An intergenerational group of 22 artists with ties to Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Colombia, Peru, and Uruguay will be featured in an upcoming exhibition as part of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art’s “KC Art Now” initiative. A Layered Presence / Una presencia estratificada addresses personal and national identities, socio-political issues, healing, place, and much more. The exhibition, which is free to the public, opens Oct. 14 and runs through Sept. 8, 2024.

“I am delighted with the strong, positive public reaction to our KC Art Now initiative, which puts a spotlight on established and emerging local artists,” said Julián Zugazagoitia, Director & CEO of the Nelson-Atkins. “A Layered Presence is particularly exciting for me as this group of artists has ties to Latin America, as do I. Their work speaks to so many issues that will resonate with our visitors.”

Working in a variety of media and styles that range from representational to abstract, these Kansas City-based artists use their practices to reckon with immigration and LGBTQIA+ issues, address family dynamics and ancestral relationships, and conjure memories. A Layered Presence / Una presencia estratificada was curated by Stephanie Fox Knappe, Sanders Sosland Senior Curator, Global Modern and Contemporary Art and Head, American Art.

“Each artist in this exhibition is a nuanced individual,” said Fox Knappe. “Many layers inform their identities and the stories they choose to tell through their art which itself is layered in terms of subject matter, materials, and meaning. I am honored to be working with these local artists who have been so generous in sharing, on their own terms, their personal experiences, passions, and cultural ties to their homelands or those of their ancestors.”

The power to authentically tell one’s own story is significant. For this exhibition, the artists wrote their own labels to accompany their art, and those labels as well as the introductory text are in English and Spanish. The artists also recorded audio interviews. Visitors can use the Smartify app to scan a work of art and hear more from each artist in their own voice, making the viewing a more intimate experience and adding another layer of understanding, appreciation, and empathy. 

A Layered Presence / Una presencia estratificada features the following artists:

Emily Alvarez

Rodrigo “Rico” Alvarez

Maria Vasquez Boyd

Ruben Bryan Castillo 

José Faus

Israel Alejandro García García

Cesar Lopez

Jessica Manco

Rodolfo Marrón III

Adolfo Gustavo Martinez 

Jenny Mendez

Sue Moreno

Juan G. Moya

Carlos Ortiz-Gallo

Eulalia C. Pulido

Socorro Rico

Miguel Rivera

Chico Salvador Sierra  

Kiki Serna

Vania Soto

Isaac Tapia

Hugo Ximello-Salido 

Programming for this exhibition includes:

We Are Latinos: Discovering the Latino Community of Kansas City Film Screening & Discussion

Sunday December 10, 2023, 2–3:15 p.m. 

$13 Public / $10 Members 

Latino trailblazers have long molded Kansas City into the bustling metro it is today. We Are Latinos captures that powerful legacy through the stories, hopes, achievements, and contributions of the vibrant--and underappreciated--Kansas City Latino community. Immediately following, artist and host of KKFI’s Artspeak Radio Maria Vasquez Boyd moderates a discussion with the filmmaker, Victor Antillanca and two artists featured in the film and the museum’s exhibition, A Layered Presence, Una presencia estratificada, Jenny Mendez and Kiki Serna. Victor Antillanca, in partnership with Kansas City PBS, produced the We Are Latinos film series.  

Muxe: The Language of Art & Culture Screening and Meet the Director 

Friday, June 28, 2023, 7–8:45 p.m. 

$13 Public / $10 Members 

Join us for the screening of the new documentary with an introduction and Q & A with the producer and director, Hugo Ximello Salido. Muxe: The Language of Art & Culture documents his efforts to learn about Muxe culture, appreciate its singular history and contemporary expression, and to help share its beauty with the world. The film illustrates Ximello-Salido's artistic journey through the perception of gender fluidity in the state of Oaxaca, directly connecting with his artistic approach through 2D & 3D artwork. Presented in commemoration of Ximello-Salido’s Muxe sculptural work on display in the featured exhibition, A Layered Presence, Una presencia estratificada featuring 22 local artists at the Nelson-Atkins and Pride Month.