounded by art and museums where access was considered a right.
“I enjoyed it so much that I decided to study art history,” 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.
Growing up in that environment taught her early on that art has a tangible effect on people. “You can see it in their eyes, in their faces, when they’re standing in front of a work,” she says.
Building audiences across borders
When Velásquez first took the helm in San Diego, she walked every gallery and quickly recognized both the museum’s potential and its limited visibility.
“I realized we had an extraordinary museum that very few people truly knew,” she says. “The priority was to reveal the treasures we had.”
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.
One of the most meaningful outreach efforts involves maquiladoras in Tijuana. Since transporting original works isn’t feasible, the museum produces high‑quality reproductions and installs them in factories so workers’ children can experience the art.
A pandemic pivot that paid off
By 2019, the museum was thriving.
Then came March 2020.
With doors closed, Velásquez and her team pivoted quickly. Years earlier, the museum had launched a mobile app, giving it a head start in moving online.
“We stayed present,” she says, “offering a moment of relief to people who were scared and exhausted.”
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.
As in‑person visits returned, so did audiences — this time supported by bilingual labels and multilingual digital guides. “We want people to feel included,” Velásquez says.
Mexico’s artistic voice, amplified
Sharing art, she insists, is the greatest reward. That philosophy guides efforts to bring major Mexican artists to San Diego, including Oaxacan painter Sergio Hernández, often considered an artistic heir to Francisco Toledo.
“For many, Mexico is tacos and mariachi,” she says. “That’s beautiful — but we are much more.”
Hernández’s work, rooted in tradition and sophistication, will soon be featured at the museum, accompanied by cultural celebrations.
A cultural connector
Velásquez thrives in collaboration, working with neighboring institutions in Balboa Park such as the Timken Museum, Mingei International, and the Centro Cultural Tijuana.
“Art is part of my DNA,” she says with a smile. “It unites people. It erases differences. Art is a space where emotions are shared, no matter where you come from.”
Celebrating 100 years — and looking ahead
To mark its centennial, the museum has launched an ambitious program that includes:
- Major exhibitions, including SDMA 100 Years and a landmark Toulouse‑Lautrec show
- Centennial events, with galas, international talks and a free Birthday Fest
- Expanded inclusion, bringing art beyond museum walls and reflecting the region’s binational identity
For Velásquez, the first 100 years are only the beginning. In her hands, the museum is a living canvas — one that reminds us that before a masterpiece, we all share the same emotional language.
