Walnut Creek Kid Managing New Art Gallery in Mexico

“What are you going to do with that?” is the skeptical question most kids get from well-intended adults when they tell them that their college major is something other than economics or engineering. Like art history. 

But one Walnut Creek kid’s got a great answer.  Actually, she's not a kid anymore. Ashley Mrozek is a 22-year-old Las Lomas High graduate (class of 2006) who majored in art history at UC Berkeley. And now she’s helping to open and manage a new art gallery in Mexico.

What is the name of the art gallery and where is it located?

The name of the art gallery is La Puertita or “little door” in Spanish because the entrance to the space is literally this tiny narrow door. It’s located in Valle de Bravo, a couple hours west of Mexico City.

What type of art will the gallery feature?

The artwork for the gallery’s first exhibit will be all local artists. At this point, we have about six artists confirmed for our first exhibit scheduled for March. The artists’ work is all very eclectic with media ranging from paint to wood to clay but they share common themes surrounding ideas of permanence and movement and are variations on landscapes that migrate from the natural to the abstract.

How did you get this job?

Last summer I worked as a camp counselor at Lair of the Bear, a UC Berkeley alumni summer camp located near Yosemite. One of the camp’s managers Ken Hutz, who also graduated from UC Berkeley, lives with his family in Valle de Bravo where he practices law. He told me he had just rented a space that he wanted to convert into an art gallery and café. I told him I’d studied art history at Berkeley and had previous experience in gallery work. We agreed that I would go down to Mexico for a trial run from October to December to see whether I liked it.  I did.

How did you start setting up the gallery?

When I got here I began tapping into the local art scene mostly by interviewing artists about their work, other gallery owners about the art in Valle and generally just learning more about Mexican art. The actual space was getting fixed up while I was there. It was in pretty bad shape when I first arrived and has had a total turnaround in appearance from the first time I saw it back in October.

What does the job involve?  What do you do on a typical day? 

I’m still working on the opening at this point, so there's a lot of writing—press releases, artist statements, mission statements that will be up on the website and in the actual show as well. There are also a lot of little things to do, too--figuring out how art will be transported to the gallery, hooks, hangers, lighting and generally just making sure the space looks ready.

Who will come to the gallery when it opens?

There are a lot of people who float in from Mexico City to Valle de Bravo on weekends. There’s a pretty good art market here and already a handful of successful galleries. It’s quickly becoming more and more of a destination to see art which is really exciting.

Did anything in your Walnut Creek childhood prepared you for this job?

Walnut Creek’s proximity and relationship with San Francisco reminds me a lot of how Valle relates to Mexico City. It seems like Valle is influenced by Mexico City; there’s a lot of people visiting from there and a market here that is influenced by people who come from there. But it’s still its own place and maintains its own character.

 What do you miss most about life in Walnut Creek?

Oh jeez, a lot of things. Family and friends, of course. There are also those places I always look forward to going to again when I come home—like Morucci’s for the best sandwiches and the Lafayette Reservoir for morning walks with friends. Oh and Crogan's, duh!