Artspeak Radio

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes Rick Truman President/CEO with the Folly Theater & Brian Williams Development Director, and Michelle Dreher with Two Tone Press. RICK TRUMAN, President/CEO Folly Theater & BRIAN WILLIAMS, Development Director - The Folly Theater proudly presents Art For Art, a lively silent art auction where visual and performing arts come together to celebrate creativity across the region. Guests can enjoy champagne, wine, soft drinks, and light hors d’oeuvres while browsing and bidding on incredible artwork, through an online bidding platform. Art For Art highlights how visual arts help support and elevate the performing arts, fostering a connected creative community and bringing together local and regional artists in meaningful ways. Proceeds from the event directly support the Folly’s creative programming, including the Folly Jazz Series, the Folly Americana Series, and the education-enriching Folly Kids’ Series. Featuring more than 190 original works from talented local artists, this benefit auction is a true celebration of artistic collaboration across disciplines. Online bidding opens April 13 at 10am and closes at 4 pm on April 26. Tickets are on sale now! The Online Silent Auction begins at 10am on April 13 For the August 26 closing reception: Doors open at 12:30pm A live auction featuring artists like Gerry Trilling, Lester Goldman, Rita Blitt, Harold Smith, and more starts at 1pm in the Joan Kent Dillon Lounge Silent Auction viewing begins in the C. Stephen Metzler Hall at 1:30pm The event and the silent auction conclude at 4pm Art Pick-Ups are April 26 from 4-6pm On April 26 from 1-4pm, participating artists and interested patrons are invited to walk on the iconic Folly stage and see all the pieces in-person. The Ben Tervort Trio will perform live jazz music from one of the iconic Folly box seats. Tickets are $10 for entry and include light hors d’oeuvres, mimosas, wine, and soft drinks while you browse and bid! The Folly Theater is located at 300 West. 12th St. KCMO www.follytheater.org The Folly Theater has a rich history. For the next seven decades, through numerous changes in name and ownership, the Folly built a rich and colorful history. Her walls echoed with the sounds of laughter at Marx Brothers antics, cheers for Gypsy Rose Lee and Fanny Brice, and thunderous applause for Pinky Lee. In 1973, worn out from seven decades of use and misuse, the Folly was sentenced to meet the wrecking ball. Bulldozers were ready to raze the building to make way for a parking lot. As the death of the Folly neared, alarmed citizens, led by Joan Kent Dillon and William Deramus III of the Performing Arts Foundation, rallied to her rescue. The building was purchased and placed on the National Register of Historic Places. A million-dollar grant was secured, and a piece of history was saved. MICHELLE DREHER- Wanderfest KC is an annual family-friendly event that invites people to explore and get to know the various local businesses located in the Tower East district. Visitors pick up a map brochure that highlights each location encouraging them to ‘wander’ to all the unique shops and galleries. Tower East KC encompasses a half mile radius from the 31st & Gillham/Cherry intersection. It’s a fun day of exploration filled with local shops, arts, crafts, and food & drinks! Our hidden gem, Remodel Moore’s Meditation Garden hosts pop-up vendors and a small stage with acoustic musicians performing. Additionally, visitors collect stamps on the brochure passport to enter our raffle held at Cherry Pit Collective. Items in the raffle are donated by local businesses in the area. We couldn’t make this event happen without our amazing neighborhood sponsors: Cliff's Taphouse • Evolve Tattoo • The Fix • Golden Stag Tattoo & Gallery • Good Karma Coffee Kansas City Artist Coalition • Luxe at...

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes poet Maryfrances Wagner, Dr. Regina Nouhan, and J.J. McDonald with Gordon Parks Elementary School. MARYFRANCES WAGNER – The Writers Place events for 2026 A Master Class in Screenwriting, April 11, 10:30am – 12:30pm, The Writers Place 31 W. 31st KCMO The Writers Place Reading Series featuring Tony Brewer, Janet Rose, Alarie Tennille April 17, 7pm TWP Open Mic, April 27, 7pm, Quaker House 4405 Gillham Rd. KCMO The Writers Place Reading Series They Crystal Field Scholarship, May 15, 7pm, TWP TWP Reading Series; Script in Hand Reading Opportunity, May 30, TWP David Baker Poetry Workshop, June 20, 1pm – 3pm, TWP The Writers Place is located at The Nonprofit Village at 31 W. 31st St. KCMO www.thewritersplace.wildapricot.org Dr. Regina Nouhan & J.J. McDonald- INSPIRE! is an annual art exhibition and fundraiser that pays homage to the exemplary work and enduring values of our namesake, Gordon Parks. This event aims to create a platform for the community to engage and grow, providing a unique opportunity for fundraising. Through the showcase of artistic expressions, we aspire to inspire both our students and supporters, fostering a deep connection with the mission and vision of Gordon Parks Elementary. By celebrating art, community, and philanthropy, we aim to further cultivate a sense of shared purpose and commitment among our stakeholders, ensuring the continued support for the values championed by Gordon Parks. This year’s theme, Unmasked, invites our students to explore identity, truth, and the courage it takes to be seen. Through vibrant, student-created masks and mixed media artworks, our young artists reveal parts of themselves—what they share with the world and what they carry quietly within. The project honors the legacy of our namesake, Gordon Parks, who used his camera as a weapon against injustice and a mirror to the soul. Like Parks, our students are learning to tell powerful stories through visual expression—stories that unmask not just struggle, but also strength, beauty, and hope. Unmasked, April 16, 2026, at Zhou B Art Center KC, 1801 E. 18th St. KCMO info@zhoubartcenterkc.com

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes poets Waco Porter and Silvia Kofler. WACO PORTER is a dedicated family man, married for over 20 years and a proud father to three girls, two of whom are twins. He graduated from the University of MO – Columbia in 2002 with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (English, Sociology, Psychology). Waco worked with developmentally disabled adults for over 15 years, but decided to go back to school. He graduated from Missouri Western State University’s Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program in 2019 and began his career in a long-term care facility. After gaining invaluable experience, Waco transitioned to pediatrics in 2023, where he now works in a variety of settings, including Therapy In Motion clinic, home health, and with Missouri First Steps, an early intervention program. SILVIA KOFLER was born in Graz, Austria, has lived in London and Paris and moved to Kansas City in 1979. In 1995 she received her MA from the professional writing program at the University of Missouri, Kansas City. Her work has been published in Mid-America Poetry Review, New Letters, Black Moon, Potpourri, Coal City Review, Anykey Review, The Kansas City Star, and other publications. She teaches English at the University of Kansas, and English and German at Rockhurst University.

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, March 25, 2026, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd artist/gallery owner Hugo Ximello Salido and Dr. Madeline Rislow, Curator/Sr. Manager of Learning and Engagement DR. MADELINE RISLOW, Curator/Sr. Manager of Learning and Engagement, The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures- The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures, 5235 Oak Street, Kansas City, Missouri, is opening a new exhibition on March 28, 2026, titled Native Arts in Miniature. This exhibition explores diverse tribal traditions, family heritage, and creative innovations expressed by Native American artists working in miniature. Video interviews and written interpretation will highlight artists’ voices discussing their artworks, techniques, and inspirations. ABOUT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF TOYS AND MINIATURES The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures educates, inspires, and delights people of all ages by collecting, displaying, and interpreting toys and miniatures that illuminate diverse narratives and cultural heritage. Located on the University of Missouri-Kansas City campus, the Museum exhibits the world’s largest collection of fine-scale miniatures and one of the nation’s largest collections of historically significant toys on public display. For more information, call 816.235.8000 or visit www.toyandminiaturemuseum.org. March 27: Native Arts in Miniature Opening Reception | The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures (audience: all) April 22: Meet the Experts: Jim Swearingen | The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures (Kenner toy designer for Star Wars action figures) (audience: adults) July 13-17: Art of the Imagination Summer Camp: Storybook Summer | The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures (audience: children, grades 3-6) Toy & Miniature Museum is located at 5235 Oak St. KCMO www.toyandminiaturemuseum.org HUGO XIMELLO SALIDO- Mexican American artist Hugo Ximello-Salido created a mural at the Consulate of Mexico in Kansas City. The work dedicated to highlighting Mexican roots and cultural identity, will be part of the Consulate’s Mural Program. Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Ximello-Salido is a self taught multidisciplinary artist recognized for his unique ability to blend Mexican folkloric symbols with contemporary social themes. His work is distinguished by the incorporation of traditional elements such a La Catrina, musical instruments, resplandores (traditional Oaxacan headdresses) papel picado, and Talavera techniques, all reinterpreted through a modern lens in rich color, texture, and meaning. Through his distinctive artistic approach, Ximell0-Salido has transformed the walls of one of the consulate’s offices, creating a mural that celebrates Mexican cultural heritage. Ximello-Salido’s mural joins a growing collection created by artist Pedro Trueba, Vicente Medellin, Maurico Zuniga, and Giselle Garza- the latter mentored by Professor Juan Padilla Mayer to transform the consular facilities into a cultural space that honors the richness of Mexican art. The official inauguration of the Consulate’s Mural Program, featuring Ximello-Salido’s work alongside all participating artists will take place in September 2026 during Mexican Independence Day celebrations in an event open to the public. This celebration will allow the community to experience the complete collection of murals that transforms the consulate into a vibrant space of Mexican art and culture. Hugo Ximello-Salido is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores the intersections of culture, identity, and language. His passion for art stems from a family of artists in Guadalajara, Mexico. His work has garnered international recognition and is part of permanent collections at educational and cultureal institutions throughout the United States. He is the creator of the acclaimed documentary project, MUXE: The Language of Art & Culture which explores gender fluidity in Oaxacan culture.

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd talks with writer Linzi Garcia and Robert Honan, Chief CIL Services Officer, The Whole Person. ROBERT HONAN, Chief CIL Services Officer The Whole Person (TWP) is a non-profit, consumer-controlled Center for Independent Living (CIL), led and supported by individuals with significant disabilities, including board members, staff, and volunteers. Founded in 1978, with widespread grass-roots support, strong consumer control, and a diverse, professional staff. We are a passionate voice of empowerment and advocacy for all persons with disabilities. For 45+ years, we have been a leader in representing people with disabilities in the greater Kansas City area. TWP connects people with disabilities to resources, supports independent choice, and advocates for community change. For 45+ years, TWP’s advocacy, alongside local partners, has led to: • More curb ramps across the metro area • Increased accessibility in businesses, programs, and facilities • Greater visibility of people with disabilities in the community • Improved transportation options • Enhanced media coverage and attitudes toward disability issues We support individuals with physical, sensory, and mental disabilities through free programs for those with significant disabilities. We serve the following counties in Missouri: Cass, Clay, Jackson and Platte. We serve the following counties in Kansas: Johnson, Leavenworth and Wyandotte. Social Media profiles: www.facebook.com/TheWholePerson www.instagram.com/thewholeperson www.threads.com/@thewholeperson www.linkedin.com/company/the-whole-person/ www.youtube.com/TheWholePersonVideos www.tiktok.com/@thewholeperson The Whole Podcast (Spotify) LINZI GARCIA comes from a beautiful family of Rocky Mountain artists. She moved to Kansas a decade ago to earn degrees from Bethany College and Emporia State University. She stayed in Emporia and now serves as the publicist and poetry editor for Meadowlark Press, and the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for House of Morrow. She is the author of Thank You (Spartan Press, 2018) and Cravings (Meadowlark Press, 2025) and the co-author of Live a Great Story (Analog Submission Press, 2019) and While Away: Travel Poems (Spartan Press, 2022). Linzi is a recipient of a NextGen Under 30 Kansas Award. Pay attention: Linzi Garcia knows the recipe for a good poem—honesty, longing, and a bit of blood. In Cravings, Garcia boldly embraces the messiness of life, love, and growing older, day by day. The characters in Garcia’s poems are all flawed, and the better for it. They swallow their sins, break bread together, and toast to creation. Some of these poems are as sweet and warm as fresh-baked cookies at 2 a.m., while others turn up the heat. But never enough to burn you. Just enough to leave you hungry for more. What readers are saying: Cravings is a book of many hungers—of the foods desired at 2:00 a.m., of the places that are rich with memories, of the loves that are a holiday and of the loves that last and become a home. Linzi is talented at distilling so many moments to their most intimate details. She witnesses and listens at intersections, in bars, to police scanners and offers tender snapshots of moments that might otherwise have been overlooked. The world asks us to pay attention and these poems say yes. —Traci Brimhall, Poet Laureate of Kansas (2023-26), Love Prodigal

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 9am - 10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes Guest DJ Toni and music specially curated for this special program. Join us as we celebrate the hour with fun, conversation, and joy with one of KKFI's longtime supporter, DJ Toni.

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, February 18, 2026, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd talks with artists Linda Lighton and Jeff Conners. LINDA LIGHTON is an artist and activist living and working in Kansas City, Missouri. She is a passionate advocate for the arts both regionally, nationally and internationally, and she is committed to being creatively prolific and politically engaged on a daily basis. Lighton has had more than 80 solo shows and has participated in more than 230 group exhibitions at museums and galleries in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Linda Lighton's work is in national and international collections in China, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan and Turkey as well as The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO; Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO; Spencer Museum of Art, Lawrence, KS; Ariana Museum, Geneva, Switzerland; Fule International Ceramic Museum, Fuping, China, the Yingee Museum in Taiwan, and Icheon International Ceramic Museum, Icheon, Korea. Linda Lighton is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics. She is the founder and director of the Lighton International Artists Exchange Program, which has sent over 207 artists to 59 countries and the Arctic Circle. In 2008, she was chosen for the Missouri Arts Award, and in 2011 she received the Award for Excellence in the Visual Arts and Education from the Kansas City Art Institute, where she graduated with honors in 1989. In 2016, Lighton received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the National Council for the Education of the Ceramic Arts. She is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics. Recently, Lighton completed two large commissions. The first, a 1% for the Arts program, involved producing a twenty-foot-long mural titled "Ode to the Tallgrass Prairie" for the new Kansas City International Airport. The second was a large chandelier titled "Luminous," installed in the Grand Salon at the Kansas City Museum. Lighton is a fervent arts advocate and activist. She has worked on many boards in her community; helping to instigate the One Percent for Arts Program in Kansas City, and serving on numerous boards over the years: Young Audiences of Kansas City, Friends of Art, Nelson Atkins Museum, Review Magazine, Kansas City Ballet, and National Council for the Education of the Ceramic Arts, Kansas City Jewish Museum Board. She currently serves on the National Committee at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, and administers the Lighton International Artists Exchange Program. On view now, Linda Lighton: Love & War, A Fifty-Year Survey, 1975-2025 On view Dec. 13, 2025 through May 3, 2026 December 13, 2025 - May 3, 2026 Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, 12345 College Blvd Overland Park, KS Oppenheimer Thompson and Anonymous Galleries, First Floor Linda Lighton: Love and War: A Fifty Year Survey, 1975–2025 (Hardcover) available now www.lindalighton.com JEFF CONNERS is a California / San Francisco Bay Area native who has spend his life immersed in the arts. His creative journey spans painting, piano, music composition, stand up comedy and theatre. As a member of the comedy group “Bartalk” in the 80’s and 90’s he had to opportunity to work with such people as Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Dana Carvey, Bobcat Goldthwaite, Kevin Pollak, Mark Pitta and many others. Bartalk performed in famous comedy clubs such as The Punchline, The Boarding House, The Holy City Zoo, Cobbs Comedy Pub and Tommy T’s. In theatre, Jeff has acted in and directed well over a 100 plays and musicals and in the 90’s was artistic director and founder of the New Earth Theatre, the San Leandro Community Theatre (now San Leandro Players) and the San Leandro Shakespeare Festival in the San Francisco Bay Area. These theatre groups were used as a vehicle to raise money for the San Leandro Public...

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, February 11, 2026, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes poets Al Ortolani, Robert Stewart, & William Trowbridge. Four prize-winning Kansas City area poets—Al Ortolani, Robert Stewart & William Trowbridge—will read poems and discuss the art of poetry on Artspeak Radio, KKFI-Fm 90.1, at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. Al Ortolani, a winner of the Rattle Chapbook Prize, has been featured in Garrison Keillor’s Writer’s Almanac, Ted Kooser’s American Life in Poetry, and George Bilgere’s Poetry Town. He was a recent recipient of the Bill Hickok Humor Award from I-70 Review. His first young adult novel was published by Meadowlark Books in 2023. Currently, Ortolani is a contributing editor to the Chiron Review. Robert Stewart’s 4th book of essays, A Way of Happening, is due in spring 2026. His latest of four books of poems, Higher, won the 2022 Prize Americana. Outside Language: Essays (Helicon Nine Editions) was a finalist for the PEN Center USA Literary Awards, and winner of the Thorpe Menn Award. He won a National Magazine Award while editor of New Letters magazine. See Substack https://robertstewart42.substack.com/ William Trowbridge’s 11th poetry collection, Maintenance, came out from Spartan Press in mid-November, 2025. Over 550 of his poems have appeared in numerous literary magazines and in more than 50 anthologies and textbooks. He was Poet Laureate of Missouri from 2012 to 2016. For more information, see his website, wtrowbridge.net.

Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd talks with guests Elisabeth Kirsch, Kim Lindaberry, Vivian Torrance, Kat Dison Nechleba, and Susi Lulaki about their group exhibition, The Supreme Point, Thresholds of Emergence. Opening reception Friday, February 6 through March 27, 2026, at Leedy Voulkos Gallery, 2012 Baltimore, KCMO.

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes Fringe Festival Director Audrey Crabtree with Bradley J. Thomas, and Charlotte St. Foundation Kimi Kitada, Tyler Galloway. AUDREY CRABTREE & BRADLEY J. THOMAS CHARLOTTE ST. FOUNDATION-The recently-opened exhibit, "stand up, fight back: designing an anti-racist movement for worker power" is on view at the charlotte street foundation. the exhibition tells the story of how thoughtful, sustained commitment to design for social change can become a force-multiplier that enriches the struggle for anti-racist, working class organizing. it features posters, banners, flyers, t-shirts, and other graphic ephemera, in addition to documentary videos and photos and oral histories from workers. the exhibition runs from now to feb 28. CSF is located at 3333 Genessee, KCMO. i will also be running a 2-hour workshop on saturday jan 31, titled "let's design protest posters!" other public programming includes "Archiving People’s History: A Panel and Conversation" on thursday, february 12, 2026 from 6:30–8 PM tyler galloway is a graphic designer, professor, and Joyce C. Hall Chair of the Graphic Design department at Kansas City Art Institute. His primary research and practice interests focus on design for community-based social change through both client-initiated and designer-initiated work, which he pursues under his studio moniker, the new programme, alongside student collaborators. he brings 30 years of professional design experience and 20 years of teaching experience to his endeavors. tyler holds a BFA in graphic design from Missouri State University and an MGD from North Carolina State University. His work has appeared in several national and international political/social poster and art exhibitions and been published in the books “The Design of Dissent”, “Posters for the Planet”, “Graphis Poster Annual”, “Reproduce and Revolt”, in Communication Arts, and the Turkish socio-political design magazine “No Tasarim”. Coursework and student projects have been published in the book “Designing for Social Change” and the website “Design Ignites Change”, having won multiple grants through the latter. He has spoken locally and regionally on design for social change and was an invited participant in the LEAP symposium at Art Center College of Design. Design pedagogy papers have been presented at multiple AIGA national design education conferences, Typecon and the international MODE summit on motion graphics. But perhaps just as important, tyler loves riding bikes, punk rock, vegan cookies and being a husband and dad. thenewprogramme.net instagram @thenewprogramme Kimi Kitada is a curator based in Kansas City. She is the Gallery & Programs Manager at Charlotte Street, where she has worked since Fall 2020. Previously, she was Curatorial Assistant at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles in 2019-2020. From 2014 to 2018, she served as Public Programs & Research Coordinator at Independent Curators International (ICI) in New York. She is currently working on a two-person exhibition of Cesar Lopez and Kiki Serna for the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art in St. Joseph, MO, which opens on February 27, 2026. Additionally, she is co-curating a traveling exhibition for Independent Curators International, titled How to Make a Scene: Artist Run Midwest, which will debut in Fall 2026. www.charlottestreet.org Instagram:@charlottestreetfoundation

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, January 21, 2026, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes poet, editor, essayist Huascar Medina. Huascar Medina was born in Killeen, Texas and has lived artfully in Kansas for over two decades. As a second-generation immigrant living in the Heartland, Huascar considers himself a New American exploring the boundaries between identity and location, focusing on cultural empathy, social cohesion, class structures, first-generation trauma, mental health, and internalized diasporic longing and belonging. Huascar Medina served as the Poet Laureate of Kansas from 2019 to 2022 and became an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow in 2022. Medina has authored three books of poetry; Protest As Love Poem (Meadowlark Press, 2026) Un Mango Grows in Kansas (Spartan Press, 2020) and How to Hang the Moon (Spartan Press, 20019). Medina’s forthcoming collection of essays, The Prairie Fook (Plainspoken Press, 2027), is a lyrical meditation on politics, class, and culture. Medina is the literary editor for seveneightfive magazine, a staff editor at South Broadway Press in Denver, Colorado, and a contributing op-ed writer at Kansas Reflector . His work has appeared in The Flint Hills Review, Gasconade Review, Green Mountains Review, Inscape, Kansas Magazine, Latino Book Review, The New York Times, and other publications. www.huascarmedina.com Read his poems and profile at poets.org

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, January 14, 2026, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes poet, actress, author Annette Hope Billings. Annette Hope Billings is an author/actress from Topeka, Kansas where she is flourishing despite attempts by the "Midwest Bible Belt" to constrain her sassy inner muses. A registered nurse for thirty-eight years, she has concurrently been ablaze with a zeal for writing and theatre. To read more about Annette and keep track of upcoming publications and appearances, visit her website: anetfullofhope.net Workshops- Annette has conducted numerous workshops highlighting her journey as writer while sharing her original work throughout the presentation. She also offers workshops on grief, hope, justice and joy, etc, that present poetry as a tool for maintaining resilience through difficult life events. Poem-A-Grams- Annette’s theatrical experience enables her to provide a memorable way to help celebrate a loved one’s special occasion/life event, e.g., Valentine's Day, birthdays, anniversaries, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc… She is also available to write special tribute poems during times of bereavement. Voice Overs- Known for her voice’s appeal, Annette is available to record audiobooks for authors, commercial and other audio projects. Conference/Meeting Opener/Emcee- Annette, as an award-winning actress as well as a writer, can create and perform memorable openers for, and/or emcee, a variety of events. Children Activities/StoryTeller- Annette enjoys working with school-age children and has taught poetry to children of all ages in formal and informal classroom settings. She engages children in poetry by involving them in the creation of their own poems. She is also available to attend children’s birthday parties to read/tell stories as a unique addition to celebrations

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, January 7, 2026, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes producer/performer/educator Luke “Skippy” Harbur and artist/curator Tj Templeton. Luke “Skippy” Harbur is a performer, producer, and educator whose business, musicbyskippy, creates live arts experiences for multigenerational audiences. Through beatboxing and other artistic skills, his work celebrates authenticity and combats social isolation. Over 75 published songs, nearly 1,600 tickets sold to original shows, and two life-saving surgeries continue his mission to promote the kind, goofy, and critical thinking artist living inside all of us. Contact information for social media/website: @musicbyskippy on all social media platforms/www.musicbyskippy.com Upcoming event: "The Toxic Avenger: The Musical" at The Arts Asylum from Jan 30 to Feb 8, 2026. Tickets are available at theartsasylum.org. Tj Templeton is an interdisciplinary artist and Kansas City native. His work has been collected for over 30 years nationwide and been featured in such outlets as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, ArtMove Magazine, KC Studio Magazine, the Martin Scorsese screening room at the Tribeca Film festival, 21C Museum, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. He is currently the artist-in-residence at the Bunker Center for the Arts, where he maintains his studio and curates the gallery’s inventory of over 400 works by local, regional, and international artists. Currently, Templeton’s work is on exhibit at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Personal Best, a free exhibition celebrating six local artist-athletes whose dual pursuits put them at the top of their game. Through a variety of styles and media, their work reveals that true achievement is built on relentless commitment, turning everyday effort into continual growth. www.templeton-arts.com www.bunkercenter.com

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, December 31, 2025, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes Miller Bogart, curator/gallery owner Gallery Bogart and artists Garry Noland and Lily Madden. Drawing inspiration from the legendary collecting ethos of Herb and Dorothy Vogel, who amassed a world-class collection within the confines of a 450-square-foot Manhattan apartment, this exhibition challenges the assumption that monumentality equates to significance. The presentation features apartment-sized works by nine distinct emerging and mid-career voices: Napoleón Aguilera, Amanda Banker, Madeline Brice, Hector Dorantes, Monica Figueroa, Juan Diego Gaucin, Lily Madden, Gibran Mendoza, and Garry Noland. A Note for Collectors: Unlike a static exhibition, The Second Installment is designed to take a living form. Works are available for immediate acquisition and release, allowing the installation to evolve in real-time throughout the run. As pieces are collected and depart, the gallery environment will shift to reflect the fluidity of a true domestic space. Gallery Bogart 1400 Union Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64101 Exhibition Dates now through January 31, 2026 GARRY NOLAND-My studio practice is multi-disciplinary. The one constant is an openness to rough patches, glitches or mistakes. The presence of edges or boundaries between mistakes establishes immediate contextual and formal relationships. Those abutments mime our interaction with art and with each other. What goes with what? What happens on either side of the line? What’s good and who decides? Sometimes I am the boss of the material but just as often the material, by virtue of a chance arrangement, for example, will tell me what needs to be done. These particular works are made of found and reclaimed materials from alleys, side street,thrifts and dumps. The base materials are combined with new materials. The resulting combination sets up the inevitable dialogue between the new/old: purposeful/accidental and play/toil. Art puns and mimes the systems and appearances we experience in both the non-human and human parts of nature. The oft-quoted role of the free press is "to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted". Art's first cousin role then is to find the mundane in the grand and the grand in the mundane. Currently in : Miller Bogart’s show One Bedroom Apartment at Gallery Bogart Cross/Dissolve at Dragon Crab Turtle a group show curated by Mark Allen in St. Louis Opening Jan 17: Two-Person show at Nick Ryan Gallery in Boulder, CO. IG: @garrynol Website: https://garrynolandart.com/home.html Instagram: @garrynol Artist-run space: @HolsumGallery garrynoland@gmail.com

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, December 24, 2025, 9am - 10am CST, www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes family members on air to share music, stories, and nonsense. Join us for a wonderful hour of joy and havoc!

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, December 17, 2025, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes Jenny Mendez and Betsabeé Romero. JENNY MENDEZ, Cultural Arts Director Mattie Rhodes Arts Center and Gallery was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. Growing up in a neighborhood filled with family and friends on Kansas City’s West Side. As a young girl Jenny enjoyed hearing stories from her grandmother, these stories were such an inspiration to Jenny in her love of her culture and heritage. Jenny attended the Kansas City Art Institute majoring in painting, she also studied both printmaking and photography. She was involved in community mural projects as a high school student and into college. She has always given back to her community. She has been employed with the Mattie Rhodes Center for the past twenty- five years and is responsible for all arts programming for the agency as the Cultural Arts Director. Through her work she is able to educate the community on the Latino culture through art. Being able to inspire children through art is what she is most passionate about – giving children and young artists a place to learn, create, express themselves, imagine, and grow in the arts. She has served and participated on many boards and committees through the years advocating for the arts and community. Her most valued appointment was to the board of the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC). Most recently in March of 2020 as part of Women’s History Month she was awarded the Nuestra Latina Award for the Arts by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Her work in the community is valued and shows her commitment to being a voice for the Latinx artists, students and individuals. Showing her expertise in the creative process and authenticity to arts and culture through her work and partnerships with the Kansas City Museum and the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. She is very committed to continue to be a voice for the Latinx and arts communities at large. Mattie Rhodes Art and Cultural Center is located at 1701 Jarboe, KCMO www.mattierhodes.org BETSABEÉ ROMERO- Knitting Ties, Project Description: The installation features the creation of two sculptural soccer goals with nets crafted from metal lattices. These lattices will showcase characters that represent both soccer and the pre-Hispanic ball game, creating a bridge between contemporary sports and ancient cultural traditions. The metallic lattices will be interwoven with threads of various fibers, with the characters cut along the length and width of each goal's net. All elements will be handcrafted by migrants and local artisans, emphasizing community collaboration and cultural exchange. Elements of the Sculptural Objective: Metallic Lattices-metal cutouts are interconnected in a lattice configuration, forming modular structures that provide a sculptural foundation for artistic interventions. Community Networks-Fabrics crafted by volunteers and artisans interweave with lattices, forming distinctive patterns that narrate the stories of their communities. Athletic Emblems-Symbolic figures associated with soccer are integrated into the sculptural design, linking artistic expression with the passion for football. Betsabeé Romero; Education: Bachelor's Degree in Communication with a specialization in Participatory Communication, Universidad Iberoamericana (1984) Master's Degree in Visual Arts, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (1986) Diploma from l'École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts (1989) Art History Studies at l'École du Louvre (1988-1989) Doctoral studies in Art History, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, no degree completed (1990-1993) Exhibitions: Romero has held over 100 solo exhibitions across five continents, with notable shows at the British Museum (2015), Grand Palais (2019), Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (2022), York Avenue in Washington (2018), Place Vieille Bourse in Lille, France...

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, December 10, 2025, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes founder/artistic director Whim Productions Kevin King and actor Devin Burns, and Vulpes Bastille artists. Whim Productions’ World Premiere of "My Kid’s Christmas Program" is Chaotic Holiday Fun Whim Productions, KC's LGBTQ+ theater company, is putting on a holiday program! But in My Kid’s Christmas Program, written by Kevin King, the tinsel’s tangled, the pageant’s off the rails, and Miss Peach’s Academy has lost its auditorium. You’re invited to the annual holiday pageant for Miss Peach’s Academy. Forced to relocate to Whim Space after a series of mishaps, the “kids” (played by adults) are ready to belt and blunder their way through a holiday pageant like no other. It’s the holiday program you remember... just with more sass, irreverence, and emotional baggage. A delightfully twisted immersive experience for the grown-ups who survived grade-school pageants. There are only five performances of this fourth-wall-breaking, silly, and unserious production, and no two are exactly alike. Catch the holiday spirit while you can! Content Advisory: Suggested for ages 16+. Ticket Information: • Full-price tickets start at $30. Pay What You Whim pricing is available on select dates. • Tickets are available now at whimproductions.org. Run Time: ~90 minutes Venue: Whim Space, 415 Prospect, Kansas City, MO 64124 Dates and Times: Thurs. December 11, 7:30 pm (Preview) Fri. December 12, 7:30 pm Sat. December 13, 7:30 pm Sun. December 14, 3:00 pm Mon. December 15, 7:30 pm Cast includes: Abigail Brisbane Devin Burns Michael Golliher Pete Kuhn Brad Mathewson Tiffany Michelle Gabriel Noah Orpheyuss Sandy Osborn Kyle Tichenor Jerry Tracy Diana Watts Creative includes: Playwright & Director - Kevin King Choreography - Meghann Deveroux Scenic Design - Austin Cecil Lighting Design - Austin VanWinkle Whim Productions, founded in 2011, creates challenging and evocative queer theater. We focus on providing opportunities for LGBTQ+ theater artists to tell their own stories and share the diversity of queer experiences with Kansas City audiences. VULPES BASTILLE is an artist-run space in Kansas City’s East Crossroads that houses twelve studios and hosts monthly exhibitions selected through an open call. Located in a 100-year-old renovated dancehall, Vulpes Bastille offers an expansive platform for the community to create and display work, with an emphasis on experimental projects, emerging voices, and students. Vulpes Bastille has remained a fortress for Kansas City’s creative community since 2012. This month, Vulpes Bastille proudly presents two new exhibitions Please Don't Touch the Art and At Least You Can't Be Sad If There Are Balloons. Please Don’t Touch the Art, featuring more than 50 staff members of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art organized by Nora Snyder. Please Don’t Touch the Art is a group exhibition featuring more than fifty employees of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. From security guards and custodians to administrative assistants and art handlers, the staff of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art keeps the museum running smoothly for the benefit of the people of Kansas City. But what the public doesn’t get to see is that members of the museum staff often harbor artistic talents of their own. Naturally, the museum draws a community of caretakers who love art and devote their lives to it in more than one sense. Organized by artist and museum employee Nora Snyder, Please Don’t Touch the Art showcases the diverse and extraordinary talents of the NAMA staff. Currently on view Closing Reception: Monday, December 22, 6 - 9 pm At Least You Can’t Be Sad If There Are Balloons, a solo exhibition of 17 self-portrait paintings by Corey Green. In my work, I use balloons as a powerful symbol of the pressure and trials that have shaped my life—experiences that have stretched me to my...

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, December 3, 2025, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes entrepreneur/musician William Saunders and artist Kwanza Humphrey. WILLIAM SAUNDERS – Inside the Creative MindA deep dive into the creative process to illuminate the hidden architecture of creativity — how artists see, feel, imagine, and realize their inner worlds. By bridging the rational and the intuitive, we aim to inspire fellow creators and curious audiences to appreciate the deeper forces behind visual and musical expression. Artist, musician, producer, record label executive and supporter of the Arts, William Saunders publishes original music content from label artists and hosts the original podcast and video series, "Inside the Creative Mind" which interviews visual and musical artists to learn about how they create their artform, from inception through fruition. #creativemind #creativity #newmusic #kansascity Official Websitetinymessengermedia.com Founderwilliamsaunders.online KWANZAA HUMPHREY – Kwanza Humphrey is a prolific artist who creates emotionally evocative portraiture in oil on canvas and mixed media on paper. His impulse to express himself through images extends back to early childhood drawings and the simple practice of releasing frustration and inspiration through pictures. Kwanza has been bringing his visions to life for over 40 years. Kwanza is an award-winning artist who has been included in exhibitions across the United States. Including being one of the small group of artists selected for inclusion in the new terminal at the Kansas City International Airport. Kwanza’s masterful and disciplined work, often characterized as impressionist realism, resides in the permanent collection of the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, as well as extensive private collections. Artist Statement – I began drawing at a very early age. Drawing was a medium I could get lost in, with my imagination and thoughts. Painting for me is a natural extension of that process. While it is a completely different medium, the emotion I bring to it is the same. I start with a pencil or charcoal drawing on paper as a guide. Sometimes it’s just one drawing. Other times it’s several, but it’s always in black and white. I reserve color for painting. I like the spontaneity it can bring to the canvas. I use color and deliberate brushstrokes to create character, conversation or a feeling. I rarely mix colors when I paint. I like to use the raw color and have them mix optically. When I paint, I capture an emotion and feeling that you wouldn’t normally see. Painting is an emotional experience for me, where I often have a conversation with myself and shape a feeling. Other times I just let go and let my subconscious take over where color and brush are the medium I use to communicate. I gravitate to the human form and face. I enjoy people and scratching below the surface to show the essence of humanity. We all present a mask to the world to protect ourselves from the unknown. I’m looking to get past that façade and show the human connection we all share. I paint so that you look at something and see the emotion in it. We all bring something personal to the table. Your experience will allow you to see something no one else does, or you may have a similar connection with your fellow viewers. My goal is for my work to resonate with you in some way. I hope on some level it does. -Kwanza Kansas City’s role as a host site for FIFA World Cup 26 inspired a new exhibition at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. The fifth exhibition in the museum’s KC Art Now initiative, Personal Best features six local artist-athletes at the top of their game. The exhibition focuses on commonalities found at the intersection of this dual identity such as physicality, dedication, and determination, revealed through work in a variety of media and a range of styles. Personal Best currently on view...

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, November 26 2025, 9am - 10am CST, www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes John Todd, colleague/educator/musician to the program.

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, November 19, 2025, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes artists KE Griffin, Anna Marten, DeAnna Skedel, and gallerist/curator Lee Smalter. KAREN E. GRIFFIN (KE) Kansas City native is an award-winning visual, teaching, and performing artist creates vibrant abstract works explore themes of identity and urban landscapes. Influenced by her mother’s entrepreneurial spirit and formative experiences with her seventh-grade art teacher, art classes the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Kansas City and Hallmark Cards Inc. Griffin’s art reflects a unique perspective shaped by her Kansas City, Missouri and Marlin, Texas roots. She is a Certified National and International Storyteller due to life encounters regarding her grandmother picking cotton and her mother measuring cotton in the garment district in Kansas City. Karen E. Griffins artistic contributions to the Kansas City area have earned her significant recognition, including being named the Missouri Arts Council Honoree 2025 Individual Artist presenting the State of Missouri and the City of Kansas City. The Jackson County, Missouri, Office of the County Legislature further honored her with Proclamation Resolution NO. 21819. Artist-in-Residence, Englewood Arts Center 2023- 2025, Independence, Missouri. Her educational and historical collections, exhibited across the metro area and other states, were highlighted in the Examiner, Wichita, Kansas The Shout, Kansas City Studio Magazine, The Call Paper and The Kansas Ci Globe. In addition to her art, Griffin dedicates time to reading, enjoying conversations with her grandchildren, and supporting the homeless community. Karen E. Griffin (KE) creates striking two-dimensional portraits that aim to empower viewers to embrace their unique identities as well as African based abstractions depicting cultural and community narratives. She fuses high fashion with vibrant storytelling of African American heritage. Inspired by her connection to the diaspora, Karen uses African prints to meticulously render each image, capturing the intricate details of the fabric and the bold energy of the patterns. Her work celebrates the the rich tapestry of African American culture through the exploration of prints, patterns, and symbols. By incorporating these elements, she aims to create pieces that resonate deeply with the African American community and offer a connection to our ancestral heritage. “While we may never fully comprehend the lives of our ancestors, we carry their legacy within us through art, fashion, music and storytelling.” Her art serves as a visual expression of this enduring connection. See website for upcoming events https://www.artbykegriffin.com Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ IG:artbykegriffin ANNA MARTEN- After ten years as a production illustrator who hand painted signs and murals for a grocery store, I left to reimagine creative processes outside the context of corporate structure. The professional setting introduced me to a wide range of technical skills, from hand-lettering to woodworking, but it was also a world that penalized asking too many questions. My professional practice now reacquaints myself with permission to generate inquiry rather than sell something. As an avid daydreamer, my work tends to examine the boundary between memory, fantasy, and reality. I’ve been described as a “playful” creator, but we all learn early in life that play is the only way to grow. Are we not playing our way through new experiences even in adulthood? I want to reconcile fantasy with everyday. I want to remind adults that we’re in charge of allowing ourselves surprise and delight. Find Me Here... ● Open Studios at Bunker Center First Fridays 6pm ● PACE Magazine Publication August Issue 2025 anna.marten.91@gmail.com Instagram: @kc_muralist Bluesky: @kc-muralist Cara: @kcmuralist DEANNA SKEDEL - DeAnna M. Skedel...