During our exhibit titled Chicano: Style, the team at the Mattie Rhodes Cultural Center created a blog to coincide with the exhibit that explores themes of Chicano/e identity, culture, and history. We are hoping to have more posts that engage with the community on a variety of themes revolving around upcoming exhibits. In our first post, Marisa Martinez (Board Member and Chair of the Mattie Rhodes Cultural Arts Committee) delves into the history behind the term Chicano, shares her experiences as a self-identified Chicana, and discusses her thoughts on the exhibit.

Chicano Style Exhibit: An admiration of Chicano history 

The term Chicano has been widely used to describe Mexican Americans in the US since the early 20th century. Initially, the word was intended as a derogatory term to describe Mexican Americans as people of a low social standing. However, with much respect to the efforts of the Chicano Movement, it has evolved into a term of pride and cultural identity.

In the 1960s, The Chicano Movement, aka El Movimiento, advocated social and political empowerment through Chicanismo or cultural nationalism and reclaimed the word to express pride in new cultural identification. Primarily run by Mexican Americans in California and Texas, the movement leaders demanded better labor conditions for migrant farmers, political empowerment, and school reform. Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, two of the movement’s most prominent leaders, co-founded the United Farm Workers of America. This was the country’s first farmers union and a significant win for the labor movement.

Following the creation of the United Farm Workers of America, the term Chicano experienced a renaissance, and became a proud cultural identity marker, leading to expansive sub-cultures that continue to intertwine and overlap. As noted by Brandon Loran Maxwell with the Daily Chela, “Chicano culture is a complex web of sub-cultures and movements. It is the Chicano Civil Rights Movement. It is the Chicano lowrider community. It is the Chicano art community. It is Chicano fashion. It is Chicano tattoos. It is the pachuco sub-culture.”

As a second-generation Mexican American and former Chicano Studies student, I’m not just familiar with the term; I live the term. It’s a part of my identity. For me, the term Chicano is not just a label but a reflection of my history; my duality of belonging to two places, yet not entirely to either. It embodies a culture of resilience, where struggle is transformed into pride through faith, family, and a shared desire to uplift one another. It’s about finding fragments of myself in Mexican and American literature, poetry, visual arts, music, food, and dance. It’s a constant quest for answers and a journey to uncover history, roots, purpose, and identity. It’s about embracing who I am, which also means accepting who I am not. This resilience and pride in our culture inspires and empowers me daily.

This year’s ‘Chicano Style’ exhibit embodied just that. Each art piece powerfully reflected our shared culture, connecting different cultural influences into a familiar whole. The exhibit celebrated Chicanismo and served as a platform for community members to gather, share their stories, and learn from each other. It invited everyone to participate in the celebration of Chicanismo, while offering a unique and immersive experience.

The same admiration for Chicanismo is represented during Mattie Rhodes’ annual community celebration called Pachanga. The outdoor event unites people of all ages and cultural backgrounds, while fostering fellowship and shared respect for Chicano history.  

Mattie Rhodes Cultural Arts Center hosts powerful reflections of our shared culture. It captures the community’s values, beliefs, struggles, and triumphs. The ‘Chicano Style’ exhibit is a testament to our commitment to celebrating and preserving diverse cultural expressions. It helps artists tell the stories of the past, reflects the realities of the present, and envisions of the future. Furthermore, like the Mattie Rhodes organization as a whole, the Cultural Art Center helps shape our culture.

Chicano Style isn’t a simplified modern perspective on a complex history. It uplifts the rich history of people of Mexican descent in Kansas City and celebrates a continuously evolving culture. It’s the connection of people, culture, and community. This style is not confined to a direct experience or generation; it’s an understanding that everyone, including you, has their unique journey and story to share.  

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To delve deeper into the world of Mattie Rhode’s Chicano Style and other past exhibits, visit our website at: https://www.mattierhodes.org/chicano-exhibit. We eagerly anticipate sharing more about our vibrant cultural arts community with you, and we can’t wait for you to be a part of it!

More about the author: Marisa Martinez is a board member and chair of the Mattie Rhodes Cultural Arts Center. In her professional career, Martinez is a community development advisor with over 25 years of experience supporting local communities in the nonprofit, private, and government sectors. Through her work and personal life, Martinez has embraced the value of financial empowerment and its impact on personal finance and a thriving community. Martinez is a second-generation Mexican American and first-generation college student, earning an undergraduate degree in social psychology, graduate certification in nonprofit leadership, and a master’s degree in public administration. In addition to serving on the Mattie Rhodes board, she also serves on the Hispanic Chamber Board of Directors and is the chair of the Strategic Planning Committee. Outside of work and volunteerism, Martinez enjoys spending time with her husband, John, their dog, Lola, and hosting large family gatherings.

The image below comes from our Chicano: Style exhibit from earlier this summer. This show highlighted the artwork from 31 local artists including: (From Top left) Joey Rocha, Henry Montes, Dani Coronado, Bryan Enriquez. (From Bottom left) Cruz Martinez and Rene Jimenez