In 2019, the Board of Supervisors introduced a motion directing the Women and Girls Initiative to collaborate with the Department of Arts and Culture to commission artists to create commemorative artworks for the Centennial Celebration of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. Six artists, including Andrea Monroe, Amy Smith, Clarence J. Williams III, Laura Vasquez Rodriguez, Moses X Ball, and Ragni Agarwal, were selected to design artwork for this project. The resulting artworks reflect a diversity of women and perspectives and highlight themes such as empowerment, civic engagement, resiliency, and the right to vote. Each artwork will be installed at various facilities throughout LA County for the public to enjoy and inspire residents to vote. The artworks were also reproduced as a limited run of posters available to the public and County departments and three designs were selected to be reproduced as limited-edition library cards and bookmarks. Los Angeles native Laura Vazquez Rodriguez celebrates the region’s rich cultural diversity with a focus on spirituality, love, and healing. In this piece, she honors the courageous women who fought diligently for the right to vote and celebrates those who continue to fight for equal rights today.

Laura Vazquez Rodriguez was born in Los Angeles, California and raised in the small community of Pico Rivera. Laura’s love for her culture and deep faith are reflected in each of her pieces. A skilled visual storyteller, her paintings are filled with symbolism. Each piece is a story that unfolds to illuminate a message: we are all connected. Laura has exhibited at Self Help Graphics, UCLA, Cal Poly Pomona, The University of Arizona, Whittier College, Santa Paula’s California Oil Museum, Gallery ChimMaya, Casa 0101, and Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral in Los Angeles. Her commercial art has appeared on book covers, on educational posters, in documentaries, and in several periodicals. To learn more, visit: https://lauravrodriguez.net/