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Welcome All: A Multicultural Love Letter at Union Station
The ceiling of our grand hall isn’t the only sight making people look up lately! As you make your way inside Union Station from the West Yards parking garage, you’ll find the Ramón Murguía visitor entrance dedicated to the past chair of our Board of Directors.
In his tenure, Murguia brought cultural diversity and inclusivity to the forefront of Union Station. To honor his work, Union Station commissioned Welcome All, a 360-degree mural created by local artist Chico Sierra. There’s more to this mural than meets the eye, so let’s dive into the stories this visual love letter to multiculturalism in Kansas City has to tell.
A City for All
As you gaze up at this beautiful work, you’ll find Kansas City’s diverse culture proudly on display. By including historical icons like Charlie Parker and local changemakers like Sue Moreno, Sierra paints a love letter to inspire future visitors of all backgrounds while sharing stories of the past—stories that will never be forgotten thanks to the dedication of Ramón Murguía.
Murgia’s Impact
While providing legal services to businesses in Kansas City for decades, Ramón has also championed philanthropy on behalf of the Latino community nationwide. He’s chaired the board of UnidosUS, the country’s largest Latino civil rights organization. His work was instrumental in establishing one of the first endowed charitable foundations controlled by Latinos in the United States, The Greater Kansas City Hispanic Development Fund. Here’s what he had to say about his work at Union Station:
“Being part of the Station’s success and watching the impact it, as a pillar in the community, has on those who walk through its doors has been and is an honor. It truly is amazing how the Station has become a place where everyone feels welcome to celebrate big community events, small personal moments, and everything in between.”
To celebrate Ramón’s years of dedication and lasting impact, we commissioned local Chicano artist, Chico Sierra. His work represents the many vibrant cultures that call KC home. To look beyond the brilliant colors, Chico shares his inspiration behind Welcome All.
An Artist’s Portrayal
“I was inspired by the diversity of people coming and going throughout the Station. My goal with this work was to add various points of recognition so that whoever you are, wherever you’re going or coming from, you may find a piece of yourself in the mural. A Welcome All attitude is the powerful message that anchors the art. And the different symbols painted throughout represent the fabric of space and time on which we weave our literal and figurative cultural fabric to create a powerful quilt that represents a diverse and inclusive humanity.”
While it’s easy to point out the most well-known figures in Welcome All, Sierra’s work dives deeper into the diversity of Kansas City. Famous monuments, figures, and moments are all included alongside lesser-known local stories, like Womantown. Chico seamlessly weaves all of these stories together in one 360-degree mural. But what drives him to be such a visual champion of culture in Kansas City?
Who is Chico Sierra?
Chico was born and raised in El Paso, Texas, by a family of mixed race and heritage, but he identifies culturally as Chicano. Drawing inspiration from his interests in social sciences and spiritual iconography, his style works to inspire new conversations and understanding. By combining modern stories with traditional symbolism, each work displays cultures formerly clouded by colonialism and appropriation and euro-centric new age spiritualism.
Sierra’s art is devoted to evoking emotion and encouraging conversation, making him a celebrated artist in Kansas City and around the world! He’s been featured at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art as part of their Picasso exhibit and regularly assists with their Day of the Dead exhibit. Several of his works are also on display in Berlin and featured in collections throughout England, Turkey, Mexico, Peru, and Costa Rica.
Get Cultured!
To see Welcome All and enjoy more amazing artwork, visit Union Station! Celebrate multiculturalism in Kansas City at the place where it all started. Climb aboard and explore the amazing stories that make KC one of the most celebrated melting pots of the Midwest!