Artspeak Radio

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org

Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes artist GK Callahan, John Todd the Radio God.

BEN WENDT, musician, & GK CALLAHAN artist.-10th Annual Arts in the Park Festival is a free two-day celebration of creativity, culture, and community at Macken Park in North Kansas City. This year's festival features more than 60 artists and makers, live music, food trucks, a beer garden, a petting zoo, family activities, and, through a partnership with the Kansas City Ethnic Enrichment Commission, cultural performances, traditional dance, music, and food representing communities from across the region. We look forward to celebrating everyone in North Kansas City, and enjoying arts and culture with our neighbors. https://www.artsinthepark.org

GK Callahan is a civic artist and Community Arts & Engagement Specialist with the University of Missouri Extension, as well as a member of the North Kansas City Arts in the Park Festival Planning Committee. Ben Wendt, local musician, co-owner of The Rhino, and Arts in the Park committee member who helps coordinate the festival’s music programming.

JOHN TODD The Radio God- The phrase, “Under the Radar,” literally means to go without attracting notice; in an undetected or secretive manner. But don’t let the title of John Todd’s radio program fool you. If the bands he plays on air were unnoticed before, they are surely on someone’s radar now. John has made it his personal mission to unearth Kansas City’s best musicians by giving them the airplay they deserve. On his program, “Under the Radar”, anything goes. From rock to country, folk to funk, there’s something here for all. Tune in Sunday night from 10-12 p.m. and let John help you get these under-represented bands on your music radar.

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org

Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes Madison McKinley Marketing & Communications Manager with Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art and designer Laura Treas.

MADISON McKINLEY, Marketing & Communications Manager, Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art

Join us for a full day of art, music, food, and community celebration at the Albrecht-

Kemper Museum of Art Art Fair & Block Party in collaboration with the Noyes Home for Children!

Featuring fine artists from across the region, this annual event is the perfect opportunity to discover original artwork while supporting talented local and regional artists. From

paintings and ceramics to jewelry, prints, and handcrafted works, collectors and casual art enthusiasts alike will find unique pieces to suit a variety of tastes and price points.

This year’s celebration expands beyond the traditional art fair experience with a special community block party featuring live musical performances, delicious food, a cash bar, family-friendly activities, and much more. Together with the Noyes Home, we’re creating a vibrant event that brings art and community together in a meaningful and exciting way.

Whether you’re an avid collector, a first-time buyer, or simply looking for a fun summer outing, there’s something for everyone to enjoy!

Saturday, June 6 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM Free Admission

Come celebrate creativity, connection, and community with us!

Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art

2818 Frederick Ave.

Saint Joseph, MO 64506

816-233-7003

www.albrecht-kemper.org

LAURA TREAS- Laura Treas is a Needle Trades Advocate who founded a Full Service Design and Development agency that makes dreams come true for her clients. Taking their ideas and turning them into sellable products while coaching them through the process. She has had 7 clients pitch for Shark Tank as Startups for their inventions. As a Small Batch Manufacturing expert Laura empowers women to build their own micro-factories for sewing and train them on the products so that they can become the production managers for her clients. She also has her own line of compression undergarments and is considered a compression expert.

FASHION IS GEOMETRY | SEWING IS PSYCHICS | PATTERNING IS ENGINEERING

Images of school shootings are filled with helmeted men in uniforms crouched in halls and clutching weapons ready to mount an assault to protect children but a woman entrepreneur in Kansas City is taking a proactive approach to protecting children.

Laura Treas, Owner/Founder, Fashion Tech Kansas City, is the lead designer for Titanium Flex Gear which is a bullet-resistant clothing company. Her expertise in creating, fitting and manufacturing clothing is at the heart of a new product that children can wear every day in any situation.

“This is the first covert undershirt protection for children on the market,” said Treas. “It can be worn under any clothing and the snug fit tank-style undergarment, which holds the panels, allows the child to feel protected emotionally as well as physically.” “Can I keep this?” When children have tried it on they want to keep it on. The parents respond with “But, you haven’t had any shootings at your school” and they reply “But, I know they happen and this makes me feel safe”.

As an undergarment expert with her own line, Laura was the perfect fit for Titanium Flex Gear.16 years of experience fitting clients for undergarments that change their lives has made this a match made in Heaven. Laura’s expertise in fabrics and clothing design will make a difference in comfort and wearability of this protection product.

2 months ago she did not know how her life was going to change. As someone who has had 7 clients get approved to pitch for Shark Tank, as startups, she’s no newby to inventions but this was something she would actually become a part of. When she got the call from a far away island to discuss possible manufacturing she quickly said “Tell me more”.

“If we can save one child it will have been worth it” is what Monty Clark believes. He had this idea for protection for children, went overseas to source this panel and had been manufacturing with a mom and pop shop but needed to find a new manufacturer. Neither he nor Laura knew until they met in person that the stars would align.

“Everyone thinks it’s easy to launch a product and they don’t know how hard it really is. How many steps it takes. How hard it is to find all the information. The amount of micro decisions.

But, when I met Monty in person and saw his safety panels and then showed him my undergarments and that we could marry them into this comfortable, wearable protection product that could save lives, I was ecstatic because this is so easy to wear. This can lower children’s anxiety”.

As a designer that makes garments for her local Children’s Hospital this is a product Laura Treas can get behind.

www.fashiontechkansascity.com

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, May 20, 2026, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org

Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes poet/writer Olive Sullivan and Vince Medellin freelance Character Designer/ Comic Artist.

OLIVE SULLIVAN- Poet, playwright, and bookbinder--the common denominator is books. Olive L. Sullivan invites you to come celebrate the world of paper and ink with her at her brick-and-mortar bookbinding studio in Pittsburg, Kan. Sullivan Book Arts is celebrating its one-year anniversary on Sunday, June 21, 2026, with a reception on the lawn. The event will feature food, music, an open mic, and crafts for everyone. 

Sullivan, from Pittsburg, Kan., is a Kansas Touring Artist through the Kansas Arts Commission. A former teacher, Sullivan has led writing workshops for various groups, including the Tar Creek Conference in Oklahoma, where participants wrote about environmental action.

As the recipient of a kidney transplant, cancer survivor, and widow, she writes about place, grief, and surviving hard times. She is the author of two full-length poetry collections, a play, and several poems, short stories, and essays in a variety of journals and anthologies. 

She is inspired by the natural world around her. She loves traveling for inspiration, and spends her free time singing to her dog, Balthazar.

Visit the website at sullivanbookarts.com or check out Sullivan Book Arts on Facebook and Olive L. Sullivan on Facebook and Instagram.

VINCE MEDELLIN- Hola! My name is Vincent Medellin. In this case, when referencing my illustration practice, I prefer my penname, Vinny “Zigzag” Medellin. Why Zigzag? The art style that I have cultivated over the years has incorporated a loose, gestural style. Also, it is fun for kids and the “kids at heart” to say! I work both digitally (using my iPad) and with traditional mediums.

The materials I use range from cardboard and grocery bags to masking tape, colored pencils and crayons. The idea is to encourage kids to use materials that are readily available to them. This stems from a cultural motivation for sustainability. A philosophy that can best be described as “rasquache” among Mexican American communities. Essentially, rasquache means, “use what you have.” By referencing this philosophy, I hope that my art can be viewed as unique, welcoming, and approachable. The artwork I create (both in my fine art and illustrative practice) is community focused. I have partnered with organizations such as The Nelson-Atkins Gallery of Art, Mattie Rhodes, and Johnson County Library to reach thepublic.

In addition to working as an artist, I have worked in bookstores and libraries. A trend that I have noticed among non-white, underrepresented groups, is an interest in manga storytelling. Watching kids race to these sections, checking out manga in droves, inspired me to look deeper into the intersection between this style of graphic storytelling and the lived experiences of non-white youth in America. Naturally, this led me to analyze my own experience with manga/anime in hopes of developing and publishing, through a major publishing house, a graphic novel inspired by manga styling. I want to tell the stories of my ancestors, and validate the communities who desire to see more of themselves within comic book storytelling.

I identify as Chicano and, like most who identify as such, I feel caught between the margins of society. “Chicano” is a term used by Mexican Americans to describe themselves as being, “not from here, not from there.” Representation of Mexicans and/or Mexican Americans was limited in the United States during the 1990s. Mexicans existed in the media, but as a stereotype or a parody conceived by a dominant white class. Even so, I took what I could get. This is why characters such as Speedy Gonzalez, and his cousin, Slowpoke Rodriguez still connect to the roots of millennial Chicano experiences. This was all we had. There was nothing that expressed our lived experiences as Chicano. Nothing that validated our feelings of being marginalized and forced to assimilate. The cartoons we watched told us that Mexicans were a joke. I felt desperate to access the ethnic roots I was being denied.

In short, I wanted over the wall that the media had created. Today, I use my artistic practice to not only lift myself above this wall, but to also help empower others to free themselves from the arbitrary parameters developed by colonial conquest.

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, May 13, 2026, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org

Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes Knotty Orchid and Coti Meier.

KNOTTY ORCHID-Feel the Kansas City Heat with Risqué Revelry!

Come celebrate Kansas City culture, Parisian themes, and Jazz with a vaudevillian flair! We have a range of risqué entertainment from songbirds and poets to fancy femmes ready to tantalize your senses at our Paris of the Plains show on May 23rd, 2026 at Arts Asylum located at 824 E

Meyer Blvd KCMO 64131

Doors open at 8:00pm and the show starts at 9:00pm. Tickets can be

bought in advance at Eventbrite or at the door.

The show will also include a raffle for fun prizes and wonderful local vendors in our lobby.

Hot off the heels of several sold out shows this season already, Risqué Revelry is ready to entice even more folks to this beautiful and expressive performance art. And your continued support has allowed us another year nominated for Best Burlesque Troupe in The Pitch KC!

Risqué Revelry is Kansas City’s exceptional burlesque and variety show focused on uplifting marginalized voices within the arts communities.

We pride ourselves in resurrecting the vaudevillian roots of burlesque and creating a space for all types of performers. Risqué Revelry is LGBTQ+, Femme, Latina, and Kanaka Maoli (Indigenous Hawaiian) owned. Diversity is always at the forefront of Risqué Revelry, LLC productions

Arts Asylum 824 E. Meyer Blvd. KCMO www.theartsasylum.org

www.risquerevelry.com

COTI MEIER

Kansas City-based artist Coti Meier finds humor in the everyday to create her drawings and

collages. Her process involves layering paint, paper scraps, graphite, found images, and

varied mark-making atop wood panels, often including quirky quips drawn from her personal

experience or observations of others. Art has long been central to Meier’s life, helping her

navigate mental health, while inviting connections with others through visual storytelling—

sometimes humorous, sometimes reflective.

Coti’s work is currently on display in the Art of Imagination case at the National Museum of

Toys and Miniatures here in Kansas City. She will also be Artist of the Month at Roots KC -

Westside in June with an opening event for the month long pop-up on Saturday, June 6 from

12 to 2 pm.

Instagram: @dakotacoti / https://www.instagram.com/dakotacoti/

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org

Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes artist/brand strategist Ellie Kort, Ricky Catto creative technologist, Caryn Hohnholt with KC Hospice, and artist Annieo Klaas.

ANNIEO KLAAS Cerbera Gallery cordially invites you to: "When The Sun Saw The Sky" New Works by Annieo Klaas Thursday, at the Cerbera Gallery 2011 Baltimore Ave Kansas City, MO 64108. In When The Sun Saw The Sky, Annieo Klaas presents a series of oil paintings inspired by sunlight filtering through window blinds, casting golden rays across her studio. As these rays fall onto her painted skies, a subtle visual loop emerges—light illuminating the sky, while the sky seems to look back at itself. Capturing these fleeting moments, Klaas creates atmospheric compositions that blur the line between interior and exterior, offering a quiet meditation on light, reflection, and perception.

www.cerberagallery.com instagram: Annieo Klaas @annieoklaas

ELLIE KORT artist/brand strategist & RICKY CATTO creative technologist-

More than 45 studios will open inside the historic Livestock Exchange Building in the West Bottoms during Spring Open Studios on Friday, May 15, from 5 PM to 9 PM and Saturday, May 16, from 11 AM to 3 PM. The event invites the public to explore multiple floors of the landmark building, which now houses a growing community of artists, makers, and creative studios.

Visitors can meet artists and see work in progress ranging from painting and sculpture to jewelry and textiles. With studios across several floors, visitors can experience an artist studio community all in one place. This year’s Spring Open Studios is organized by artists Ellie Kort and Ricky Catto on behalf of the artists working in the Livestock Exchange Building.

The historic Livestock Exchange Building, once the headquarters of one of the nation’s largest livestock markets, was restored in the 1990s by Bill Haw Sr., who dedicated the fifth floor to artist studio spaces. “Open studios give people the chance to experience the creative process up close,” said Kort. “You can walk through the building, step into studios, and meet the artists who are making work there every day.”

Admission is free and open to the public. Event Details Spring Open Studios Livestock Exchange Building 1600 Genessee St. Kansas City, Missouri 64102 Friday, May 15, 5 PM to 9 PM Saturday, May 16, 11 AM to 3 PM More information at stockyards.studio Facebook page: Open Studios Facebook Instagram: Stockyards Studios Programming and Community Support. The event will include live music and food vendors throughout the weekend, with performances by DJ Jon Sabillon, jazz pianist Eddie Moore, and Sass-A-Brass.

About the Organizers

Ellie Kort is a Kansas City–based brand strategist and artist with more than 20 years of experience in design, research, and creative leadership, including roles at Hallmark and VML, focusing on understanding how people think.

Ricky Catto is a Kansas City–based creative technologist and experimental builder working across fabrication, electronics, and unconventional objects. His work focuses on hands-on experimentation and building unexpected things.

CARYN HOHNHOLT KC Hospice- Please join Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care as we illuminate Mill Creek Park at the Country Club Plaza with hundreds of luminaries, each in remembrance of someone who has left their mark on our hearts.

Please arrive early to light your luminary. This free event is hosted by Kansas City Hospice and is open to all. Join us Tuesday, May 19, 8pm, at 47th Street & Mill Creek Parkway, KCMO

(Please note, there are no virtual candles this year, but we will post a list of all honorees shortly following the event.)

"Standing among hundreds of glowing luminaries, each one honoring a life deeply loved, I felt surrounded by a community that understands loss."

The end of a person’s life is a significant time when they can reflect on their life and accomplishments, work through their regrets and challenges, and spend their remaining days with friends and family in comfort and peace. For families, whose loved one is experiencing a serious illness or life-limiting condition, this precious time is one of life’s most meaningful milestones.

Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care thoughtfully designs our programs to give families the peace of mind to walk together with their loved ones through the end of life journey, and through the grief and healing process. We provide expertise, perspective, innovative local leadership, education, and solutions around end-of-life issues facing the greater Kansas City community.

Our compassionate team of healthcare professionals is dedicated to serving individuals at home and throughout the community - no matter their age, financial resources, or complexity of needs. The goal of hospice and palliative care for both adults and children is to relieve pain and provide emotional support, comfort, and guidance to patients and their families.

KCH provides families with a range of the highest quality healthcare services for infants through centenarians facing a serious illness or life-limiting condition. We also provide the wider community with a complex array of grief support, to help families emerge from loss with strength and understanding.

www.kchospice.org

Caryn joined the team at Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care in 2017 and has more than 26 years of executive leadership and fundraising experience.

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, April 29, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org

Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes Kansas City Art Institute students with Professor Kat Dison Nechlebová writer writer Blair Schulman.

BLAIR SCHULMAN- On May 1, Midwest Agenda celebrates its fifth anniversary, marking five consecutive years of daily coverage dedicated to documenting contemporary art across the American Midwest.

Founded in 2021 by critic, writer, and speaker Blair Schulman, Midwest Agenda is anindependent, free, and publicly accessible platform documenting regional cultural activity. Through artist features, exhibition announcements, critical commentary, and reporting, it amplifies artists and institutions often overlooked by national art media.

Over five years, the project has documented thousands of exhibitions and events across twelve states, creating one of the most consistent public archives of Midwestern art. Midwest Agenda’s coverage has tracked key developments impacting artists and communities, including shifts in public arts funding, debates around public art and civic space, the role of artificial intelligence in creative practice, political impact on the arts and the increasing influence of artist-led initiatives.

Its social media platforms extend this work through direct, public-facing critiques of how current events shape artistic production and cultural conditions across the Midwest.

The anniversary underscores several conclusions drawn from the archive:

• Independent, decentralized media platforms are essential to documenting contemporary art ecosystems where visibility remains a barrier

• Art in the Midwest is deeply connected to civic, political, and community life As Midwest Agenda enters its sixth year, it continues its commitment to daily publication and long-term documentation, reinforcing its role as both a news source and a living archive of the region’s cultural landscape.

Support Midwest Agenda with a tax-deductible donation through its fiscal sponsor,

Blair Schulman

Insta: midwestagenda

TikTok: midwestagenda

KCAI Sculpture Students- Inspiration for sculpture is everywhere. It can be informed from the rock on your hike, the smile of a stranger, or a song on your playlist. In KCAI’s Sculpture School, you’ll explore the conceptual, spatial, material, and processes that can bring your vision to life. In Sculpture, learn to transfer abstract ideas into materials and form. Weld, mold, cast, fabricate, or computer code your imagination into artwork.

At the Sculpture School, students explore object-making, digital pieces, and installations. Discover sound and video, performance, kinetics, and multimedia art. Dive into collaborative, culturally diverse ventures and create community art projects.

Work on both small and large-scale pieces in our outdoor foundry or the new digital lab.

Make work that is relevant to contemporary issues and global art practice.

Kansas City Art Institute is located at 4415 Warwick Blvd. KCMO www. kcai.edu

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org

Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes artists GK Callahan & Laura White, Consuelo Cruz Belger Arts, & Cody Joliff Powell Gardens CEO, Director Teisha M. Bankston & Artistic Director Unicorn Theater Ernie Nolan.

GK CALLAHAN & LAURA WHITE- Englewood Art Center presents Laura White- In Full Bloom, a solo exhibition by KC blind artist Laura White. On view from March 20 through May 16, 2026, with an opening reception on Friday, March 20 at 6:00 PM.“You have never seen anything like this — neither have I.” —White

In Full Bloom is an immersive, cheeky, tactile exhibition featuring beaded quilts and sculptural works created from beads and found materials. Inspired by the artist’s love of gardening and nature, the work draws from her favorite flowers- flowers she can no longer see, but continues to engage with through memory and touch. White’s practice expands the tradition of American quilt-making into a richly textured visual and sensory language, expressed through bold, large- scale works. Drawing on her background in graphic design, White constructs her quilts through a monumental reinterpretation of fused beading toys, resulting in surfaces that pulse with color, pattern, labor, and intention.

The imagery within each work emerges from White’s visual memory, formed before she lost her eyesight due to retinitis pigmentosa and usher syndrome. Because of her limited vision, White often collaborates with friends and family in selecting colors, embedding each piece with a communal authorship that mirrors the social histories of traditional quilts. The result is work that is at once deeply personal and collective.

Art reentered White’s life in 2016 through a collaborative project that reignited her studio

practice and led to local recognition. Her work has since been exhibited in the KC area and at institutions, including the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. In Full Bloom marks a significant moment in White’s artistic journey — not a return, but a flourishing. The exhibition invites viewers to slow down, to experience art through touch, memory, and presence, and to reconsider long-held assumptions about vision, access, and who art is for.

About Englewood Arts:

Englewood Arts Center is dedicated to assisting the community through development of

residential and commercial incentives, public art, art events, art programs, philanthropy and community outreach solutions, which result in a thriving community with engagement and pride.

Englewood Arts is located at 10901E. Winner Rd. Independence, MO www.englewoodarts.art

TEISHA M. BANKSTON, Director & ERNIE NOLAN, Artistic Director of Unicorn Theatre

Don't Touch My Hair By Douglas Lyons

May 6 – 24, 2026 Unicorn Theatre | Levin Stage

Directed by Teisha M. Bankston

About the Show: Don’t Touch My Hair

Written by Douglas Lyons | Directed by Teisha M. Bankston

Don’t Touch My Hair is an exploration of Black womanhood, identity, and cultural ownership, with a sharp comedic wit. The play follows lifelong best friends Eemani and Jade, who, during a

casual afternoon together, are launched into a surreal hallucination. It’s a journey that transports

them through time to confront historical and cultural oppressors. Through humor, imagination, and sharp dialogue, the two women confront the past to reclaim their power.

The play is filled with satire and social commentary, using comedy as a lens for examining serious social issues. Rather than centering pain, Don’t Touch My Hair creates space for

laughter, reflection, and conversation.

Why It Matters

Don’t Touch My Hair’s power comes from shifting the conversation about racial injustice and

confronting it through humor and the joyful bond of women. It invites audiences to engage with

complex issues in a way that is thought-provoking and deeply human.

Key Themes & Takeaways

Black Identity

At its core, the play examines the significance of Blackness as both a personal and political

expression. It challenges audiences to consider who “owns” culture and what it means to

reclaim it.

Boundaries

“Don’t touch my hair” represents the right to personal space, respect, and self-definition. The play highlights how Black women’s bodies and identities are open for commentary, and pushes back against that norm.

The “Angry Black Woman” Stereotype

The story interrogates the societal expectation that Black women must shrink themselves to be accepted. It confronts stereotypes that label assertiveness as anger, and instead presents characters who are expressive, complex, and unapologetically themselves.

Comedy as a Tool for Confrontation

Rather than approaching racism solely through trauma, the play uses humor to disarm and engage. By making audiences laugh, it opens the door for deeper reflection on difficult topics without centering harm done to Black people.

Friendship & Joy

Eemani and Jade’s relationship is a common thread throughout the story. Their bond reflects the importance of safe spaces where Black women can exist fully, speak freely, and find joy while navigating challenges.

Eemani and Jade light up to unwind, but their blunt is laced with more than weed. A wild hallucination gives them superpowers to confront the past in a hilarious, eye-opening journey. This electrifying play celebrates Black womanhood and self-discovery.

Unicorn Theater is located at 3828 Main St. KCMO www.unicorntheatre.org

CONSUELO CRUZ, Vice President Marketing & Community Engagement Belger Arts & CODY JOLIFF Powell Gardens CEO

POWELL GARDENS AND BELGER ARTS DEBUT COLLABORATIVE GLASS FOUNTAIN INSTALLATION

On view during Painted Garden (May 2-June 21, 2026) in the Conservatory

Powell Gardens, Kansas City’s botanical garden, announces the Fountain Project, a one-of-a-kind glass installation created in collaboration with Belger Arts by a collective of glass artists. The installation will be on view May 2 through June 21, 2026, in the Conservatory at Powell Gardens.

The piece created as part of the Fountain Project, titled Teaming with Life, will launch the Gardens’ spring art-focused event, Painted Garden.

Selected through a national call for artists, the Fountain Project brings together an eight-person collective of glassmakers from across the United States: Abigail Amundson, Michael Carson, Keegan O’Brien, Jacqueline Polofka, Ori Shir, Lauryl Sidwell, Brandon Smith, and Tyler Suter. The team includes three lead gaffers and six assistants who worked collaboratively to fabricate and install the large-scale piece.

The artists gathered at the Belger Glass Annex to create the fountain’s intricate functional and decorative components using traditional glassblowing techniques before assembling the installation onsite at Powell Gardens. Their work transforms the Conservatory into a tranquil retreat inspired by the landscapes of the Midwest prairie.

At the center of the space, the fountain is adorned with luminous blown-glass forms that echo the shapes and colors of prairie blossoms. Soft golds, lavender tones, and prairie blues shimmer in the light, creating a peaceful atmosphere where visitors are invited to slow down, sit in a rocking chair, and enjoy the interplay of glass, water, and spring blooms. The result is a serene environment where art, nature, and heritage come together in quiet harmony.

About the Artists

• Abigail Amundson is an emerging multimedia artist based in Corning, New York, whose work explores the intersection of nature and spirituality. She recently graduated from Bowling Green State University and works with the Corning Museum of Glass Hot Glass team.

• Michael Carson, originally from Indiana, focuses on functional blown glass inspired by historical Venetian techniques. He has worked with studios across the Midwest and with the Corning Museum of Glass Hot Glass team.

• Keegan O’Brien, based in Kansas City, earned his BFA from Bowling Green State University. His sculptural glasswork explores light and material, and he currently works as a gaffer at Monarch Glass Studio.

• Jacqueline Polofka is the artist behind Double Dipped Studios on Kelleys Island, Ohio. A graduate of Bowling Green State University, she specializes in blown glass and previously worked at institutions including the Corning Museum of Glass and Chrysler Museum of Art.

• Ori Shir is co-owner of Shir Glassworks in Greenfield, Massachusetts. His nature-inspired glasswork ranges from functional to sculptural and is exhibited nationwide.

• Lauryl Sidwell is a Kansas City-based artist who transitioned from stained glass to hot glass in 2023 and continues to expand her practice through studio work and classes.

• Brandon Smith is a glass and mixed-media artist, blacksmith, and educator based in Pennsylvania. He holds an MFA from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and leads the glass program at Keystone College.

• Tyler Suter is a resident artist at Belger Arts Center in Kansas City whose sculptures in glass and ceramics are inspired by organic forms and the natural world.

Powell Gardens 1609 NW US Hwy 50

Kingsville, MO 816.697.2600 www.powellgardens.org

The Fountain Project installation is on view daily from May 2 through June 21, 2026 in the Conservatory at Powell Gardens. For more information about Painted Garden and upcoming events, visit powellgardens.org.

May 2: Unveiling of the Belger Arts-Powell Gardens Fountain Project at Powell Gardens. Nine artists from across the country were selected from an open call to create a blown glass fountain. They arrive in Kansas City on April 23.

• Gallery Collections: Here Comes the Sun (April 3 - May 30); Dog Days (June 5 – August 1)

• June 6: Exhibition Openings for Annual Resident Artist Exhibition; Beat the Heat

• June 29-August 7: Kids and Teen Camp

• Ongoing ceramics and glass classes

Our programs this year are in partnership with Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, a nationwide semi quincentennial initiative to showcase the importance of the handmade throughout history and in contemporary life.

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 Union Hill

• Populuxe

• Remodel Moore

• Tower Tavern

Under the Cover

•You Say Tomato

Michelle Dreher is an alum of the Kansas City Art Institute and owner of Two Tone Press, a letterpress printshop she runs with her sister. She also helps operate Print League KC, a community studio that offers printmaking workshops for all experience levels as well as memberships to have access to equipment and working space.

EVENT: Wanderfest KC 2026

LOCATION: Tower East district, 31 st and Gillham/Cherry area

WHEN: Sunday, April 26 th , 10am-4pm (always the last Sunday of April)

WEB: https://www.facebook.com/events

INSTAGRAM: @wanderfest_kc & @towereastkc

EVENTBRITE: https://wanderfestkc2026.eventbrite.com

CONTACT:

Michelle Dreher

(816) 719-7270

www.twotonepress.com

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

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.