A Journey to the Soul of Guna Yala
Preview of the documentary
with an introduction by its film director,
Stella Holmes
Sunday, June 14, 2026
2:00 opening
2:15 introduction
2:30 film begins
with Panamá popcorn & drinks
The ANNEX
290 SE 2nd Avenue, Delray Beach, Florida
suzanne@MoCAArt.org
561 808.8587
We invite you to an exclusive preview of A Journey to the Soul of Guna Yala, a documentary by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Stella Holmes —to be introduced in person by the director herself. A Journey to the Soul of Guna Yala follows a University of Miami student returning to Panama’s Guna Yala Islands, an archipelago of 360 islands where a community works quietly, urgently, to hold onto who it is. Central to the story are molas — intricately handmade textiles that carry Guna history and identity in every stitch, and are now collected worldwide. As outside commercial pressures mount, the film asks a question that resonates far beyond Panama: what does it cost a culture to share what it loves most?
The documentary was inspired by the ArtLab @ The Lowe, an initiative that provides students with hands-on curatorial and cultural experience. Holmes is one of the program’s supporters, bringing her commitment to cultural preservation directly into the next generation of artists and scholars.
This preview is a unique opportunity to hear directly from Holmes about how it came to be. The documentary asks what happens when a culture’s most sacred expressions are shared, admired, and at risk of being transformed or lost. Through Guna Yala, it captures the fragile line between preservation, identity, and global attention—join us to see why this story was made, and why it demands our attention now.
Stella is a Miami-based art historian and the founder and president of West Encounters East, a documentary platform whose mission is to explore the intersection of cultures through their socio-historical and emotional-spiritual dimensions — creating films that foster dialogue, reflection, and deeper human connection.
Her work has been presented in film festivals and cultural venues and has received recognition and awards reflecting her commitment to storytelling and cultural dialogue.
Her work is guided by a lifelong belief in the power of art to bridge cultures and connect people.
She has been awarded Certificates of Appreciation from the City of Miami, Miami-Dade County, the Lowe Art Museum, and the City of Coral Gables, which also presented her with its official City Seal.
Current Exhibition
Guillermo Trujillo (Panama), El Cadejo Negro, 2000, acrylic on canvas, 60″x 50″
Rituals in Central American Art
Dances, festivals, amulets, ceremonies, spirits and animals are celebrated in paintings, sculpture, textiles and jewelry in our new exhibition.
Art works by Carlos Mérida, Elmar Rojas, Isabel De Obaldia, Guillermo Trujillo, Francisco Amighetti, Moises Becerra, Benjamin Cañas, Cesar Menendez & more that demonstrate the rich cultural heritage where ancient beliefs about nature, community, and the spiritual world are often interwoven with Spanish colonial influences, creating unique expressions of traditions across Central America.
The ANNEX
290 SE 2nd Avenue, Delray Beach, Florida
suzanne@MoCAArt.org
561 808.8587
Coming Exhibition
mid September, 2026 through January, 2027
Rufino Tamayo (1899-1991, Mexico), Hombre en la Ventana, 91/100, 1980, mixograph in colors on handmade paper, 35″ x 28″
Masters of the Matrix: Latin American Printmaking
Our upcoming show, curated by Suzanne Snider, will exhibit multiples by Latin American master printmakers and artists, including many from the private collection of Mark Ford.
Visitors will encounter a comprehensive range of print mediums. It will feature traditional matrixes: intaglio (etchings and engravings), relief (woodcuts and linocuts), planographic (lithography), and stencil (screenprinting) techniques. Beyond these classical forms, the show highlights experimental and contemporary processes, such as mixographs, piezographs, xylographs and one-of-a-kind monotypes.
Works on display include prints by Mexican muralists Rufino Tamayo and David Alfaro Siqueiros, Cuban surrealist Wifredo Lam, and Chilean painter Roberto Matta. The exhibition also features Central American masters: Costa Rican printmaker, Francisco Amighetti, Guatemalan artist Elmar Rojas, Julio Zachrisson of Panamá, alongside contemporary artists.
In addition to the museum display, the exhibition features a calendar of educational events including:
– collaboration with a foundation in Costa Rica to present “100 Years of Printmaking in Costa Rica,”
– a printmaking demonstration by Ron Garrett of RAGA studios
– an informative lecture by curator, Suzanne Snider, entitled Confused about Prints?
– a guest contemporary Central American printmaker
Read about how Latin America is seen from across the Atlantic
by MoCAArt colleague, Johann Bonilla
Central America at ARCO Madrid 2026
Mola Money for MoCAArt
In the works: A new book, Central American Postmodernism
A fascinating project to bridge the gap between the modernist movements and the contemporary art of Central America. Focusing on the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, these decades are a period of intense social and political transformation that influences each nation’s visual language and its artists.
Central American Modernism / Modernismo en Centroamérica
by Mark Ford & Suzanne Snider
visit by appointment
The ANNEX
290 SE 2nd Avenue
Delray Beach, Florida 33444
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Contact Us
suzanne@MoCAArt.org | 561.808.8587
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