The Kentucky Arts Council, in partnership with alDía en América and Casa de la Cultura Kentucky, invited Hispanic, Latinx and Latin American Kentuckians to share their visual art. A panel of Hispanic/Latinx Kentuckians and other cultural specialists selected works to include in this exhibit, which they named Nuestro hogar Kentucky, Our Kentucky Home.

This traveling exhibit will appear in all regions of Kentucky from November 2021 through October 2022. Goals of the exhibit are to share Hispanic/Latin American/Latinx* experiences in the commonwealth today, demonstrate diversity through diverse media, styles and themes and recognize the dynamic expressions these Kentuckians contribute to our cultural landscape.

“We are not all the same, we are a quilt, un manto of diversity.”
- Dr. Jose Gomez-Becerra, professor at Eastern Kentucky University, referring to Hispanic and Latin American people of Kentucky.

During the 2020 U.S. Census, 4.6% of Kentuckians identified as “Hispanic or Latino.” Members of this population share some things in common, but it is important to recognize the widespread diversity of cultures within this group. Even one individual can have many cultural identities that intersect in complex ways. One way to explore how people express different identities is through the arts.

Continuity and Change
Panelists reviewed the art and noted various degrees of talent and creativity in the use of media, as well as recurring ideas such as emotional connections to people and places, and the need for community. Some create art to remember past times and places, while adapting to a new home or new identity. This collection of art also explores the present time and movement toward the future.

* Latinx - gender-neutral form of Latino/Latina

For more information, contact Mark Brown, arts council folk and traditional arts director, at mark.brown@ky.gov or 502-892-3115.