Above: Abigail Lopez Byrd (Porter ’13, fine studio arts and sociology) (Photo by Luis Flores)
Abigail Lopez Byrd alongside her husband, Marquell Byrd, at the opening of the Compton Museum of Art and History. (Photo by Marco Bravo)
Abigail Lopez-Byrd is many things. She’s a nonprofit founder, a Ph.D. candidate, an educator, a curator, a mother of three, and a loving partner. But—first and foremost—Lopez-Byrd is an artist. She always pictured a life of giving back to her community. Each step of the way, she layered her canvas with colors from the palette of her life—the people who mentored her, her experiences, her family traditions, the place she calls home.
On a path filled with obstacles and a whole lot of love, Lopez-Byrd (Porter ’13, fine studio arts and sociology) is now the founder and executive director of Color Compton—an arts and history organization grounded on theories and concepts of art making, storytelling, identity, community, and history—and the co-founder of the Compton Art and History Museum.
Compton born and raised, Lopez-Byrd came from a diverse community filled with culture and history. Her love of art paved her way to UC Santa Cruz. A little different from the cityscapes of her hometown, Santa Cruz reminded her of a childhood running around her grandparents’ home in the coastal state of Sinaloa, Mexico.
Picturesque Santa Cruz was an inspiring place for Lopez-Byrd, who had a knack for photography. But she found something was missing as she started classes for her proposed art major.
“When I came in, it was overwhelming, and I was not prepared to succeed. I remember I was in art classes where folks were sharing that their family members interned with artists like Ansel Adams,” Lopez-Byrd said. “Most of my classmates had access to materials and had been in similar spaces before. That was just not my experience.”
Difficult interactions with professors and TAs, frequently being the only Latina in her classes, and being a first-generation college student with little access to the financial means to produce large-scale works sometimes gave her a sense of not belonging and made her question if she was on the right path.
One person Lopez-Byrd could see herself in was Professor of Art Lewis Watts (now emeritus). He was one of the few Black male professors in the Art Department and gave Lopez-Byrd someone to look up to. To alleviate financial pressure on his students, he provided them with extra supplies if they needed it.
Since not every professor could be Professor Watts, Lopez-Byrd looked to other outlets to feel a greater sense of belonging at UCSC. Through being a tutor at the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program, she found El Centro, the Chicanx Latinx Resource Center. She also began working with Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP).
There, Lopez-Byrd met Peggy Rose, EOP associate director and academic counselor. (Rose passed away in 2020.)
“I can’t think about my Santa Cruz experience without thinking about Peggy,” Lopez-Byrd said. “She was able to see the artist in me, and the educator, and the person. Seeing somebody like Peggy in an institution where you are almost not made to feel welcome as a first-generation student of color really made me feel like I do belong in those spaces.”
For her final senior project in her art major, Lopez-Byrd needed to create a gallery for her photographs. Rosie Cabrera, then director of El Centro (Cabrera retired in 2013), invited Lopez-Byrd to showcase her work in the resource center, offering to provide her with whatever she needed.
Lopez-Byrd’s mother, grandmother, and sister flew up to see her show and enjoy some antojitos.
Each floor was curated to the important parts of Lopez-Byrd’s identity, community, and life experience. At one point in the ceremony, her grandmother began to sing. Her mom, sister, and Lopez-Byrd followed.
Abigail Lopez Byrd (Porter ’13, fine studio arts and sociology) (Photo by Angel Hernandez)
At that moment, Lopez-Byrd felt that not only did she belong to this space, but also she was able to bring her family into it.
In 2019, Lopez-Byrd founded Color Compton.
“I wanted to come back to my community, and talk about our history as communities of color and do it in a way that was relatable and engaging in the community, like with arts. I also wanted to make sure it was grounded on something,” Lopez-Byrd said.
She also wanted to show students in Compton that they deserve these spaces.
In 2020, Lopez-Byrd decided to pursue a Ph.D. at UC Riverside in education, society, and culture because, she said, stories matter.
“If we don’t tell our own stories or reclaim them, we are not going to be included in archives, or be included in history,” she said.
To keep the stories, history, and culture of Compton alive, Color Compton opened the first and only art and history museum in the city. Compton’s Art and History Museum showcases the work of local artists.
“Everyone has a story to share,” Lopez-Byrd said—and, if she’s any example, being the first in your family or community to do something can bring discomfort and even pain.
“But know,” she said, “that you paving that path makes way for others. Everyone’s individual journey is needed for collective growth.”
As a tribute to the late Peggy Rose, and all she did for UCSC EOP students, Abigail Lopez-Byrd wants to work with other alumni to help create a scholarship in her name. If you are interested, please contact Lopez-Byrd at info@colorcompton.org.