About / CV

Dulce Lopez is a Mexican immigrant, activist, and political strategist specializing in transnational justice, cultural policy, and public affairs between the U.S. and Mexico. A graduate student at UCLA and UC Berkeley alumna, she is passionate about using art and strategic communications to drive political mobilization, education, and policy change.

With extensive experience as a communications manager, organizer, and artist, Dulce has led civic engagement and visual marketing campaigns across the U.S., Mexico, and Central America, amplifying social justice causes and directly supporting grassroots organizations.

She is also developing a hybrid business model that merges political art sales with NGO fundraising to support grassroots advocacy efforts. Convinced of the power of cultural communications to shape policy, Dulce continues to bridge the worlds of art, public affairs, and governance to drive lasting social impact.

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Dulce María López is a Mexican rural immigrant artivist, a UC Berkeley alumni, and a current UCLA grad student. Through her art, Dulce develops political and social statements and illustrates research connecting to the issues of forced migration and U.S. imperialism. Dulce uses acrylics, social practice, guerrilla art techniques, and media to bring visibility to transnational social issues, represent (her)story and identity, and mobilize people.

Dulce grew up as a farmworker in the indigenous community of Tolimán, Jalisco, where she began drawing from a very young age. Because of her family’s economic struggle, Dulce sold doodles to her classmates, sparking her interest in art. At age seven, she worked in the fields in addition to helping with housework and taking care of her studies. When she turned eleven years old, her family and she migrated to California. Since she did not have English skills, drawing was Dulce’s only way to communicate.

Dulce's migration story has inspired her artistic and political vision. She has showcased her artwork and collaborated in México, the United States, and Central América. She aspires to continue mobilizing through the arts and build transnational platforms to make political culture-shaping a sustainable and safe practice for historically oppressed communities.

Dulce M. López

dulcemlopez@g.ucla.edu • linkedin.com/in/dulcemlopez

University of California, Berkeley

Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies and Practice of Art minor (December 2018)

University of California, Los Angeles

Master's of Arts in Latin American Studies (Expected 2025)

La Universidad de la Havana (Spring 2017)

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (Fall 2018)

06/14 - Present

Entrepreneur Artivist, Dulce Maria Lopez’ Art

Managed personal branding, strategized publicity, designed a website on Wix, and launched my personal merchandise

and online shop. Within a year, I hired two assistants and grew my social media and web visitors organically.
Carried out the first celebratory community mural, 13 by 3 meters, in the rural “El Llano En Llamas” region in Southern

Jalisco. I also organized a press conference to reveal the mural and interviewed with the local press.
Lead logistical operations and a press conference to paint a mural in the U.S.-MEXICO border wall. The project was

conducted along with Quetzal Migrante to raise visibility to Central Americans and the “Remain in Mexico” policy.
Fundraised through personal designs, spread awareness, and provided economic aid to children victim of femicides,

educational resources for Mexican rural kids, support to victims of Ayotzinapa, and numerous other issues.
Mentored students on art as a form of history recovery and resistance. Worked with high schools and middle schools

in the United States, in Mexican rural communities, and in Peruvian indigenous communities.

04/19 - 01/24

Oakland, CA

Sr. Visual Communications Manager, Change Consulting

Inaugurated and coordinated the first Visual Communications Department in the agency, working in collaboration with the Engagement and Strategy departments to serve nonprofits and foundations.
Generated branding strategies, logos, and designed visual advertising content for foundations and nonprofits using Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Premier, and Canva. Gained over 16K followers on Instagram within a year and a half.
Developed marketing content in Spanish, providing social justice information to a diversified audience.
Placed infographic in Los Angeles Time to portray a client’s impact on California elections and how it affects POC.

06/18 - 12/18

Itztapalapa, Mexico City, México

Marketing and Mentor, Fabrica de Artes y Oficios (FARO) de Oriente

Designed weekly interactive English learning courses for a Spanish-speaking low-income community. Became one of the most requested workshops in the cultural center.
Expanded the center’s audience by promoting our activities towards English speaking audiences.

01/18 – 06/18

UC California CA

Research Assistant, Undergraduate Research Assistant Project (URAP)

Assisted a graduate student by analyzing, transcribing and translating interviews in order to understand the impact of globalization on the social and political structure of a rural agricultural community in El Bajio, Mexico.
Conducting a comparative analysis of Indian literature and the poetry of Octavio Paz, a Mexican writer.

05/17 – 12/17

San Francisco, CA

Gallery & Marketing Intern, Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (MCCLA)

Collaborated in the preparation one of the biggest Day of the Dead exhibits in San Francisco in the last years.
Recruited volunteers and artists and helped them through the creative process.
Prepared exhibits by choosing and archiving artwork and created marketing material and web designs.

06/16 – 06/17

Berkeley, CA

Graphic Design Assistant, Haas School of Business

Produced promotional materials, managed social media platforms and analyzed viewer engagement.
Increased our viewers and feedbacks in our newsletters through inclusive and diverse content and graphics.
Conducted workshops for staff on software such as Google Drive to facilitate data sharing.

06/15 - 12/15

Berkeley, CA

Illustrator, The Daily Californian

Designed the front page featured illustrations for my university’s newspaper’s by using Adobe and mixed materials.

10/14 - 05/18

Berkeley, CA

Coordinator and Political Artist, Art For Social Change (AFSC)

Achieved a new high in AFSC members every semester. I placed AFSC among one of the most successful Political, Art,

and Community Service student organizations in UC Berkeley and in the Bay Area.
Organized fundraisings by selling artwork designed by me and AFSC members. Donated to local and international

causes. Raised an average of $400 per fundraiser.
Delegated workshops and provided tools to foster attainable art education and training.

01/16 – 07/16

Cusco, Perú

Art and Publicity Director, Nourish International

Fabricated publicity and marketing strategies to expand an art-craft business by women in Cusco, Peru.
Taught art to local low-income indigenous students as tools for resistance and culture retention.

01/15 - 12/15

Berkeley, CA

Teacher Assistant, UC Berkeley Writing Class: Politics of Frida Kahlo’s Representation

Assisted a graduate student instructor by mentoring students on social concepts and current foreign issues in order to help them understand the class material. Graded essays and facilitated discussion to encourage critical thinking.

Art Showcasing

Chicanxs Sin Frontera, Casa de California, CDMX, 2024
The Colors of Resilience Art, Future Leaders, Oxnord, 2024
Art activism, DePaul University, Chicago, 2024
The Last Shall Be First, Midnight Bookstore, Los Angeles CA, 2024
The Healing Project, UCLA, Los Angeles CA, 2024
Beauty In The Struggle, All Power Books, Los Angeles CA, 2024
No thanks, No Taking, Memories of El Monte, El Monte CA, 2023
Octubre Zapatista, Oakland, CA 2023
Pintando Murales: Tierra y Genero, Teutlán, Tolimán, Jalisco, 2023
Mujeres Market The Art Show, Los Angeles CA, 2023
35x35 Bicentennial, Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles CA, 2021, 2023
The Real Path to Peace in Ukraine, New York City, 2022
On the Line: Border Convening, Nogales, AZ, 2022
People's Summit, Los Angeles, CA, 2022
Artists in Solidarity, San Diego, CA, 2022
Enero Zapatista, San Diego, CA, 2022
First Binational Meeting of Women Visual Artists: Fincar Correspondencias, The Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA), the Secretaria of Culture of Baja California, the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles, Women's Salon LA, and Salón México, 2021
This Bridge Called Solidarity, UCLA, 2021
We Got Us Zine, New York, New York, 2021
Semillas del Petacal Exhibit, El Petacál, Tolimán, Jalisco, México, 2021
Quarantine Zine Part 11, Hex Gurls, 2021
Sharing Wisdom Across Generations, CLSD, 2020
Pozole for the Sol VOL. 004 Etzalcualiztli, Milpa Collective, 2020
People's Art Show, Serve The People L.A., 2020
Culture Counts Reading Series, San Jose State University, 2020
Hija Ausente: Stories of an immigrant, UCSD Cross-Cultural Center, 2020
Sharing Wisdom Across Generations, UC Berkeley, 2020
Quetzal Migrante, Tijuana, México, 2019
Evolved, San Francisco 2019
Día De Muertos, San Francisco, CA, 2019
Rostros de Mujer, Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, 2019
Latina Luncheon, UC Berkeley, 2019
Casa de la Universidad de California, Mexico City, México, 2018
U-Tópicas, Mexico City, México, 2018
MAPPS, San Francisco, CA, 2018
BAM FEST, Berkeley, CA 2018
Richmond Hospital, Richmond, CA, 2018
Kerner Commission Conference, Berkeley, CA, 2018
Nuestrxpalooza, Berkeley, CA 2015, 2016, 2016, 2017, 2018
Celebrating our Creations, Berkeley, CA 2018
Forward Together, Berkeley, CA 2018
From Among the Starts, Berkeley, CA 2018
Outburst Exhibit, Berkeley, CA 2017
Annual Immigrant Art Gala, Berkeley, CA 2015, 2017
Study for Political Graphics, Los Angeles, CA 2017
Authority Exhibit, Berkeley, CA 2017
Tolimán Cultural Museum, Tolimán, Jalisco, México 2017
Arc Youth Fest; Honorable Mentions, Oakland, CA 2016
Film Festival, Berkeley, CA 2016
Multicultural Community Center Library, Berkeley, CA 2016
Mexicanos al Grito de Guerra: We didn’t cross the borders, the border crossed us, San Francisco, CA 2016
Chevere, Berkeley, CA 2016
6th Annual LAM Independence Celebration, San Francisco, CA 2015
Chicanx Heritage Gallery Exhibit, Berkeley, CA 2015
Mural StateFarm, Santa Ana, CA 2015
Artspiration, Santa Ana, CA 2014