Lawrence artist Blanca Herrada. (John McGrath | Flatland)

Lawrence Artist Celebrates People of Color

November 4, 2019 | John G. McGrath, Cole Blaise, Emily Harris, Vicky Diaz-Camacho | 1 min read

Blanca Herrada grew up in Emporia, Kansas. She moved to Lawrence a year after her 2014 graduation from Emporia State University with a degree in painting and art history.

Her art often celebrates family and friends, but the real goal is featuring people of color in her works.

“What I want people to take away from it is people of color have a place in this environment, in this world,” Herrada says. “We’re engaging people to just kind of admire the diversity of people of color.’’

To see more of her work, watch the attached video.

Flatland is proud to launch “Behind the Mise En Scene,” a profile series that puts artists in the Kansas City area, their creative process and their inspiration – which ranges from history to identity – into frame. We are launching this series to shine a light on underrepresented artists. Only 11 percent of artwork in art museums is made by women. And nearly 80 percent of art in galleries are by white artists.