Peter Rodriguez was raised in both Stocktonand Jackson, California. It was there that he first became interested inArt. In 1975, he founded the Mexican Museum as an institution designedto collect, preserve, interpret and present the artistic expression ofthe Mexican people, regardless of their birth-nation. The unique goalwas to establish a museum that showed all five components ofPre-Conquest, Colonial, Popular, Mexican and Chicano ContemporaryArt. Rodriguez envisioned a Museum as both a space in which topreserve and present the culture of the Mexican people, and as a vehiclefor Mexican people themselves to present their own culture. Duringthe Museum's first ten years of operation, Rodriguez devoted his fullenergy to the daily museum operations. The dual role of director andcurator left little time for his own painting. As the Museum grew insize and maturity, it began to attract the attention of a broad scope ofindividuals and the museum began to form a permanent collection. As thecollection grew, so did the number and scope of exhibitions presented bythe Museum to the public. **Please note that accents have beeneliminated inorder to accomodate and facilitate the use of all types ofweb browsers. Researchers who would like to indicate errors offact or omissions in this finding aid can contact the research center atwww.chicano.ucla.edu
