by Alison Carrillo, Founder
Museo Eduardo Carrillo originated in Ed’s imagination. During a 1993 trip to Mexico City he and I toured the Carrillo Gil Art Museum. As we left he said, “Museo Carrillo has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?” I took note, filing away his comment.
Two years after Ed died, I had a dream of a large grey banner stretched across my mental screen that read, “Museo Eduardo Carrillo.” I awoke, still in my intense grief, but now I knew my next step. Ed had neither time nor interest in promoting his legacy, being too busy painting, teaching, living. Now I had a name that had a familiar “ring” to it, but still no idea what form it would take. I kept this idea in mind as I moved through the art world that Ed left behind, meeting with his friends, going to openings. I thought perhaps a small museum in Santa Cruz would be just right where much of his work could be on display. One evening at a dinner at Sacramento’s Crocker Art Museum I fell into conversation with a woman who knew the museum world and she said words that stood out to me: “What you are talking about is a vanity museum, sometimes established by well-intending widows and family after the artist has passed. Such museums can be a loving gesture, but they are often inconsequential. It’s best to get his work out into broader circulation where he will be seen in relation to other artists and by a wider audience.” Her words were a revelation.
At the time, the internet was coming into common use, and although I had little awareness of the power it held, I did know that an online presence would give us the widest possible audience. Why can’t we have Ed’s Museo online so everyone can see his work with the tap of a button? It seemed like a no brainer, yet I had not heard of anyone else doing it. Plugging ahead we established our non-profit status as a museum in 2001. I had a name and an idea, now I needed the right person to help me realize the dream.
The right person was someone who knew Ed, and who totally got the man and his work. Years earlier I had met Betsy Miller Andersen when she came to our home to interview Ed for a KUSP Artists-in-Studio series that Betsy and Cheryl Doering were creating. As I lingered in the background I could not help but notice the rapport and the respect Betsy had for her former teacher. She knew him well, having studied with him at UCSC. He entrusted her to work with him on his monumental Palomar Mural in downtown Santa Cruz, so as far as I was concerned Betsy was the one to help me. When I approached her about a possible directorship she let me know that she was interested but unavailable due to homeschooling her daughter, Kyra. That’s fine, I said, I will wait. Meanwhile, I had a ton of grieving to do, plus some organizing of Ed’s massively disorganized papers, so I was not in a big hurry. Selma Foreman helped me at this point with the papers and three years later Betsy came on board as my Director. Her drive and experience lifted us up and we were off and running.
The growth we experienced over the next 20 years was largely due to Betsy’s diligence and creative ideas. She would often call me up with another great, expansive project:
“Let’s sponsor a traveling tour! and with it a comprehensive bilingual catalogue!”
“Let’s make a movie about Eduardo. I just met a terrific Chilean filmmaker who focuses on Latinos of consequence! He would be perfect for Ed!”
Let’s get his work in the top museums, the Smithsonian, the Whitney! And other museums all over the country!“
“Yes, Betsy, yes, yes and yes!”
Ours was a thrilling collaboration because we were always on the same page. When the fires of 2020 hit Santa Cruz county we agreed that it was time to seriously place more of Ed’s work in significant venues.
When Betsy received a cancer diagnosis in the fall of 2022 we stepped up our quest. She had begun working with a promising young intern, Nicole Rudolph-Vallerga, passing along her knowledge of Museo’s activities. When Betsy passed in May of 2023, Nicole became the natural successor to her mentor. And with Nicole, Museo is on terra firma once again with her extraordinary skill, dedication, imagination, and resources. Her educational background as a UCSC Alumn and her life experience make her perfectly suited to support Museo and its continued mission as we move into the future.
Ed still has his angels all around him.
