Artspeak Radio + Nelson-Museum of Art and Mattie Rhodes Art and Cultural Center

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, noon – 1pm CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org

Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes Dr. Stephanie Knapp Fox; Sanders Sosland Senior Curator, Global Modern and Contemporary Art and Head American Art at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Sarah Hyde Schmeideler Senior Manager Community Programs, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and Jenny Mendez Director of Mattie Rhodes Art and Cultural Center.

A Layered Presence / Una presencia estratificada
Artists and art are multilayered. Each artist in this exhibition is a nuanced individual, with many layers informing their identity and the stories they tell through their art. Among them are their experiences, passions, and roles in our community. These layers are interwoven with strong personal ties to Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Colombia, Uruguay, and Peru.
Like the artists themselves, their art is also multifaceted—composed of layers of subject matter, materials, and meaning. At the intersection of these layers, there is evidence of lived experiences. Artists also reckon with immigration and LGBTQIA+ issues as well address family dynamics, ancestral relationships, healing, place, and more. While some of these layers reveal, others purposefully protect and conceal.
The power to authentically tell one’s own story is significant. It can foster connection, promote understanding, preserve history, and signify resilience. For this exhibition, the artists wrote labels to accompany their art and recorded audio interviews. Using the Smartify app, scan a work of art to hear more from each artist.

Los artistas y el arte contienen muchas capas. Cada artista en esta exhibición es un individuo con matices, con muchas capas que informan sus identidades y las historias que optan por narrar mediante su arte. Entre ellas son sus experiencias, pasiones y rol en nuestra comunidad. Esas capas se entretejen con fuertes vínculos culturales a México, Cuba, la República Dominicana, Guatemala, Colombia, Uruguay y Perú.
Tal como los artistas, su arte es también multifacético—compuesto de capas de temas, materiales, y significados. En las intersecciones de estas capas hay pruebas de las experiencias vividas. Los artistas también consideran la inmigración y asuntos LGBTQIA+, además de abordar la dinámica familiar, las relaciones ancestrales, la sanación, los lugares y más. Mientras algunas de estas capas revelan, otras a propósito ocultan y protegen.
El poder relatar auténticamente la propia historia de uno es importante. Puede fomentar lazos, promover entendimiento, preservar la historia y señalar resiliencia. Para esta exhibición, los artistas escribieron sus propias etiquetas que acompañan su arte y las grabaciones de audio de sus entrevistas. Usando la aplicación Smartify, escanee una obra de arte para escuchar más de cada artista.
Featured artists
Emily Alvarez
Rodrigo “Rico” Alvarez
Maria Vasquez Boyd
Ruben Bryan Castillo
José Faus
Israel Alejandro García García
Cesar Lopez
Jessica Manco
Rodolfo Marrón III
Adolfo Gustavo Martinez
Jenny Mendez
Sue Moreno
Juan G. Moya
Carlos Ortiz-Gallo
Eulalia C. Pulido
Socorro Rico
Miguel Rivera
Chico Salvador Sierra
Kiki Serna
Vania Soto
Isaac Tapia
Hugo Ximello-Salido
A Layered Presence / Una presencia estradificada is the third exhibition in the Nelson-Atkins initiative KC Art Now, which celebrates the talent of local artists.
www.nelson-atkins.org

DR. STEHPANIE FOX KNAPPE-The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City has announced Stephanie Fox Knappe, formerly the Samuel Sosland Senior Curator, American Art, has been promoted to Sanders Sosland Senior Curator, Global Modern and Contemporary Art and Head, American Art. Fox Knappe, who has focused her recent scholarly and curatorial work on Modern and Contemporary Art, will also be responsible for the Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park. A curatorial assistant will be hired to support work in American, Modern, and Contemporary Art, and a search will be launched for a new curator of American Art, who will report to Fox Knappe.
“Stephanie has done brilliant work during her stellar career at the Nelson-Atkins,” said Julián Zugazagoitia, Director & CEO of the Nelson-Atkins. “This is an exciting opportunity for Stephanie to mentor an emerging talent in American art history, which as a field has seen a tremendous increase in dynamic and diverse new scholars entering the museum world, engaged with the essential questions about the presentation and interpretation of historic American art.”
Fox Knappe shepherded the wildly popular 30 Americans exhibition and has been an integral part of the KC Art Now project, the museum’s initiative to collaborate with local artists and showcase and celebrate the creativity and diversity of our communities. She was responsible for museum acquisitions of important modern American art work by Leonard Pryor, Charles White, Helen Torr, and Doris Lee.

“Stephanie has extensive knowledge of modernism and contemporary art that not only builds upon her academic training, but through her extensive experience as a curator,” said William Keyse Rudolph, Deputy Director, Curatorial Affairs. “She also has deep relationships with the local art communities that help advance the museum’s mission of inclusivity in our collections, installations, and exhibitions.”

Fox Knappe holds a doctoral degree with honors in art history from the University of Kansas, where she taught several courses. She was the exhibition coordinator for the first traveling retrospective exhibition of the work of Aaron Douglas and served as acting curator, European and American painting and sculpture, at the Spencer Museum of Art at KU before joining the curatorial team at the Nelson-Atkins in 2008.

“After years working with the Nelson-Atkins’ impressive historic American collection, I am honored to have the opportunity to engage with, activate, and grow the global modern and contemporary holdings, including those parts of the collection that our visitors experience outside the museum in the Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park,” said Fox Knappe. “There are so many rich stories to tell and voices to center. I look forward to continuing to learn from and collaborate with artists and art lovers in Kansas City and beyond as well as with a new curator of American art.”

Fox Knappe has published articles and essays on a variety of topics and has contributed to multiple exhibition and collection catalogues including Tales from the Easel: American Narrative Paintings from Southeastern Museums, circa 1800-1950; Aaron Douglas: African American Modernist; and Continuum: Native North American Art at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. She has served as a juror for multiple exhibitions, including the Heartland Art Guild Miniature Competition, the Thomas Hart Benton Art Exhibition and Competition, and the San Antonio Art League and Museum Annual Exhibition, as well as for The Studios Inc residency in Kansas City. She also served as a mentor with the Andrew W. Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellowship program from 2014–2022. Fox Knappe’s promotion allows both continuity and a fresh look for the museum’s acclaimed collections of American, Global Modern and Contemporary Art within the landmark buildings as well as the sculpture park.

SARAH HYDE SCHMEIDLER, Senior Manager Community Programs, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a Mexican holiday that honors the spirits of loved ones who have passed on. The Nelson-Atkins’ annual Día de los Muertos festival is a Kansas City favorite, bringing together local communities, an international collaboration between artists, and live entertainment to host a colorful and spirited take on this timeless Mexican tradition.
Dia de los Muertos Festival 13th Annual Day of the Dead Festival
Presented by PNC Bank
Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023 | 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Free admission
Altar display Oct. 27-Nov. 6, there will be a Dia de los Muertos altar on display in Kirkwood Hall. This year’s display features larger-than-life alebrije – creatures that represent one’s spirit – alongside traditional altar elements. The innovative design is led by Miguel Bolívar from Mexico, thanks to the support of Museo de Arte Popular and the Consulate of Mexico in Kansas City. The altar is presented in collaboration with local artists and students, the Guadalupe Center High School Impact Academy, Mattie Rhodes Cultural Center, Belger Arts, and Hammerspace Community Workshop.

DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS SCHEDULE
Nelson-Atkins Building
Kirkwood Hall

• Altar display On view Oct. 27-Nov. 6 | Kirkwood Hall A colorful and imaginative collaboration between Mexican and Kansas City artists and students.
• Strolling Calacas |10:15-10:45 a.m. Snap a picture with women dressed in one-of-a-kind costumes and elaborate makeup and hair designs.
Sculpture Hall
• Meet the artist: Miguel Bolivar | 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Meet the Dia de los Muertos lead artist, Miguel Bolivar, and learn about this year’s altar display.
Atkins Auditorium
• Los Bailadores de Kansas City |10:30 –11:15 a.m. See dancers perform with beautiful handmade clothing.
• Rose Marie’s Fiesta Mexicana | Noon*–12:45 p.m. Experience traditional styles of Mexican dance by a local group founded in 1965. *Special welcoming remarks precede noon performance
• El Grupo Folklorico Atotonilco |1:30–2:15 p.m. & 3–3:45 p.m. Enjoy traditional dances representing various states in Mexico.
Room 4
• Pueblos Originarios de Oaxaca Market demonstrations |11 a.m.–4 p.m. Artisans from Oaxaca, Mexico demonstrate weaving traditions.
Educator Resource Center
• Information resources | Noon–4 p.m. View book selections and resources about Mexican culture.
Bloch Building
Lens 2
• Art activity | 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Decorate and color a Día de los Muertos paper mask.
Rockhill Room (Level 2)
• Traditional Mexican crafts demonstration by Virginia Oropeza | 1–4 p.m.
Spencer Art Reference Library (Level 2)
• Book display and activity | 1–4 p.m. Enjoy a special book display and color a Día de los Muertos paper mask.
Bloch Lobby
• Puppet-making demonstration by local artist Sue Moreno | 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
• Fashion show by Pueblos Originarios de Oaxaca Market | 10:30-10:45 a.m. & 11:30—11:45 a.m.
• Grupo Folklorico Alma Tapatia dance performance | 10:45-11:15 a.m.
• State of Sinoala dance performance by Grupo Folklorico MiSol De KC | 11:45 a.m. — noon
• Dia de los Muertos dance performance by Grupo Folklorico MiSol De KC | 12:15 — 12:30 p.m.
• Mariachi Fuego of Kansas City | 12—2 p.m. Enjoy lively mariachi music.
• Atzlan | 2:30–3:30 p.m. Experience the acoustic stylings of Aztlan.
Mexican food for purchase | 11a.m.–4 p.m.
Prices and selections vary.
• The Tamale Kitchen Food Truck | North Plaza Drive Serving fresh tamales and soft drinks. The Tamale Kitchen supports and provides opportunities for the Hispanic community of the Northeast Kansas City Area.
• Rozzelle Court Restaurant | Nelson-Atkins Building (plaza level) Enjoy a wide selection from our acclaimed menu.
The Nelson-Atkins Museum is located at 4525 Oak St. KCM
(816) 751-1278
www.nelson-atkins.org

JENNY MENDEZ, Director of Mattie Rhodes Cultural Center- 25TH Anniversary DIA DE LOS MUERTOS Community Ofrendas on view from OCTOBER 6 – NOVEMBER 3. COME HONOR LOVED ONES AND JOIN US AT THE COMMUNITY ALTARS AND ART EXHIBIT FOR THIS YEAR’S DIA DE LOS MUERTOS.
Calaca Light-Up Parade FIRST FRIDAY NOVEMBER 3, 6:00PM – 10:00 PM CLOSE OUR OUR ANNUAL DIA DE LOS MUERTOS CELEBRATION BY BEING PART OF OUR WESTSIDE CALACA LIGHT-UP PARADE! WALK THROUGH THE WESTSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD WITH US, BRING YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND LOVED ONES! END THE PARADE AT OUR FESTIVAL AND ENJOY FROM VENDOR GOODS, DELICIOUS LOCAL FOOD TRUCKS, ENTERTAINMENT, AND MAKE YOUR LAST STOP AT OUR GALLERY FOR A LAST LOOK AT ALTARS AND ARTWORK. NATIONAL ENDOMENTEARTS DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS FEATURED ARTIST: ISAAC TAPIA
MATTIE RHODES CULTURAL CENTER 1701 JARBOE ST KCM0 64108 www.mattierhodes.org

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