The first time I met Rhonda, I had only a few months in my role at the Arts Council. By that time, I had lost my hair due to chemotherapy treatments, and she gave me such a warm welcome to the Mayor’s office that I completely forgot about my head wrap slipping. This is one of her greatest gifts she shared with many: the absolute joy of connecting with people and making them feel that they belonged. This was also her approach to art. She worked tirelessly to bring the community together and ensure that many artists felt seen.
Rhonda Love first joined the ArtsLB Artist Registry as a recently retired city employee who yearned to make time for her creative expression. And, so she did. She became active in our Art Walk committee and made every effort to jump-start the event in the East Village. Her first activation was on Linden Avenue as DreamKreator, and she brought with her an enormous LED screen to show her multimedia art. Rhonda continued to advocate for the art walk with all her city contacts and made a deep impact on the ongoing programming. This demonstration of relentless artivism led me to nominate her for the DTLB board. The arts community needed this kind of leader at the table, and we are ever thankful for her voice, talents, and skills. She was instrumental in solidifying the LB Art + Design Walk.
She received microgrants and community project grants for her vision and activations. Art has a mysterious way of leading you on a path that only unfurls itself when it is time to show the world what it needs. I believe this came true for Rhonda through the California Creative Corps program in 2022. Her grant award pairing was with Mental Health America: LA/LB, and it turned out to be a perfect match. She created the Social Pivot Exhibition, an exhibit designed to explore issues such as climate change, COVID, social justice, and social engagement. Rhonda’s mission was to provide a community-based exhibit for all ages, addressing pressing issues of our time that would educate, inform, and inspire viewers to become heroes of change and learn how they can make an impact. Clients at MHA participated in every aspect of the project.
When she shared her diagnosis with me, she also shared her determination to fight, and we all witnessed what it means to face pain and fear with grace and strength. Through her journey, she stayed true to who she was and combined ancestral knowledge with modern medicine. As I sat in committee meetings with her just months ago, and anyone else who may have done so, I learned about passion and dedication. Rhonda Love worked arduously to create Heroes of Change – she set the prime example.
Rhonda Love, heroine of change for the better of all her communities:
- DreamKreator
- Arts Council for Long Beach
- Downtown Long Beach Alliance
- Leadership Long Beach
- East Village Arts District
- Art Walk in all of its forms
- VIP Records
- Hip-Hop in Long Beach Exhibition
- City of Long Beach
- Gospel music
- Mental Health America
- All the artists and activists she met along the way
Our love goes out to her partner in life, Greg Johnson, and to her family. You are missed already, Rhonda. Rest in Peace. You fought for your life and lived it as you wished.