Read a letter from our new Associate Director:

Margaret ‘Quixa’ Alarcón

Dear UCSB & LMC Communities,

With profound gratitude and excitement, I write to introduce myself as the new Assistant Director of Las Maestras Center. I am especially thankful to the Department of English for this appointment, and to the Department of Chicana/o Studies for their collaborative support - this interdepartmental connection reflects the kind of bridge-building that is so central to our work at LMC. As someone whose life has been transformed by the intersection of art, education, and cultural preservation, joining LMC feels like coming full circle – Cherrie Moraga and Celia Herrera have been my spiritual and academic mentors for decades, and their work has deeply influenced my own journey as an artist and educator. Their writings on memory work and exploration of ancient concepts and materials have been particularly instrumental in the evolution of my kinetic artworks, helping me develop a practice that bridges ancestral knowledge with contemporary forms.

I come to this role as a Xicanx indigenous-identified (Taíno-Otomí) artivist scholar and cultural worker from East Los Angeles. My artistic practice and teaching philosophy are rooted in what Gloria Anzaldúa calls "la facultad" – that deep intuitive sense that guides us toward healing and ancestral knowledge. Through my work with papel picado, printmaking, and mixed media installations, I explore how art can serve as a vehicle for cultural memory and collective healing.

For almost 30 years, my path as a MECHISTA student, educator, scholar and community artivist has shaped my understanding of how art can transform both individual lives and communities. As a co-founder of Mujeres de Maíz of Los Angeles, I've witnessed the power of creating spaces where artists can explore their cultural identity and heritage. This experience has shown me that when we honor our ancestral traditions while embracing contemporary forms of expression, we create opportunities for healing and growth.

At Las Maestras Center, I am excited to contribute to a vision that aligns perfectly with my life's work – the belief that art-making is not just about creating objects, but about cultivating a practice that connects us to our cultural heritage and helps us imagine new possibilities for our communities. I look forward to working with students, faculty, staff and community members to help create programming that honors indigenous knowledge systems while fostering innovative approaches to artistic expression.

My commitment to LMC's mission is deeply personal. Like many of us, I have experienced firsthand how art and cultural practice can heal historical trauma and reconnect us to our ancestral wisdom. I am particularly excited to help expand opportunities for students to engage with traditional art forms while developing their contemporary creative voices.

As we move forward, I envision Las Maestras Center as a vibrant hub where traditional practices meet contemporary expression, where students can explore their artistic voices while staying rooted in their cultural heritage, and where community and academia come together in meaningful dialogue. I bring to this role not only my experience as an artist and educator but also my dedication to creating inclusive spaces where all voices – particularly those historically marginalized – can thrive.

I invite you to join me in this journey of exploration, creation, and transformation. Whether you're a student, faculty member, or community artist, Las Maestras Center is our space to grow, learn, and create. I am deeply honored to join our dedicated team - including Mariela Aguilar Raya, our brilliant Publicist and Program Coordinator, whose work with the Poetry Talk Series has enriched our community, and John Jairo Valencia, our passionate Community Liaison/Program Assistant, whose commitment to ancestral memory and decolonial practices strengthens our mission daily. Together with these talented colleagues and the powerful foundation laid by Cherrie Moraga and Celia Herrera, we can expand the possibilities for what art education and cultural preservation means in today's world.

Con respeto y cariño,
Margaret 'Quica' Alarcón
Associate Director
Las Maestras Center
Email: alarcon@ucsb.edu 

FULL BIOGRAPHY

Margaret 'Quica' Alarcón is a Xicanx indigenous-identified (Taíno-Otomí) artivist scholar, educator, and cultural worker who joins Las Maestras Center as Assistant Director. Born and raised in East Los Angeles, Alarcón brings nearly three decades of experience in arts education, community activism, and cultural preservation to this role.

As a professional artist whose work has been exhibited in prestigious venues including the Oakland Museum of Art and the Manetti Shrem Museum, Alarcón's creative practice explores the intersection of feminine identity, indigenous wisdom, and collective healing. Her innovative kinetic works with papel picado, printmaking, and mixed media installations - influenced by the writings and concepts of Cherrie Moraga and Celia Herrera Rodriguez on memory work and ancient materials - investigate what Gloria Anzaldúa terms "la facultad" - the cultivation of ancestral intuition and knowledge through artistic practice.

Alarcón holds an MFA in Studio Arts from California State University, Los Angeles, focusing on drawing, painting, printmaking, and muralism, complemented by an M.Ed. in Cross-Cultural Education. Her thesis work, "Urban Release: Identity and Ancient Instinct," established her signature approach to kinetic photo sculptural altar installations honoring ancestry. She received her BFA in Illustration from Art Center College of Design, where she developed strong formal and technical foundations in a wide range of artistic media.

As an educator, Alarcón has taught across various public and private institutions, most recently here at UCSB for the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies. She has also held teaching positions at multiple CSU campuses, where she developed curriculum in Chicana/o Art History and studio practices.

A co-founder of the grassroots women's arts organization Mujeres de Maíz, Alarcón has spent over two decades fostering community creative spaces and mentoring emerging artists through designing and producing community arts publications that annually showcase women of color. Her commitment to cultural preservation and social justice is evident in her extensive work with organizations like Self Help Graphics & Art, where she served as a member of the Artist Roundtable.

In 2015, Alarcón was one of five artists selected nationally for a groundbreaking printmaking exchange at the Taller Experimental de Gráfica in Havana, Cuba. Her work has been featured in numerous publications, including recently, "Mujeres de Maíz en Movimiento: Spiritual Artivism, Healing Justice, and Feminist Praxis" and "Voices from the Ancestors: Xicanx and Latinx Spiritual Expressions and Healing Practices."

Appointed through UCSB's Department of English, with collaborative ties to the Department of Chicana/o Studies, Alarcón joins Las Maestras Center founders Cherrie Moraga and Celia Herrera and support Staff in advancing the center's vision of cultivating writer-artists with a public voice, emphasizing process-based learning, and honoring indigenous knowledge systems. Her appointment has the potential to strengthen the center's commitment to exploring contemporary indigenous-identified feminist Xicana[x] perspectives through multi-disciplinary arts programming.

For more information about Quica’s work: http://www.margaretalarcon.com 

Mailing Address:
Department of English, South Hall
UC Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-3170