2019 Events
January 25th
Event: Eastern Kansas Hunger Action Summit
Type: In-person
Location: Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library
Our Tonantzin Society was a co-sponsor of this event and also spoke on the importance of being involved with social justice issues of this kind. The summit spearheaded by Kansas Appleseed, brought together non-profit agencies from Eastern Kansas to fight hunger and build advocacy across communities.
April 18th
Event: Cultural Heritage Policy & Protection Across the Americas
Type: In-person
Location: Mulvane Art Museum
Join us for a panel discussion with scholars, professors, and activists who will explore the threats facing indigenous cultural heritage sites across North, Central, and South America. Panelists will present their research and contribute to the discussion surrounding the significance of cultural preservation and issues of indigenous heritage protection, including site looting, antiquities trafficking, and the role of museums in the acquisition and repatriation of these items. Panelist include:
Courtney Little Axe, Assistant Native American Graves Protection & Repatriation Act Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles
E. Felicia Cisneros, Graduate Student Global Policy; Arts & Cultural Management University of Texas, Austin
Dr. Laura Murphy, Assistant Professor Sociology & Anthropology Department Washburn University, Topeka
Daniel Bagheri Sarvestani, Ph.D. Candidate Anthropology Department University of Kansas, Lawrence
April 27th
Event: ArtLab Family Day: Respect Your Mother
Type: In-person
Location: Mulvane Art Museum
We were one of the co-sponsors of this annual event by the MAM. All activities were free of charge and focused on preserving natural plants, teaching about native wildlife and caring for the future of Mother Earth. A number of art activities were a major hit with children!
Free activities included:
Constructing bee houses, spin art, and creating prairie bugs and butterflies from recycled materials.
Learning Stations will feature composting and other trash talk, birds, insects, art, and plants.
A native plant sale by the Grassland Heritage Foundation.
July 12th
Event: Don’t Look Away- LFL Topeka
Type: In-person
Location: Kansas State Capitol
We will come together as a community to demand our National leaders put a STOP to the humanitarian crisis at the border. We will have speakers, handouts, music and provide candles for the vigil. Please bring your lawn chairs, this is a family event. Also we encourage signs, banners and posters showing your support for the families in detention.
Speakers/Oradores:
Graciela Berumen - Community Activist, Doctoral Student at Kansas State University (co-sponsor)
Christina Valdivia-Alcala - Founder/Director Tonantzin Society (sponsor)
Curtis Pitts - Community Activist
Kathleen Marker - CEO YWCA Northeast Kansas (co-sponsor)
John Alcala - Kansas House Representatives (57th District)
Christina Ostemyer - Kansas Appleseed Communications & Digital Advocacy Director (co-sponsor)
Dr. Valdenia Winn - Kansas House of Representatives (34th District) /Assistant Minority Leader
Huascar Medina - 2019-2021 Kansas Poet Laureate
Reverend Sarah Oglesby-Dunegan - Minister at The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Topeka (co-sponsor)
Singers:
Marisol Chavez
Rachel Sangalang
Isabel Gonzales
Yesenia Avila
Graciela Berumen
November 2nd
Event: A Community Dia de los Muertos Celebration
Type: In-person
Location: Mulvane Art Museum
The Mulvane Art Museum and the Tonantzín Society present a community celebration of Day of the Dead. Join us for free hands-on art activities, face painting, traditional refreshments, and games.
Create your own monarchs: ancestor spirit butterflies, calaveras: decorated skull masks, wooden spoon calaveras, retablos: small atlars of remembrance, and flores de los muertos: tissue paper Marigolds. Add Mementos of those you love to our Community Ofrenda. The event is free and open to the public.
Located at the Mulvane Art Museum, 17th and Jewell Streets, Topeka, KS. Free and accessible parking available. Individuals who would like to request an accommodation to attend this event should contact mulvane.info@washburn.edu.
September 14th
Event: Mas Adelante
Type: In-person
Location: Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library
Kansas Poet Laureate Huascar Medina (Latino) and other poets came together to speak their truth through their written words. The Tonantzin Society Director was invited to speak about our community organization.
September 20th - October 19th
Event: “Tradicion Y Modernidad En El Grabado” (Tradition and Modernity in Printmaking)
Type: In-person
Location: Lawrence Art Center
In 2019 we partnered with the Lawrence Arts Center to highlight the work of Mexican printmaker, Artemio Rodriguez. Fourteen prints were initially housed at the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art in Manhattan, Kansas. Artemio wanted to auction the prints off with proceeds going to Biblioteca del Libro Ilustrado (Library of Illustrated Books) in Patzcuaro, Mexico. When the Beach Museum was unable to coordinate an event within the needed time, our Society stepped in with Blanca Herrada taking the lead. As Rodriguez explained about the library:
“We are an independent organization devoted to the conservation of illustrated books and publications. We search at swap meets, garage sales, old bookstores and ask people to donate books or family libraries. So far the response has been enormous. We have collected many encyclopedias, comics, school books, magazines, literature books, etc.
Our main library is hosted in an old adobe house in the center of Patzcuaro. We are open to everyone, free of charge. The library gets its funding from sales of artwork, crafts and publications.
We organize exhibits and events at the library and other public venues.
We also have a mobile library, a 1977 Toyota car, called Bibliográfico. With it we visit plazas, schools, markets and other public places in town or in communities around the lake of Patzcuaro. We believe that today, when digital information is so predominant, it is very important to rescue books and publications, because we believe they are holders of immense treasures, we should protect them for future generations.”
We were able to partner with the Lawrence Arts Center as part of their Lawrence Print Week! In total, the auction of Artemio’s prints raised $2,850.00, with all going towards the Library of Illustrated Books. Below are links to find out more about Artemio’s powerful art works.
Links to learn more about the printmaking of Artemio:
Grafico Movil by Artemio Rodriguez
Artemio Rodiguez: Continuing Posada’s Legacy in Contemporary Mexico