Artspeak Radio with Edgar Galicia, John Hoffman, and Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, October 5, 2022, noon – 1pm CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org

Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes art Edgar Galicia Executive Director of the Central Avenue Betterment Association, art collector John Hoffman, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Learning and Engagement Kreshaun McKinney and Anne Gatsche.

EDGAR GALICIA -Executive Director of the Central Avenue Betterment Association, The Central Avenue Betterment Association invites you to participate in the Third Annual Central Avenue Day of the Dead Parade. Enact the joy of being reunited with your loved ones who have passed and enjoy the culture and community!
Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de Muertos) is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico, in particular the Central and South regions, and by people of Mexican ancestry living in other places, especially the United States. It is acknowledged internationally in many other cultures.
The multi-day holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to ask for the wellbeing of and remember friends and family members who have died, and help support their spiritual journey.

Prior to Spanish colonization in the 16th century, the celebration took place at the beginning of summer. Gradually, it was associated with October 31, November 1 and November 2 to coincide with the Western Christian triduum of “Allhallowtide”: All Saints’ Eve, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day.
Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars called “Ofrendas”, honoring the deceased using “Calaveras”, Aztec marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts.

Scholars trace the origins of the modern Mexican holiday to indigenous observances dating back hundreds of years and to an Aztec festival dedicated to the goddess “Mictecacihuatl” The holiday has spread throughout the world, being absorbed within other deep traditions for honoring the dead.
It has become a national symbol and as such is taught (for educational purposes) in the nation’s schools. In 2008, the tradition was inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

This celebration is acknowledged internationally in many other cultures. The multi-day holiday including the Parade focuses on gatherings of family and friends to ask for and remember friends and family members who have died, and help support their spiritual journey. In 2008, the tradition was inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. We all can be part of the celebration!

The Third Annual Central Avenue Day of the Dead Parade
Saturday, November 5
1303 Central Ave. Kansas City, Kansas
The Central Avenue Betterment Association invites you to participate in the Third Annual Central Avenue Day of the Dead Parade. Enact the joy of being reunited with your loved ones who have passed.
Celebration program:
Face Painting – 11:00am – 5:00pm
Food, Art, Ofrendas, Car Show – 12:00pm – 9:00pm
Live Entertainment – 2:00pm – 6:00pm
VIP Lounge – 2:00pm – 8:00pm
Walking Catrinas – 3:00pm – 6:00pm
Parade – 6:00pm – 7:30pm
All fun ends at 9:00pm

Central Avenue Betterment Association
Mission: Shall be to improve the Quality of Life and Economic Development of the Central Avenue Area and its Territory of Operation
Vision: This mission shall be accomplished by promoting;
youth education, improving family structure and stability, promoting neighborhood enhancement and maintenance in addition to economic development.
Our method is to lead by example in promoting culture, facilitating entrepreneurship, and increasing business grouth within the association’s territory
www.cabakck.org

JOHN HOFFMAN served with the Peace Corps in South America after college. I learned that it was a big diverse world with many, many issues.

“When I came back, I began to think, how could I get involved domestically in the same way I had been involved in the Peace Corps internationally? I looked back to my early years in Kansas City, when I had been involved with the Boys’ Club and my family had been involved in breaking down barriers in the downtown business clubs. So it was really in my background, my family’s background, to be involved in the urban community.

After we got married, we started looking at where we wanted to spend our time and our energy, and it was in the arts and urban issues. My parents had been collectors of art and it was natural for us to get involved at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

Ted Coe was then the senior curator, and he took us under his wing. He said he’d like to work with a group of young people and teach them about contemporary art and how to collect. That was the beginning of our collecting art.”
Hoffman is the founder of Arts Alive KC a non-profit organization that promotes the visual and performing arts in Greater Kansas City through social events hosted by a different organization each month.
Translation: we’re a bunch of individuals who want to learn more about and enjoy the arts while having a good time. For a nominal fee, we meet for food and drink, then attend a play or dance performance, listen to a symphony or an artist talk about his/her work, take a tour through a gallery collection, visit a tattoo parlor or whatever is on the current month’s agenda.
www.artsalivekc.org

KRESHAUN MCKINNEY, ANNE GATSCHE -This fall, as Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art welcomes the first in-person school field trips since March 2020, the museum announced three new volunteer roles in the Kemper Museum Docent Program, which was reimagined during the pandemic to
become more accessible to both volunteers and to visitors. Equipped with a new structure and virtual programs developed over the past two years, the museum is actively recruiting volunteers for a variety of positions that encourage visitors to engage with contemporary art and ideas and help to create a sense of belonging for people
from all backgrounds.
The new volunteer roles include museum engagement volunteers, who welcome visitors to the museum and facilitate engagement activities; young visitors guides, who lead tours and engagement programs for schools and families; and teen and adult guides who engage museum visitors over the age of 13. The roles are open to all, and
each includes training—no art experience is required to apply, just a genuine interest in contemporary art and ideas. The next training begins Saturday, October 1.
All Kemper Museum programs remain free and open to the public, thanks to the generous support of members and donors. The Kemper Museum Docent Program is supported by the Family of Mary Beth Smith.
More information is available at www.kemperart.org/volunteer-opportunities.
Located in Kansas City, MO, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art exhibits, collects, and educates in a free and welcoming environment for all. The museum’s growing Permanent Collection aims to reflect the vitality, complexity, and unfolding patterns
within modern and contemporary art and culture. Special exhibitions, installations, lectures, and workshops, as well as youth, teen, and inter-generational programs provide
resources for communities to engage with the issues of our time, derive inspiration, discover outlets for self-expression and dialogue, learn directly from living artists, and bring deeper meaning to their lives. Admission, programs, and parking are always free.
www.kemperart.org | @kempermuseum

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