Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Join us for an afternoon of cinematic storytelling about women and the lowrider community. The program includes three short film screenings and a panel discussing the cultural impact and creative legacy of lowrider traditions, “making space and opening up lanes for all of us to cruise.” —Vero Majano
Bios
Hillary C. Olcott is the curator of the arts of the Americas at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Olcott is the co-curator of the arts of Indigenous Americas at the de Young, developed in collaboration with a multidisciplinary curatorial team and advisory group. Olcott was also the coeditor of the catalogue Native American Art: From the Thomas W. Weisel Family Collection (2023), co-creator of the multimedia project Alaska Native Arts (2022), and co-curator of Nampeyo and the Sikyátki Revival (2021).
Rose D’Amato is a pinstriper and painter living and working in San Francisco. She is motivated by her intention to learn and implement handmade techniques and, in doing so, explore her artistic lineage. Since 2019, D’Amato has been the adjunct professor of hand lettering at California College of the Arts. She is also a Headlands Center for the Arts Tournesol awardee (2023–2024) and SFMOMA SECA awardee (2024–2025). She is currently working towards upcoming projects at House of Seiko.
Gabriela Dematteis grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and is very proud of her Mexican and Italian American heritage. She became interested in film and photography at a young age, largely thanks to her father, international photojournalist Lou Dematteis. She has worked for Bloomberg Originals, VICE Media, Refinery29, Tribeca Film Festival, Sundance Institute, Warner Bros. Television Studios, CBS, Paramount Pictures, and Participant Media. Gabriela’s favorite part of filmmaking is bringing people together to share stories that engage, inform, and surprise their viewers.
Vero Majano, is a multi-disciplinary artist born and raised in San Francisco’s Mission District. Her work creates space to acknowledge and remember the queer Latinx communities that are part of the Mission’s iconic yet contested histories. As a storyteller and curator, Majano’s practice includes live cinema, archival film, performance, and collage. She is a co-founder of the Caca Colectiva, and the Mission Mediarts Archive, which preserves stories and works towards a collective goal of including untold narratives in a greater San Francisco history.
Gloria Morán is an award-winning media creative. Named among “Top Ten Latinx Filmmakers to Look Out For,” Morán directed the short documentary The Unique Ladies, about San Diego’s only all-women lowrider club. She later published a short story reflecting her journey with lowrider culture “Cruising into the Future,” in the lowrider anthology Lowriting. Morán serves as a post-production supervisor at Seeker of Group Nine Media, and teaches cinema at San Francisco State University. Morán has an MFA in social documentation and a BA in Latino studies and journalism, both from UC Santa Cruz.
Ruby Ramirez is a Bay Area native with over 26 years of experience in the lowrider community, and an interpretation partner for LEXICON. She represents Frisco’s Finest Car Club, and was a member of the San Francisco Lowrider Council for nearly 14 years. Alongside her husband Jaime, Ruby remains deeply rooted in San Francisco’s lowrider culture. For the past 19 years, Ruby has owned and continuously refined her 1950 Chevy Fleetline, embracing the philosophy that every detail matters.
Angel Romero is founder and president of the all-women’s car club Dueñas, founded in 2019 and based in Sunnyvale. A lifelong member of the lowriding community, she values the heritage, artistry, and traditions that define lowriding. Committed to women’s empowerment and community, she serves as an interpretation partner for LEXICON, helping share the cultural significance and artistic expression represented through the cars on display.
Valerie Tulier-Laiwa was born in Texas and raised in San Francisco’s Mission District. During a class trip to Los Angeles as a student at San Francisco State University, she saw Whittier Boulevard filled with lowriders, and this defining moment sparked a lifelong connection to lowriding culture. In San Francisco, she became a member of the Frisco Latin Queens, the only all-female lowrider car club in San Francisco’s history. Known by many as “Mama Bear,” she is also a fierce community advocate who shows up with compassion, strength, and unwavering support.
Join us for an afternoon of cinematic storytelling about women and the lowrider community. The program includes three short film screenings and a panel discussing the cultural impact and creative legacy of lowrider traditions, “making space and opening up lanes for all of us to cruise.” —Vero Majano
Bios
Hillary C. Olcott is the curator of the arts of the Americas at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Olcott is the co-curator of the arts of Indigenous Americas at the de Young, developed in collaboration with a multidisciplinary curatorial team and advisory group. Olcott was also the coeditor of the catalogue Native American Art: From the Thomas W. Weisel Family Collection (2023), co-creator of the multimedia project Alaska Native Arts (2022), and co-curator of Nampeyo and the Sikyátki Revival (2021).
Rose D’Amato is a pinstriper and painter living and working in San Francisco. She is motivated by her intention to learn and implement handmade techniques and, in doing so, explore her artistic lineage. Since 2019, D’Amato has been the adjunct professor of hand lettering at California College of the Arts. She is also a Headlands Center for the Arts Tournesol awardee (2023–2024) and SFMOMA SECA awardee (2024–2025). She is currently working towards upcoming projects at House of Seiko.
Gabriela Dematteis grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and is very proud of her Mexican and Italian American heritage. She became interested in film and photography at a young age, largely thanks to her father, international photojournalist Lou Dematteis. She has worked for Bloomberg Originals, VICE Media, Refinery29, Tribeca Film Festival, Sundance Institute, Warner Bros. Television Studios, CBS, Paramount Pictures, and Participant Media. Gabriela’s favorite part of filmmaking is bringing people together to share stories that engage, inform, and surprise their viewers.
Vero Majano, is a multi-disciplinary artist born and raised in San Francisco’s Mission District. Her work creates space to acknowledge and remember the queer Latinx communities that are part of the Mission’s iconic yet contested histories. As a storyteller and curator, Majano’s practice includes live cinema, archival film, performance, and collage. She is a co-founder of the Caca Colectiva, and the Mission Mediarts Archive, which preserves stories and works towards a collective goal of including untold narratives in a greater San Francisco history.
Gloria Morán is an award-winning media creative. Named among “Top Ten Latinx Filmmakers to Look Out For,” Morán directed the short documentary The Unique Ladies, about San Diego’s only all-women lowrider club. She later published a short story reflecting her journey with lowrider culture “Cruising into the Future,” in the lowrider anthology Lowriting. Morán serves as a post-production supervisor at Seeker of Group Nine Media, and teaches cinema at San Francisco State University. Morán has an MFA in social documentation and a BA in Latino studies and journalism, both from UC Santa Cruz.
Ruby Ramirez is a Bay Area native with over 26 years of experience in the lowrider community, and an interpretation partner for LEXICON. She represents Frisco’s Finest Car Club, and was a member of the San Francisco Lowrider Council for nearly 14 years. Alongside her husband Jaime, Ruby remains deeply rooted in San Francisco’s lowrider culture. For the past 19 years, Ruby has owned and continuously refined her 1950 Chevy Fleetline, embracing the philosophy that every detail matters.
Angel Romero is founder and president of the all-women’s car club Dueñas, founded in 2019 and based in Sunnyvale. A lifelong member of the lowriding community, she values the heritage, artistry, and traditions that define lowriding. Committed to women’s empowerment and community, she serves as an interpretation partner for LEXICON, helping share the cultural significance and artistic expression represented through the cars on display.
Valerie Tulier-Laiwa was born in Texas and raised in San Francisco’s Mission District. During a class trip to Los Angeles as a student at San Francisco State University, she saw Whittier Boulevard filled with lowriders, and this defining moment sparked a lifelong connection to lowriding culture. In San Francisco, she became a member of the Frisco Latin Queens, the only all-female lowrider car club in San Francisco’s history. Known by many as “Mama Bear,” she is also a fierce community advocate who shows up with compassion, strength, and unwavering support.
