The murals of two early twentieth-century Croatian immigrant churches—St. John the Baptist in Kansas City, Kansas and St. Nicholas in Millvale, Pennsylvania—became platforms to enter into contemporary discourse around American immigrants and immigration. This talk examines how artist and parish priest came together at both sites to create images that sought to negotiate ideas about race and labor and to quell American concerns about Slavic immigration.

Heidi Cook is Assistant Professor of Art History at Truman State University and received her PhD in the history of art and architecture at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research has focused on the relationship of tradition, especially folk culture, to modernism and modernity in the art, design, and museum history of Central and Eastern Europe. Her recent work highlights visual constructions of Central European immigrant identity in the United States. She recently published the essay “Maksimilijan Vanka’s Beautiful Jela Wove Three Wreaths,” in Art and State in Modern Central Europe published by the University of Zagreb in 2024.