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Discover Mid-America — February 2009
Benefactor’s spirit celebrated
at Hispanic gallery
For several years, my wife and I have been making regular visits to one of our favorite art galleries, Mattie Rhodes Art Center and Gallery, in Kansas City, MO. Besides lifting our spirits with its creativity, the gallery gives me a few chances to practice my college Spanish.
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The Mattie Rhodes Gallery is housed in two adjoining old buildings on a modest side street on the city’s west side. It features Hispanic art and Native American folk art from the gallery’s extensive Hand-In-Hand Folk Art Collection. Artists range from youngsters and adults who participate in the gallery’s classes to emerging Latino professionals, many from Mexico and Latin America.
The front of the gallery is dominated by a gift shop selling the works of local artists and imported items from Latin America. The items vary from month to month, and change with seasonal exhibits. Typical items include ceramic and straw figures, T-shirts, hats, handbags, textile items, masks, Day-of-the-Dead items, note cards, matted photos, etc.
The gallery is the public face of Mattie Rhodes Center, one of the area’s oldest nonprofit facilities, serving the Hispanic community in Jackson County, Missouri, and neighboring Wyandotte and Johnson counties in Kansas. More than two-thirds of the center’s clients are recent immigrants who rely on the center for mental health counseling, domestic violence intervention, substance abuse prevention and treatment, educational support and youth programs.
The Craft Learning Center was started in 1971 by a group of Catholic college students. Erin Beier, art gallery curator at the Mattie Rhodes Center, said that in the beginning the instructors “admitted students until the room filled up, then they closed the door.”
Today, incorporated into the Mattie Rhodes Center, the program offers classes for children and adults that build confidence and awaken the creative spirit. After-school programs, spring and summer art camps, field trips, workshops and special events round out the program. The after-school program conducts classes in a house next door to the gallery. Classes offer instruction in various crafts, including clay sculptures, “stain glass” paper mosaics, folk art figures, holiday gifts and much more.
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Outreach programs are offered to area school districts looking to incorporate Hispanic art and culture into their curriculum. Artist residence programs are offered, along with projects from the recently acquired Hand-In-Hand Folk Art Collection featuring more than 1,300 items including ceramics, sculpture, toys, dolls and textiles.
All this began with one person – the original Mattie Rhodes. A young Kansas City high school student in the 1890s, Mattie decided to make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged people and dedicated her life to charity. She organized some of her classmates into a group they called the Little Gleaners. Erin said that Mattie was a contemporary of Della C. Lamb, a young woman who also began a charity organization that grew to be an important part of educating Kansas City’s intercity youth.
Unfortunately, Mattie’s life ended when she was only 19, a victim of typhoid fever. But she left her meager savings of $500 to continue her work with the needy. In 1896, the Little Gleaners organized the Mattie Rhodes Memorial Society, dedicated to continuing Mattie’s mission.
Using rented facilities the group began by providing day care to the children of working mothers. Raising funds with an annual charity ball and soliciting help from merchants and individuals, the group expanded its programs. Today, the Mattie Rhodes Center honors its namesake’s dying wishes by providing counseling and creative programs for thousands on Kansas City’s west side.
The Mattie Rhodes Art Center and Gallery was established in 1999. It is noted for its unusual and creative exhibits and fundraising events. Autumn and winter seasons seem to bring out the best.
La Loteria (The Lottery) in September attracts artists from all over the country who create fanciful interpretations of Mexico’s national loteria cards.
The Dia de los Muertos or “Day of the Dead” exhibit in October celebrates the popular Mexican holiday with food, music and art. The event features papier maché skulls and skeletons, funeral and cemetery art, expressed in brightly colored two-dimensional art, sculpture and even candy. On display are elaborate ofrendas (altars) created by local families in memory of loved ones.
Last October’s Day of the Dead Festival was the ninth one for Mattie Rhodes. The family event included music and dance performances, handmade gifts, food, games and prizes.
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In December, El Mercado (The Market) featured local artists and Latin American wares. In addition there were workshops in holiday gift making, “stained glass” mosaics, and folk art figurines.
“This was the first year for El Mercado,” Erin said. “Several local artists offer different items for holiday gifts, and there are items from Mexico, Bolivia, Peru and Guatemala.”
Various tables featured handcrafted clothing and textiles, posters, paintings, jewelry, and pottery. The after-school program offered fired clay items, candleholder and Christmas ornaments.
Erin said the gallery would celebrate a special event in May 2009. “It will be the gallery’s 10th anniversary and the 115th anniversary of the Mattie Rhodes Society,” she said. “Everyone who has exhibited at the gallery will be invited to participate, and I have a database of more than 300 artists.”
The event will begin the first Friday in May and continue through the middle of June.
Mattie Rhodes Art Center and Gallery is located at 915 W. 17th St. in Kansas City, MO. Hours are 10-5, Tuesday-Saturday. For more information, call 816-221-2349 or go to www.mattierhodes.org.
Ken Weyand can be reached at kweyand1@kc.rr.com
> Traveling with Ken Archive — past columns
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