Pledge Drive with Jerry Rapp & Christina Loya

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org ARTSPEAK RADIO is entering its' 14th year-if you tune in weekly, download podcasts, listen online, if you learn about new opportunities happening in the creative community, enjoy listening to one of the many guests featured weekly on ARTSPEAK RADIO then call 888-931-0901 to pledge your support. Online pledges are simple, just go to www.kkfi.org and show us your support for YOUR community radio station. It's time for you to support this on air arts program that gives local artists, spoken word poets, painters, sculptors, musicians, arts educators, museums, arts organizations, and so many more the opportunity to discuss their art, chapbooks, events, openings, performances, innovations, and submissions for artistic opportunities. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THIS RADIO STATION AND ARTSPEAK RADIO NOW IN ITS' 14TH YEAR!!! Call 888-931-0901 and make your pledge. Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes producer/writer Jerry Rapp and Christina Loya Mattie Rhodes Public Historian & Community Engagement Coordinator. CHRISTINA LOYA Mattie Rhodes Public Historian & Community Engagement Coordinator- The Museum of Kansas City is proud to announce that Connecting Cultures Across Kansas City: The Hand-in-Hand Folk Art Collection is opening to the public on Friday, June 12 at the Museum. This exhibition is organized by the Mattie Rhodes Center and presented in collaboration with The Museum of Kansas City. The Hand-in-Hand Folk Art Collection was started by Alice Ann Biggerstaff (1924–2007) and later donated to Mattie Rhodes. A Kansas City native, Alice Ann was an artist who worked for more than three decades at Hallmark Cards. Upon retirement, she moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she continued collecting artwork and created a vibrant, welcoming home.Showcasing more than 150 rarely seen works of folk art from across the globe, with a particular focus on pieces from Latin America and the American Southwest, Connecting Cultures Across Kansas City explores how folk art reflects shared values and human experiences across communities and cultures. Through cultural expression, identity, and time-honored traditions, these works bridge local communities and global traditions. In this exhibit, you will encounter works by multigenerational artisan families, including the exquisite ceramic traditions of the Aguilar and Blanco families of Oaxaca, as well as the whimsically carved wooden animals of the Alvarez and Rodríguez families of the American Southwest. Also included are countless works created by artisans whose names were never recorded or have been lost to history. For centuries, the contributions of people of color, women, and other marginalized groups have too often been misattributed or erased, even as their work has shaped cultural identity and community memory. Connecting Cultures invites viewers to honor both the named and the unnamed makers, and to consider how artistry survives through generations by blending ancient techniques with cultural storytelling, acting as a living link to history, identity, and resilience. The exhibition also emphasizes the vital role of collecting as a form of cultural stewardship—preserving stories, supporting artists, and ensuring that meaningful objects remain accessible to future generations. An installation inspired by Alice Ann’s home in Santa Fe will be featured, alongside selected pieces of her clothing, offering insight into the personal vision behind the collection. Folk art encompasses a wide range of handmade objects created for daily life, ritual, and celebration, often using region-specific materials and techniques. These works embody lived experience and serve as carriers of cultural knowledge, helping sustain identity across generations. Whether a colorful and imaginative alebrije—a fantastical creature rooted in Mexican folk traditions—a giant painted wooden crocodile from Santa Fe, or an intricately crafted ceramic Tree of Life, these pieces are gentle reminders that beauty and imagination have existed for thousands of years and will endure long after the item itself is gone. The Museum of Kansas City is located at 3218 Gladstone Blvd. KCMO On view June 12, 2026 through January 2027 JERRY RAPP-“GOSPEL IS A DRAG” DEBUTS AT THE ARTS ASYLUM THEATER KCMO- “Gospel Is A Drag,” an original musical written by Jerry Rapp, will make its debut at the Arts Asylum Theater, 824 E Meyer Blvd in Kansas City. The limited engagement performances are June 12-15 and June 19-22. Showtimes are 7:30 PM CST on Fridays and Saturdays and 7:00 PM CST on Sunday and Mondays. Tickets and more information are available at www.gospelisadrag.com The show is set in the fictional town of Squibbtown, Missouri, where a stuffy town hall meeting is suddenly crashed by the fabulous Gloria- backed by her stellar choir - ready to sing and speak her truth. The show is described as an “InfoMusical,” and “a unique, rollicking, interactive experience filled with more music, frivolity, inspiration, education and improvisation than one ever thought possible” promising original songs and new arrangements of traditional hymns. The musical stars popular performance artist Tajma Stetson and features many notable local performers in the ensemble. The Director is Kevin Bogan with Musical Direction by Trevor Smith. The Arts Asylum was founded in 2011 to provide artists of all mediums a safe place to create and continues that mission today through their emphasis on new works, classics reimagined, and educational outreach. Rapp is an award-winning producer and writer who makes his Arts Asylum debut with the play. “It feels like one of the most important personal works I have done up to this point in my career.” says Rapp. “Our show points out that there are more commonalities than differences between us,” adds Stetson. “We hope people will make new friends, hear some catchy songs and have their spirits uplifted!” JUNE 12-15 and 19-22 CONTACT: ARTS ASYLUM THEATER Jerry Rapp 824 E Meyer Blvd 323-354-0115 Kansas City, MO 64131 [email protected]