Collidoscope: De la Torre Brothers, Art, Identity, and Chicanismo in Wichita

Wichita, Kansas | May 30th, 2026

By Claudia Amaro | Planeta Venus

Graphic with information about the exhibition by the De La Torre brothers at WAM.

Our Latino community in Kansas has a new space where its identity, language, and bicultural roots are the focus. From May 30 to September 6, 2026, the Wichita Art Museum (WAM) will present the exhibition Collidoscope: From De la Torre Brothers Retro-Perspective. With stunning glassblowing works and multimedia art, this exhibition invites Latino families to see themselves reflected and celebrate together the valuable experience of being immigrants and Latinos in the United States.

It is important to know the creators of these works to understand why this opportunity is so close to our community. Einar and Jamex de la Torre are two artist brothers born in Guadalajara, Mexico, who immigrated to Southern California as children. Today, they divide their daily lives by constantly crossing the border between San Diego (California) and Baja California (Mexico). Their art, extremely colorful and detailed, reflects that life between two worlds: it combines humor, our language (with witty puns in "Spanglish"), Mexican traditions, and American popular culture.

Dr. Tera Hedrick, the specialist responsible for organizing and interpreting the works in the WAM gallery — Picture by Claudia Amaro

This exhibition is a powerful validation that our cultural duality is a source of great pride. In regions like Kansas, where there can sometimes be a cultural disconnect between immigrant parents and their native-born children, Collidoscope emerges as a bridge that embraces both identities. As Dr. Tera Lee Hedrick, curator of the WAM museum (specialist in charge of organizing and interpreting the works in the gallery), points out, "the central objective of the museum is to open its doors wide for Latino families to find an environment of safety, representation and a sense of belonging, demonstrating that American art is also built with our voices."

To get to Wichita, the exhibition was organized jointly by two institutions of immense national prestige: the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture (a museum located in Riverside, California, founded by the famous actor Cheech Marin and dedicated exclusively to promoting the art of Americans of Mexican descent) and the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Latino (part of the government's most important network of museums and research of the United States). The curatorship of the original project was led by the expert Selene Preciado.

Hedrick posing in front of the entrance to the Collidoscope exhibition — Image by Claudia Amaro

As they tour the galleries, visitors will see nearly 30 years of work by the brothers, who mold blown glass and combine it with everyday objects such as dominoes, coins, and plastic doll heads. One of the most striking works is Oxymodern, a monumental piece that imitates the famous Stone of the Sun, the Aztec calendar discovered in Mexico City. Instead of stone, the brothers used a bicycle wheel and a satellite dish, filling the interior with modern symbols of Chicano culture, thus uniting the indigenous past with the present.

Another outstanding work is ¡2020!, a glass sculpture depicting a New Year's baby with his face painted in the style of a Mexican sugar skull. The baby is lying on a fancy bed and holding a remote control, creating an interesting and fun mix between sacred objects, such as religious altars, and American consumerism. In all their sculptures, the brothers combine figures such as the Virgin of Guadalupe, Buddhist deities, local beer brands, and references to "lowriders," modified classic cars that are part of Chicano identity in California.

So that no one in our community has barriers, Hedrick reminds us that "the Wichita Art Museum has translated into Spanish all the explanations and informative texts of the other exhibitions in the galleries." Thus, anyone who prefers to read in their native language can understand the depth, references, and humor of each sculpture.

Hedrick describes this exhibit as "visually stunning, fun, but also with complex and important ideas," she ended our interview with an invitation to the community in general and especially to the Latino community in Kansas: "We deeply want Latino families throughout Kansas—and, in particular, in Wichita, but also in the region at large—to know that the WAM (Wichita Art Museum) is here for them; we want to welcome them, and we want to showcase art – as well as offer programs – that resonates with Kansas Latinos and responds to their lives and their experiences."

Plan Your Visit:

• Where: The Wichita Art Museum (WAM), the city's premier art institution, is located at 1400 West Museum Boulevard, Wichita, Kansas 67203.

• When: The exhibit will be open to the public from Saturday, May 30, through Sunday, September 6, 2026.

• Costs: Admission is completely free for young people 18 years of age and younger, university students who present their ID, and museum members; for adults and seniors, the general ticket is $12, and $3 for those receiving SNAP/EBT benefits to access this special exhibit. Additionally, active-duty military families are free from May 16 to September 7 thanks to the Blue Star Museums program.

  
  

Special and community events (all free and open to the public):

• Opening Day (Saturday, May 30): The celebration begins at 1:00 p.m. with a traditional Matachines dance performance by local group La Sagrada Familia. Afterward, artists Einar and Jamex de la Torre will be present to discuss their work in person (in Spanish at 1:30 p.m. and in English at 2:30 p.m.).

• Family Art Adventure "Looking Through Collidoscope" (Saturday, July 18, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.): A day packed with activities designed for all ages alongside local Latino artists. There will be food trucks, live music, dancing, and bilingual storytelling sessions.

• WAM Night Collidoscope Edition Party (Friday, July 31, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.): A community night under the stars that will celebrate our culture with local car club "Latino Dreams," which will showcase its stunning "lowriders" while attendees enjoy dancing and interactive art-making.

• Wednesdays for Older Adults (August 5, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.): Gallery specialists will offer guided tours. It's free for WAM members or has a reduced cost of $2 for people 55 and older.

  
  

For more details about this cultural experience, you can visit the official website at wam.org/collidoscope or call 316-268-4921 directly.