Community Conversations Interview with Day of the Dead Featured Artist, Liz Gonzalez “Zelaznogzil”

Back in September, I had the privilege of sitting down to chat with Liz Gonzalez, also known as Zelaznogzil, to discuss her experiences growing up between Chihuahua, Mexico, and Kansas City, finding Mattie Rhodes as a budding artist in her teenage years, and the importance of carrying our culture with us everywhere we go. And of course, we talked about her featured piece for the Day of the Dead exhibit at Mattie Rhodes.

Liz describes her featured piece, Alas Eternas, and the inspiration behind this beautiful and interactive work of art.

Day of the Dead in Kansas City: A Private Celebration within the Home

The origins of the holiday date back more than 3,000 years and stem from Indigenous Mesoamerican practices and later fused with Catholic traditions after the Spanish invasion. Día de Muertos was first celebrated by the Olmec, and later the Mexica (also referred to as the Aztecs) and was a month-long celebration during the summer. Post-colonization, the holiday was coincided with the Catholic calendar’s All Saints and All Souls’ Days on Nov. 1^st and 2^nd. In Kansas City, many Mexicans and their descendants have been celebrating the holiday for over a century by building traditional ofrendas, or altars, to honor their loved ones who passed away within the privacy of their homes and with close friends and family. The area has been home to many of Kansas City’s Mexican American residents for over a century.

Areas such as Armourdale, Argentine, and the Westside neighborhoods of Kansas City experienced an influx of Mexican migration during the early 20^th century. This was driven primarily by a need for employment in the railroad, stockyards, and meatpacking industries. At this time, Mexican immigrants from central Mexico, were fleeing the turmoil of the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) and sought economic opportunity and stability in Midwest region. Carrying their traditions of Día de Muertos with them, some Mexicans and their descendants practiced privately at home for fear of misunderstanding and a want to protect themselves from further discrimination.

From Private Celebration to Public Display of Culture: Day of the Dead at Mattie Rhodes

This year marks our 27^th annual celebration of the Day of the Dead. Since 1998, Mattie Rhodes has been the heart of Día de Muertos celebrations in Kansas City. Festivities have been held in the historic Westside neighborhood for many years. The public celebration of the holiday in Kansas City began in the classrooms of the Mattie Rhodes Art Center, where children worked on Day of the Dead themed projects after school. It was in one of those classrooms that Richard Bay, a local artist, and art educator in the Kansas City Public School District, held a discussion night about the holiday to an impressive crowd gathered that evening to learn about the traditional practices. The people’s interest was apparent, as was the need for more space, and thus a gallery was opened next door to foster a space for cultural and artistic education.

In 2022, the new Mattie Rhodes Cultural Center was completed at 1701 Jarboe, just one block away from our previous gallery space. Although we offer many exceptional exhibits and host community events throughout the year, Day of the Dead remains our largest and most anticipated event of the year. Each year, we open our exhibit on the first Friday in October (one month prior to the actual holiday on Nov. 1^st and 2^nd). We open a month early so that we can teach people about the history of the holiday, give tours of our community altars, and lead art workshops. We hope to create an experience that resembles and honors the traditional celebration of Día de Muertos in Mexico.

My Conversation with Liz Gonzalez “Zelaznogzil”

Born in Kansas City and raised between her hometown and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Liz Gonzalez, also known as Zelaznogzil, is an inspiring community-based visual artist who explores themes of cultural identity, resilience, and hope.

In a September 2024 interview with VoyageKC Magazine, Liz describes her journey into creating art all began while sitting in her grandma’s kitchen in Mexico. She says that her grandma used to let her use the dough to create little figures, which Liz says, “sparked a deep love for art in me.” (Sidenote- As a young kid, I also remember my grandma dyeing her masa with food dye so that we had “Play-doh” to entertain us. I thought this was a super relatable experience for Latino kids!) Liz describes that it was during this time, that her mom, a single parent, sent her to live with her grandparents in Mexico while she worked. She says that it was there that she discovered her passion for creating and “loved seeing the joy on their faces when I showed them my creations.”

When I sat down to talk with Liz, she shared a little about her, at times, turbulent home life growing up and how she coped with moving back and forth to live with her grandparents in Mexico. She described how her art style, “came from a place of pain.” When she eventually moved back with her mom in Kansas City, she said that she struggled because she felt that she did not have a creative outlet and was discouraged from pursuing the arts. She mentioned that she used to draw and paint on the walls of her bedroom growing up and was scolded for doing so.

Finding Community and Support at Mattie Rhodes

It was not until she was met Jessica Manco, her high school art teacher, that Liz was introduced to Mattie Rhodes. Fellow artist, Manco also later worked for Mattie Rhodes as a Gallery and Art Education Curator. It was here that Liz also met Jenny Mendez, Director of Cultural Arts at Mattie Rhodes. Liz says that Manco and Mendez welcomed her with open arms and really helped support and mentor her as a budding young artist. And that mentorship and support system continues today, as Liz shared that Jenny recommended her to be part of the Olmec Trails Project for the Mexican Cultural Center Dupage, just outside of Chicago’s downtown area. The exhibition came last summer in 2024 and showcased hand-painted, large-scale sculptures inspired by the iconic Mesoamerican Olmec heads. The county-wide art exhibition featured the works of 33 artists from across North America, and pays tribute to the Indigenous roots of Mexican heritage, while highlighting the significance of public art.

Liz talks about meeting her mentors at Mattie Rhodes

Below- Liz hard at work on her piece for the Olmec Trails project

Liz describes her reaction when she found out that she was chosen to be a part of the Olmec Trails project and her experience working with fellow artists on this collaborative project.

Liz continues to work closely with Mattie Rhodes on a variety of projects, including co-curating the Cxltura exhibit with her friend and Gallery Coordinator, Charlie Ortiz. It is so empowering and inspiring to see her growth as a person and artist— from exhibiting her artwork with us while she was still in high school to her becoming our Featured Artist for Day of the Dead this year, Liz proudly showcases the power of resilience, hope, and cultura through her work and in her daily life.

Finally, Liz talks about the importance of “carrying our culture” everywhere we go