Daisy Garcia Montoya
Daisy Garcia Montoya
Education Reporter
Community members, friends and artists gathered on Dec. 6 at the Mattie Rhodes Cultural Arts Center (MRC) on the Westside for MRC’s final First Friday event of the year and the opening reception for ‘The Loteria Show.’
Brought by local artist DINKC and co-curated by MRC’s gallery coordinator and artist Charlie Ortiz (also known as Zitro), the art exhibit displays over 40 canvases from local and out-of-state artists as they create new renditions of the playing cards used in Loteria — a traditional Mexican game of chance.
In Loteria, players use a 4 by 4 board that shows a variation of pictures from a 54 playing card deck — each card with a different name. Like Bingo, a caller reads off the card’s name, while players mark off those cards mentioned. Once the board is completed in accordance with the prior agreement (four corners, in a row, the entire board, etc.), the player yells out “Loteria” and wins.
For the art exhibit, featured artists had the option to pick a playing card from the existing deck, applying their own personal touch to the original card or creating an entirely new playing card.
Brainstorming for the show began in midsummer with logistically planning, artist selection and promotional activities taking place over the fall.
Although DINKC said that he previously curated a similar show in Denver, this show was planned on a much larger scale and an opportunity to bring in new artists into the space. Through this exhibit, DINKC said he hopes to show the community that they do not have to be a big city to curate unique shows, while seeing firsthand the local talent that Kansas City has to offer.
“We just hope we can continue to do these shows and get good recognition through the media, so that other people outside of Kansas City can start to see what we’re doing as well,” DINKC said. “It’s also just keeping that culture alive.”
While the exhibit showcases art, DINKC said that education is an important component to the show to ensure viewers can fully understand, take in the background of the exhibit and learn more about the cultural aspects of a game so prominent in Mexican culture.
“We were raised on it, our parents, our grandparents played it, everyone played it. Now this is a new, modern twist on it, showing an artistic process while keeping our tradition and culture alive for the next generation,” DINKC said.
As for gallery coordinator Ortiz, curating this show allowed him to fulfill some of the goals he set for himself when he stepped into this role in March.
“When I started my new position, one of my main goals was to bring a whole new crowd of artists into the space. We have what we call Mattie Rhodes alumni who have been in the shows for years but then there’s so many artists I personally knew that had never been in our shows,” Ortiz said.
Many local artists have never displayed their art in a gallery due to not knowing how the process, where to start or of local galleries and shows that may take them in.
“Not just with this show but every show I organize, I am trying to bring at least someone new or someone who hasn’t been back to a MRC show in a long time,” Ortiz said. “It’s giving time, energy, and a place to shine light on different artists who haven’t had light shined on them before, opening doors to more people. Not just for the artists but the visitors too, for them to see and experience new artists and learn more about the resources and services Mattie Rhodes offers.”
Branching out, networking and meeting new artists, Alex Lopez said is one of the important benefits of having events like this one. “One artist knows another so it’s always new art, new artists, branching out and getting the community involved and be a part of it together,” Lopez said.
To Lopez, her participation in the show was a welcomed creative challenge as she would have to paint her piece rather than working with ink, pen, and digital art, which are primarily used methods of art.
Lopez painted the rendition of the existing La Calavera (The Skull) card but incorporated symbolism in reflection of the LGBTQ community, relationships and acceptance of queer romantic relationships and the role of religion in the Latino community through color and symbols.
“My piece is part of a huge project that I’m doing, “Heartbreak,” and it kind of symbolizes the queer love aspect that in Latino communities it’s not really accepted, and many people have to hide or mask who they are instead of pursuing the person they actually love,” Lopez said.
For other artists, this show provided them with the opportunity to jump into the art world again.
Azucena Reyes said that after a period of not creating art, this exhibit allowed her to not only create but to also showcase her piece in a gallery, something she had not done for an extended period. Reyes recreated the playing card, La Botella (The Bottle), adding bright colors and flowers to the card.
With the exhibit inspired by a game commonly played in Mexican households, artists shared that this exhibit not only brought people together but also showcased the diversity in the art scene and the importance of having spaces where one can honor their heritage.
“I think the director of Casa Michoacán in Chicago said it best: “México es donde están los mexicanos.“ I find this not only beautiful but essential. It’s crucial to have spaces that celebrate our culture and provide events and opportunities to share it with others. ¡Qué bonito es compartir la cultura! (How beautiful it is to share our culture), I think we are the soul of our culture. We are the very thing that keeps it alive,” Liz Gonzalez said.
For her piece, she re-created the existing playing card, El Alacrán (The Scorpion) but added air-dry clay and acrylic to the canvas to provide a three-dimensional effect.
In addition to the exhibit, guests were able to purchase prints and enjoy from local vendors such as Ollama, Veronica Style and music from FK Menace while they browsed the gallery.
“We’re super excited to showcase Loteria to everybody and have everyone come and check out everybody’s hard work and all that has been put into this exhibit. This just makes me even more excited to start working on next year’s exhibits and to bring great art shows and people,” Ortiz said.
As a component of the exhibit, MRC will also be hosting actual game nights for participants to pay to play Loteria with the opportunity to win prizes. The game nights will take place from 6 to 8 p.m., Dec. 21 and Jan. 18.
The free, family-friendly exhibit will be on display for the entirety of December and January at the Cultural Arts Center, located at 1701 Jarboe St. This gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. Canvases featured in the show are also available for purchase.
For additional questions or information about this gallery or game nights, email Charlie Ortiz at cortiz@mattierhodes.org.
admin
Julia Williams
-
