Now through June 1, 2023 | Miller Nichols Library, Dean’s Gallery, 4th Floor
“Mixto” is a thesis exhibition by Danielle Coronado, created for a UMKC M.A. in Studio Art, awarded May 2022.

Statement from the artist
“As a Peruvian-white woman, born and raised in the middle of the U.S, I only have a slightly deeper view of my indigenous ancestors compared to the western layman. When my family emigrated, as with most immigrant families, they joined the vital flow of normative, white-affluent culture and were taught to deal with any antagonism. This left us second-gens to experience internal battles of cultural identity and expression. We were left searching for ourselves through amber waves of assimilation.
I navigate this journey through academic research of historic traditions, native resources, and powerful symbols of Inca culture; analyzing how it relates to my own reality. This initially manifested itself through corn, an agricultural staple of both Peru and the Midwest, as well as a fun nickname from the English-pronunciation of my Hispanic last name (Coronado). I learned of its use in ancient ceremonial rites of the Inka, specifically in puberty rites, leading me to the anthropomorphic imagery in Femme. These various portraits of corn reveal a more intimate side of my heritage, especially the phallic nature of the cob and its yoni beds. Corn has become my new identity, reflecting my multifaceted culture in each kernel.
Corn was my impetus to expand upon the eroticism of the natural world, especially compared to the conservatism of conquistador Catholicism. While sex has been taught to be taboo and nakedness as shameful, the Moche in Peru knew the beauty of sex and portrayed it openly in their Huacos Eróticos. By mixing two views of the same act in Huacos Eróticos, I give reverence to the nature of sex and the body. Similarly, in Trilogy Sagrada, I mix various forms of spirituality with the natural. The snake is a demonized icon in Judeo-Christian, yet for Inca the Amaru represents death and birth, the infinite cycle of life; similar to that of child-bearing women.
Duality plays a key role in my inquisition. My binary existence in the borderlands of white and Latina has created infinite juxtapositions within my own life, a recurrent flow between in-and-out, understanding and ignorance. As I layer multiple images together in my artwork, I realize that neither are one nor the other yet both simultaneously. This is Mixto. I am Mixto. This body of work has culminated into a hybrid of heritage, sexuality, and spirituality, loosely tossed together to form various depictions of humanity that illuminate the power of reflection and overall growth.
Enjoy Mixto and the other items on display. Please visit my website, https://DCorn.art/ or social media @DCorn.Arts for more artwork and information.”
This exhibit is part of the UMKC Libraries Student Art Exhibits Program, dedicating gallery space in our libraries to share the creative and intellectual work of our students. Complete the Student Art Exhibits online application to be considered for exhibition.