Creative Cafe

This week on Creative Café, we continue our conversation with Drue McPherson and are joined by Kim Shaw from the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo. Learn more about the Lavender Home Project and get a preview of Drue’s upcoming exhibition in the Westin Gallery during the May Art Hop, themed PLAY. Originally aired on Saturday, April 25, 2026 at 8 am on WKZO 590 Am and 106.9 FM Creative Cafe is a pr...

This week on Creative Café, we’re talking about creativity in action in Kalamazoo’s Edison Neighborhood. I’m joined by Emma Master to share how an Arts Fund grant is supporting a public art residency that brings artists and community together. Tune in to hear how local artists are transforming everyday space into something powerful. Originally aired on Saturday, April 11, 2026 at 8 am on WKZO 590...

On Creative Café, we sit down with Jennifer Cooley and Miriam Thomas to talk about bringing legendary Nike designer Wilson W. Smith III to Kalamazoo for a special Artful Evening. Hear how this event connects to the Future Now exhibition and why you won’t want to miss it on April 16 at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. Originally aired on Saturday, April 4, 2026 at 8 am on WKZO 590 AM and 106.9 FM....

Violinist Negar Dena Afazel joins Creative Café to discuss her new performance “A Conversation Through Us,” a powerful collaboration with vocalist Tricia Tetzlaff that blends violin, voice, and storytelling to explore the shared experiences of women across time and culture. We’ll also talk about the creative vision behind the piece and how the current war in Iran is shaping its outcome. Originally...

We round out our 3-part series on the Prairie Ronde Artist Residency with Akiko Yamamoto, a Japanese-born, Brooklyn-based artist whose work explores migration, identity, and cultural translation through intricate layers of paper, texture, and process. Her work has been exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum and featured in The New York Times, and now she is bringing her practice to Southwest Michigan th...

 Connar Klock joins us to talk about the current projects and shows being undertaken by Queer Theatre Kalamazoo. We chat about shows, playwright projects, and upcoming auditions, and construction projects.  Creative Cafe is a program of the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.  Home - KalamazooArts.org

We were live from Epic Center, talking with artists from RADFest 17, the region's best Alternative Dance Festival. We spoke with Wellspring Artistic Director Marissa Bianan, RADFest curator Jennifer Glaws, and Claire Porter, who has made the journey to share their talents with their peers and our community. Originally aired on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at 8 am on WKZO 590 Am and 106.9 FM. Crea...

 The March 2026 Art Hop is right around the corner, and we sit down with Adam McFarlin of the Kalamazoo Candle Company, one of the event’s longtime mainstays. Now in a new home on the Kalamazoo Mall, Adam shares how the business continues to evolve, along with exciting new initiatives designed to bring our community even closer to the world of makers. Originally aired on Saturday, February 28, 202...

The Kalamazoo Civic Theatre is presenting Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches . Director D. Terry Williams and Director of Volunteers Mike Artis sit down to discuss this epic and deeply moving production, the powerful messages it carries, and why it remains profoundly relevant today. They also share how the community can engage more deeply with the experience through additional prog...

Creative Café continues its three-part series featuring the artists selected for the 2026 Spring Residency at Prairie Ronde in Vicksburg. In Part 2, host Kristen speaks with Bogotá-born, Chicago-based multidisciplinary artist Mariana Noreña . Mariana’s work explores relationships to place through ecology, history, and material memory, often using natural and locally sourced materials to reflect on...

In Part 1 of this 3-part series, Kristen learns more about the artists that will make up the 2026 Spring Residency at Prairie Ronde in Vicksburg, beginning with Artist Xingyu Huang, someone who currently splits their time between Chicago and LA. We will learn what this urban artist is looking to get out of this rural experience. Originally aired on Saturday, February 10, 2026 at 8 am on WKZO 590 A...

It is the 10th anniversary of the Eclectic Glass Guild here in Kalamazoo. We celebrate this milestone with Judy Konesni and Jeanne Zumburs to chat about glass, community and what it takes to build something that lasts. Originally aired on Saturday, Janaury 31, 2026 on WKZO 590 AM and 106.9 FM in Kalamazoo, MI. Creative Cafe is a program of the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.  Home - KalamazooAr...

Today on Creative Cafe, we are joined by Slym Beno, a purpose-driven hip hop artist whose work blends motivational lyricism, faith-influenced storytelling, and an unwavering commitment to authenticity. Originally from Cleveland and now rooted in Michigan, Slym Beno represents P One Entertainment, a platform built around purpose, opportunity, and community impact. His latest project, The Big P EP,...

On this episode, we explore how museums are not only places where we revisit the past, but spaces that help us imagine the future, and why a bold new exhibition opening this February invites Kalamazoo audiences to think differently about design, innovation, and creativity in everyday life. Originally aired on WKZO 590 Am and 106.9 FM on Saturday, January 17, 2026, at 8 am in Kalamazoo, MI. Creativ...

As we begin 2026, we are continuing our conversation about storytelling and the power of community voices. Today, we are joined by Dr. Michelle Johnson and Denise Miller of the Institute of Public Scholarship. We will be talking about how their work centers around cultural expression, storytelling, and community voice to support justice, healing, and creative life in Kalamazoo. Originally aired on...

In part two of this 2-part series, Kristen Chesak continues her discussion with Marcel Fable Price about the power of storytelling, and the healing it provides. We enjoy one of Marcel's original fables. Originally aired on Saturday, January 3, 2025, at 8 am on WKZO 590 AM and 106.9 FM in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Creative Cafe is a program of the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.  Home - Kalamazo...

In this two-part series, Marcel Fable Price joins Kristen Chesak to discuss the power of stories and storytelling, how this rich tradition transcends all cultures and societies, and how storytelling can be a powerful form of healing. Originally aired on Saturday, December 27, 2025, at 8 am on WKZO 590 AM and 106.9 FM in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Creative Cafe is a program of the Arts Council of Greater...

Deb Droppers, Director, and Adam Ostrander, Board Member of New Year's Fest, reminisce about 40 years of alcohol-free family fun during Downtown Kalamazoo's New Year's Fest. Get a preview of the 2025 schedule of events. Originally aired on Saturday, December 20, 2025 at 8 am on WKZO 590 AM and 106.9 FM in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Creative Cafe is a program of the Arts Council of Greater...

Kristen sits down with Jane Ghosh, President and CEO of Discover Kalamazoo, Bob Lewis, Partner at Millennium Restaurant Group, and Fritz Brown of Treystar to talk about the economic and social impact of festivals in downtown Kalamazoo, specifically the most recent Brush the Block Mural Festival. Originally aired on Saturday, December 13, 2025 at 8 am on WKZO 590 Am and 106.9 FM in Kalamazoo, MI. C...

In our final installment of the 5-part series spotlighting the 2025 Community Arts Award recipients, we sit down with Community Medal of Arts Recipients Robin Nott and Brad Wong. Originally aired on Saturday, December 6, 2025, at 8 am on WKZO 590 AM and 106.9 FM in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Creative Cafe is a program of the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.  Home - KalamazooArts.org

Kristen sits down with Elaine Unzicker, Aubrey Rodgers, and Kim Shaw to preview the December 2025 Art Hop. The theme is CREATE! Enjoy 55 stops, and more than 250 artists at the largest Art Hop of the year. This episode originally aired on Saturday, November 29, 2025 at 8 am on WKZO 590 AM and 106.9 FM Creative Cafe is a program of the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.  Home - KalamazooArts.org

In the fourth of our five-part series, we celebrate two of the four Community Medal of Arts recipients, Fran Dwight and Al Harris, Jr. We will celebrate the recipients in person on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, at 7 pm in the Lake Auditorium on the KVCC campus. Originally aired on Saturday, November 22, 2025, at 8 am on WKZO 590 AM and 106.9 FM in Kalamazoo, MI Creative Cafe is a program of the Arts...

Today we are celebrating the 2025 recipients of Epic Award. We talk to Jeremy Koch and Rob Weiner of Farmers Alley Theatre and John Kern of Prairie Ronde Residency and Gallery. We will celebrate both in person on December 9, 2025 at 7 pm at the Lake Auditorium on the campus of KVCC. Originally aired on Saturday, November 15, 2025 at 8 am on WKZO 590 AM and 106.9 FM in Kalamazoo, MI. Creative Cafe...

Welcome to the second episode in a 5-part series celebrating the 2025 Community Arts Awards. Today we are celebrating April Woodward Slack, recipient of the Gayle Hoogstraten Arts Leadership Award, and Lynn Chen-Zhang, one of the founders of Zhang Financial, recipient of the 2025 Business Arts Award. We will celebrate the 2025 Community Arts Award in person on Tuesday, December 9, 2025 at 7 pm in...

Welcome to our first in a series of 5 episodes celebrating the 2025 Community Arts Awards. Today, we talk with Ivan Tai and Felix Bahrou. The Community Arts Awards will be celebrated in person on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, at 7:00 pm pm at the Lake Auditorium on the KVCC campus. Originally aired on Saturday, November 1, 2025 at 8 am on WKZO 590 and 106.9 FM in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Creative Cafe is...