Kaelyn D. Rodríguez

Kaelyn D. Rodríguez is a Full-Time Assistant Professor of Art History at Santa Monica College. She holds a Ph.D. in Chicana/o Studies from UCLA, with additional master’s degrees in Chicana/o Studies and the History of Art from UCLA and UC Riverside. Her research focuses on Black and Brown visual cultures in Los Angeles, Afro-Latinx Futurism, and community-engaged art practices. She is a 2018 Smithsonian Fellow and 2020 Edward A. Dickson Fellow.

Education:

• Ph.D., Chicana/o Studies, UCLA
• MA, Chicana/o Studies, UCLA
• MA, History of Art, UC Riverside
• BA, Art, California State University, Fresno

Research Interests: Rodríguez explores the intersections of art historiography, urban spatial politics, and solidarity between Black, Latina/o/x, and Afro-Latina/o/x communities. Her work combines academic rigor with activist praxis, including mural-making, cartography, and exhibition curation. Her concept of Afro-Latinx Futurism reimagines Los Angeles’s visual history through collaborative, decolonial frameworks.

Key Contributions: Her 2018 Dialogo Journal article pioneered anticolonial mapping methodologies in Watts. She recently collaborated with the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art on an exhibition (projected for 2021) expanding her doctoral research on shared cultural histories.

Awards & Grants:

• 2020 Edward A. Dickson Fellowship (History of Art)
• 2018 Smithsonian Fellowship
• Urban Humanities Certificate, UCLA

Teaching & Outreach: Teaches courses like Black and Brown Art History of Los Angeles and mentors students through Research Rookies. Her pedagogy integrates fieldwork, archival research, and community partnerships.

Labs/Projects: Co-leading a Smithsonian exhibition project with Dr. Josh T. Franco, applying her Emoji Mapping methodology to urban art preservation initiatives with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.