MUSEUM OF VENTURA COUNTY
Carlos Ortega appointed as Chief Curator
Ortega, who began his tenure at MVC on May 1, brings two decades of museum experience to the Museum, where he will help connect the present and future through recognizing, exploring, and appreciating the past. He will serve as the leading voice for the Museum’s curatorial mission and public engagement programs, and will be responsible for telling stories that resonate with the community’s diverse cultures and Native tribes. He will create exhibitions that connect the community to the art, culture and history of Ventura County, an important role given the County’s upcoming 150th Anniversary year celebration that kicks-off June 23.
Ortega has built an impressive 20-year career working for Southern California museums. As the Curator of Collections at the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA), Ortega developed the 2017 Thea award-winning Transformations exhibition, which visually portrayed the life-changing stories of five individuals from underrepresented communities. They selected artwork from MOLAA’s permanent collection that they felt best illustrated their life-changing stories, from experiencing cancer to gang violence. During his 11 years at MOLAA, Ortega was involved in the organization of over 40 international exhibitions and the development of multiple community programs and educational activities. Most recently, he served as Curator for Rancho Los Cerritos Museum & Historic Site in Long Beach, where he raised the profile of the Museum by creating and developing community-based exhibitions and DEAI programming and events.
Ortega holds an M.A. in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester, UK and a degree in Art History from Basque Country University in Spain. He is currently a board member of the Western Museums Association and served on the American Alliance of Museum’s Curatorial Committee (CurCom) from 2017 to 2021. Ortega is fluent in English, Spanish, and German.
“Carlos brings broad multi-disciplinary experience to his role," says the MVC's Barbara Barnard Smith Executive Director Elena Brokaw, “and we are excited to see his ideas come to life.”