Artspeak Radio + Vi Tran, Hugo Ximello-Salido, and A.T. French

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, May 25, 2022, noon – 1pm CST, 90.1FM KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live www.kkfi.org
Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes singer/songwriter/playwright Vi Tran, artist/filmmaker Hugo Ximello-Salido and writer AT French join us live in the studio.

VI TRAN- I Am…” Asian American Visual & Performing Arts Residency Premieres at
First Friday in Kansas City. The National Association of Asian American Professionals-Kansas City in partnership with ArtsKC presents an exclusive residency at the ArtsKC Gallery Space from May -
September, 2022.
The National Association of Asian American Professionals – Kansas City (NAAAP-KC), in partnership with ArtsKC, is pleased to announce a five month interdisciplinary arts and professional development residency at the ArtsKC Gallery space in downtown Kansas City from May to September 2022.
“Over the course of the past several years, Asian Americans have had to defend
themselves against a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes and prejudice,” said artsKC
Inspiration Grant award-winning generative performing artist and NAAAP-KC residency 
curator Vi Tran. “With social media campaigns exclaiming #ItsAnHonortoBeAsian and
#IAmNotAVirus, the community sought understanding, compassion, and support from
its fellow Americans.”
This residency is a reclamation of identity and strength by allowing AAPIDA (Asian
American Pacific Islander Desi American) artists and thought leaders to declare
themselves with the statement of “I Am…”
“As the arts industry reawakens and galleries reopen, ArtsKC launched our new
organization residency program with NAAAP as our first collaborator in the space. In
partnership with NAAAP, we are able to celebrate and support local AAPIDA artists from
various backgrounds and different levels of their artistic careers. We look forward to
their presence for the next five months and the success of this residency model as time
goes on.” Zetta Hamersley, ArtsKC Gallery Residency Manager and NAAAP Board 
Member

Featuring a rolling group exhibit of visual artists, performing arts salon nights,
celebration of women and the LGBTQIA+ community, pop-up performances,
professional development mixers, and community social events, the “I Am…” residency 
seeks to center the AAPIDA community as well as an invitation for dialogue and
conversation with other communities in Kansas City and beyond.

About NAAAP-KC
The National Association of Asian American Professionals is a non-profit, all-volunteer
organization that promotes the career advancement and leadership development of
Asian American professionals in all fields. NAAAP is the largest and fastest growing
Asian American professional organization in the U.S. and Canada. The Kansas City
 chapter joins Asian Americans in professional development, networking and community 
service activities.
Mission
● Cultivate and empower leaders for professional excellence
● Connect accomplished professionals for mutual success
● Engage and participate with the community-at-large
● Inspire leaders to make a meaningful difference in government, education,
business, and society
Values
The National Association of Asian American Professionals Values are what guides us
 every day and what we strive for, from our members to our leaders and sponsors. In all
 that we do, NAAAP is committed to: 
Leadership: Develop, Inspire, and Connect Leaders
Education: Excel at Life Learning
Accountability: Honor commitment to Deliver Value 
Diversity: Embrace a Culture of Inclusion and Innovation
 We host many activities throughout the year to give our members a chance to be
 engaged with NAAAP-KC and accomplish everything they hoped for in becoming a part
 of our organization. Here are some of the kinds of events NAAAP-KC holds:
● Happy Hours
● NAAAP Networking Nights
● Cultural events (i.e. Collaborations with community partners)
● Professional development and leadership workshops
● Keynote/Inspirational speakers
● Community Outreach (i.e. Harvesters, fundraisers

HUGO XIMELLO-SALIDO, Traveling exhibit: -MUXE: (moo~shey) The Art & Culture of Gender Fluidity
The singular history and contemporary expression of Muxe culture represents a fascinating and complex narrative of coexistence, struggle, and triumph. Muxe, a third-gender unique to the Zapotec peoples of Oaxaca, Mexico, are people assigned male at birth who present and behave in ways traditionally associated with women. The recognition and survival of Muxe, who have long been respected and accepted within their indiginous community, is an extraordinary example of perseverance in light of Mexico’s history of colonization and the religious and patriarchal ideals that accompanied it.
The exhibit, by Mexican-American artist Hugo Ximello~Salido, takes viewers on a journey through a series of 2D and 3D works that reflect the beauty of gender fluidity in various expressions and perspectives. A celebration of Muxe and the artist’s experience learning and growing through contact with their community, the exhibit encourages the spectator toward a deeper understanding of gender fluidity through appreciation of the Muxe experience – both cocooned within and co-existing with a Mexican religious and patriarchal cultural identity.
June – July ` Queer Experience at interurban arthouse. I’ll be exhibiting a 30 foot long installation about Oaxacas’ topography called the Path to Gender Fluidity.
August -September – I’ll be in Mexico working on textiles sculptures.
September 2- October 21st ” Habitat Contemporary Gallery Crossroads -exhibiting Muxe Series as well at the Annex gallery.
November- December- Kansa City, Kansas Main Library (Minnesota Ave.) solo exhibit
January-May 2023- Blue Valley Library, solo exhibit.
The documentary is still in process and we hope to have it ready early next year.
Also, I’m opening my studio for the second time on June 3rd & 4rd at 317 E 43rd st, kcmo Southmoreland neighborhood. www.hugosalido.com

A.T. FRENCH, writer – Habitat Contemporary Gallery is pleased to present the Book Launch Party of “Commendable Delusions” by A.T. French. Date: June 3rd at 5 PM, Habitat Contemporary Gallery 2012 Baltimore Ave. KCMO. www.habitatcontemporary.com
Within every mind there exists a set of storytellers. They guide us to see the world in higher resolution. They help us seek the splendid in the ordinary. The storytellers within us embody our scattered thoughts. They connect the dots. Without them, the night sky would be a glittering disarray, and there would be no constellations.
In ten exhilarating, heartfelt tales, A. T. French takes the reader on a dazzling adventure through the imagination of a traveler who learns to listen to his storytellers. They speak to him through flashes of insight, through sudden bursts of inspiration, by reinterpreting his everyday experiences. The tales they tell transform the world before him.
A.T. French is an American born author based in Paris, France. He writes books that are light-hearted yet deeply meaningful, often weaving together the dreamworld and reality.

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