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Jenny Mendez and Alisha Bambino, both from Mattie Rhodes Center, were chosen to oversee art projects at city and national boards. “Having worked as a public artist, it will be nice to be on the other side of the process. I look forward to working with the other members of the commission and learning from them,” said Gambino. Submitted photo
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Two artists from the Mattie Rhodes Center were honored as they were invited to join city and national boards that oversee art projects.
Mattie Rhodes Art Center Director Jenny Mendez was chosen to serve on the board of the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC) and Mattie Rhodes Art Education Curator Alisha Gambino was appointed by Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser to the city’s Municipal Arts Commission.
Mendez directs art programming including summer camps, an after school arts program and various classes and workshops at the Mattie Rhodes Center. She is also the president of the Azteca de Greater Kansas City Guild of Latino Fine Arts, being the curator for art exhibits and conducting art panels. At NALAC, she will promote Latino artists and provide leadership for issues regarding cultural arts.
“Through NALAC I have built so many relationships and have learned so much from so many art leaders across the nation,” Mendez said. “To be a more instrumental part of NALAC is an honor and to be able to represent the Latino arts and culture of Kansas City on a national level is something I take very seriously.”
Gambino also takes her work seriously. At Mattie Rhodes, she prepares educational materials and teaches classes and workshops focused on Latino cultural arts. As a part of the Municipal Arts Commission, she will help to oversee the city’s One Percent for Art program and will prepare a plan for how the city can best provide for and support Kansas City’s artistic community.
“I am honored and very excited about this opportunity,” Gambino said. “Having worked as a public artist, it will be nice to be on the other side of the process. I look forward to working with the other members of the commission and learning from them.”
