Wednesday, February 3, noon – 1pm CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd chats with TJ Templeton gallery director/artist in residence at the Bunker Center for the Arts, musician & KKFI DJ Jason Vivone, and artists Kevin Hopkins and Izsys Archer. TJ TEMPLETON the Gallery Director and artist-in-residence at the Bunker Center for the Arts talks about the current group exhibition "Stupid Cupid/Eros Unbound" and other projects in the future.

The Bunker Center was established 5 years ago as an artist-run gallery and studio space. The Bunker currently provides studios for 12 artists in a variety of disciplines and contains 6 different galleries that feature a rotating monthly exhibition as well as an inventory of over 350 artworks by local, regional, and internationally collected artists.

Bunker Center for the Arts is located on the corner of 19th and Troost and is open to the public through appointment only. Appointments can be made through the facebook page or the website. Our February show is the second annual "Stupid Cupid/Eros Unbound", featuring 25 regional artists focusing on sex, love, relationships, and sexual identity. Over 25 artists ranging from emerging to internationally collected. Media in various 2d and 3d forms.

Show opens February…

ARTSPEAK RADIO, Wednesday January 27, 2021, noon – 1pm CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio streaming live www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes Christine Boutros; Grants and Awards Programs Manager for Charlotte Street Foundation, Kimi Kitada the Jedel Familly Foundation Curatorial Fellow at Charlotte Street Foundation. Joining us in the second half of the hour, Nik D Douglas drummer/producer/lyricist/singer shares his list of favorite percussionists, recordings, and his latest projects. CHRISTINE BOUTROS Grants and Awards Programs Manager Charlotte Street Foundation- Christine Boutros returns to the Kansas City art community after serving as Associate Curator of Education at Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design in Honolulu, Hawaii. Before that, Boutros spent six years in the education department at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. As Grants and Awards Programs Manager, Christine will manage all aspects of Charlotte Street’s prestigious award programs including the Visual Artist Award, Generative Performing Artist Award, Byron Cohen Award, and the Art OMI Scholarship. Christine will also work closely with the Spencer Museum of Art to administer the Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts-funded Rocket Grants program when the program resumes in 2021. As Grants and Awards manager, Boutros will oversee the important position…

ARTSPEAK RADIO, Wednesday January 20. 2021, 12noon – 1pm CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes Annie Sánchez CEO Chief Goal Strategiest Mariposa Strategies, Robert Gann, Habitat Contemporary Gallery Owner, and artist/Kansas City Art Institute educator Andrew McIlvane. ANNIE SÁNCHEZ, Mariposa Strategies CEO, Chief Goal Strategist Mariposa Strategies-Mariposa Strategies is a heart-centered strategic planning and coaching firm. Spanish for butterfly, Mariposa represents transformation and change while Strategies represents process. Together, these words embody our mission to support BIPOC leaders and entrepreneurs with decreasing overwhelm so we can do what we’re here to do! Using a hybrid approach, coaching and consulting services are intertwined: coaching is conducted through a strategy lens and consulting is done with a coaching bend. This holistic model gives clients the best of both worlds. We prioritize strategic collaboration and thought partnership while helping clients through obstacles as well as moments of exciting growth. Mission-To support BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) leaders and entrepreneurs with decreasing overwhelm so we can do what we’re here to do. Vision-A world in which BIPOC are living fully with joy, purpose and passion, providing an example to the kids in…

ARTSPEAK RADIO, Wednesday, January 13, 2021, 12-noon- 1pm CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas CityCommunity Radio, streaming live audio ​www.kkfi.orgProducer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes Englewood Art Director Michael Baxley and TheVolland Store Proprietor Patty Reece. MICHAEL BAXLEY-Englewood Arts is a new and innovative organization focused on creating adiverse and sustainable community in harmony with the arts. Our ultimate goal is to provide much-needed, affordable and sustainable workspace, housing and culturally diverse,community-based arts programming. Vibrant with activity and creativity, the Englewood Arts District will showcase the visual arts, performing arts and culinary arts while providing enrichment opportunities for the local and regional community. Englewood Arts will become a distinct destination spot that will also complement the historic and revitalized Independence Square.In 2019, the City Council voted unanimously to approve the sale of a three-story building to become the Englewood Arts Center. Once the Center’s programs are up and running, the organization will be self-sustaining through grants, rental income and other revenue-generating initiatives. A long-term goal for Englewood Arts will be to offer affordable housing though a low-interest, high-risk, loan pool developed through partnerships with local banks and credit unions.Local donors from Independence and Eastern Jackson County will be approached first, prior to expanding…

Wednesday, December 30, 2020, 12noon - 1pm CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd presents the 2nd part of the year end special, 2020 THE _______YEAR EVER. 2020 THE ______ YEAR EVER

To say the least, the year 2020 has become infamous for a plethora of reasons. Based on your point of view, beliefs, experiences, what reflections and/or revelations comes to mind; what have you discovered about yourself, human nature, the world? What did 2020 have in store for you? What are your final thoughts about 2020? We’ve asked artists, writers, performers, musicians, and creatives in the community to reflect and share with us about their 2020 experience. What was 2020 like for you? We’ll hear original stories and curated songs from our contributors; Noah Davis, Jessica Paige, and Eboni Fondren that reflect their responses. JESSICA PAIGE is a master storyteller, translating personal experience into music that is sophisticated, diverse in its influences, and instantly relatable. Her commanding voice has been described as equal parts Norah Jones and Janis Joplin, an uncommon union of sultry warmth and raw power. I spent most of my childhood running around our Kansas Farm. I have a memory from around…

ARTSPEAK RADIO, Wednesday, December 23 and December 30, 12noon – 1pm CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd presents a 2- part year end special; 2020 THE ______ YEAR EVER. 2020 THE ______ YEAR EVER To say the least, the year 2020 has become infamous for a plethora of reasons. Based on your point of view, beliefs, experiences, what reflections and/or revelations comes to mind; what have you discovered about yourself, human nature, the world? What did 2020 have in store for you? What are your final thoughts about 2020? We’ve asked artists, writers, performers, musicians, and creatives in the community to reflect and share with us about their 2020 experience. What was 2020 like for you? We’ll also hear curated music from our contributors that reflect their response. On Wednesday, December 23, we’ll hear stories and songs from Heath Church, Sam Wells, and Shawn Stewart. On Wednesday, December 30, we’ll hear stories and songs from Noah Davis, Jessica Paige, and Eboni Fondren. HEATH CHURCH is an American singer-songwriter from Kansas City, Missouri who primarily plays indie music. His style is inspired by artists such as Elliott Smith, Rivers Cuomo, and The…

Iran expert Trita Parsi discusses relations between Iran, Israel and the United States and examines the significance of last week’s assassination of Iran’s top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. Barbara Slavin, director of the Future of Iran Initiative at the Atlantic Council, assesses the effect of the assassination on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and the impact […]

ARTSPEAK RADIO, Wednesday, December 16, noon – 1pm CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes artist/author Stephen T. Johnson and artist/writer Jackie Denning. STEPHEN T. JOHNSON- Stephen T. Johnson’s visually arresting and conceptually rich body of work forges connections between words, objects and ideas.  His art spans a broad range of concepts and contexts and can be seen in site-specific public art commissions, gallery and museum exhibitions, and original award-winning children’s books such “Alphabet City,” a Caldecott Honor and a New York Times Best Illustrated book of the year. His drawings and paintings are in numerous private collections including those of musician Paul Simon and actress Cherry Jones, and in the permanent collections of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, the New Britain Museum of American Art in Connecticut, and the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. Among his public art is a 66-foot mosaic mural at the DeKalb Avenue Subway Station in Brooklyn New York, a 58-foot mosaic mural at the Universal City Metro Station in North Hollywood, Los Angeles California, and 33 glass panels for the Dallas Love Field Airport, in Dallas, Texas. www.stephentjohnson.com Stephen…

ARTSPEAK RADIO, Wednesday December 9, 12noon – 1pm CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes Connie Swartz founder Celebrate Fatigues, artist/educator Jason Pollen, and Christine Boutrous Charlotte Street Foundation Grants and Awards Program Manager. CONNIE SWARTZ, Founder Celebrate Fatigues; Our Mission is to honor the service of our country’s active military and veterans by providing a respectful and dignified way for veterans and their families to dispose of previously-worn fatigues. To avoid having fatigues end up in a landfill or be destroyed, we are creating products by recycling the fatigues into artful accessories to remember and honor the men and women who wore them in service to our country. These are the people who have created our American fabric. Veterans who see fatigues recycled into our products realize their service is not forgotten but rather displayed as a sign of appreciation for our active military and veterans. Service families and others who buy our products show pride and respect in their veterans and in our country. WHY “CELEBRATE FATIGUES”? US Military personnel wear a variety of uniforms throughout their service based on environment and location. The most casual and most often…

ARTSPEAK RADiO, Wednesday, December 2, 2020, 12noon – 1pm CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live www.kkfi.org Producer/host of KKFI ‘s Under The Radar, John Thompson Todd (John Todd – The Radio God) takes over ARTSPEAK RADIO with guests that include Bruce Young Co-owner Aztec Theater in Shawnee,KS, singer/songwriter Jake Wells, and Katie Mabry Van, owner/operator Strawberry Swing Indie Craft Fair. JOHN TODD’S Under The Radar can be heard every Sunday night, 8pm – 1pm on 90.1 fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio. John has made it his personal mission to unearth Kansas City’s best musicians by giving them the airplay they deserve. On his program, anything goes, from rock to country, folk to funk, there’s something here for all. BRUCE YOUNG – Aztec Theater is located at 11119 Johnson Drive, Shawnee, Kansas, is a 1927 historic theater, originally opened as The Mission Theater as a silent movie house. It was renamed as The Aztec in 1949. Co-owner Bruce Young remembers attending movies as a youngster in the 50’s. It closed in 1975 and will re-open as a live music venue. Upon completion, The Aztec GroupLLC plans to make arrangements to get the Aztec Theater on the National…