Creative Cafe

We explore one of the 45 stops for the November Art Hop with Steve Walsh, executive director of the Vine Neighborhood Association, and artists Janice March-Prelesnik of Music Medicine Collective, and Donna Vogtmann of Pysanky and Pyrographic Art. Originally aired on Saturday, November 25, 2025 at 8 am on WKZO 590 AM and 106.9 FM in Kalamazoo, MI.  Creative Cafe is a program of the Arts Council of...

Kristen interviews Executive Director of the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Michelle Hargrave, and the Director of the Kirk Newman Art School, Leslie Donaldson, about the 52nd Annual Holiday Art Show. Originally aired on Saturday, October 18, 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

Kristen sits back down with Negar Afazel, the founder of the Kalamazoo Violin Choir, to discuss the program's first year and plans for its continuation. Originally aired on Saturday, October 11, 2025 at 8 am on WKZO 590 Am and 106.9 FM in Kalamazoo, MI. Creative Cafe is a program of the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.  Home - KalamazooArts.org

Kristen interviews Julie White, the interim Executive Director, and Marissa Bianan, the Artistic Director of Wellspring, about its 45th season - the concerts, classes, and events that make up their path forward. Originally aired on Saturday, October 4, 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 - Kal...

Kristen interviews Montana Major, owner, and Jasper Hursley, studio manager, of the new Kalamazoo Kiln Room.  The Kiln Room has been open for about a year at Jericho in the Edison Neighborhood.  It caters to ceramic artists in our area seeking classes and kiln services, marking the expansion of services offered to an increasingly growing artist community here in Kalamazoo. This episode originally...

Kristen hosted a panel discussion during the Brush the Block mural festival with Emma Master, program director of the Edison Neighborhood Association; Mary Kenney, a local artist and art committee member for St. Thomas More Catholic Student Parish; and Stacy Davison, DDA coordinator for Texas Township. They discussed RFQs and RFPs, the importance of public art, and their approaches to seeking publ...

The topic we all love to hate - budgeting.  At the Creative Cafe, we spent some time with finance professionals Eric Johnson, Benjamin Stap, and Christina Burr, from Your Part-Time Controller, about their upcoming Artist Happy Hour on September 17th in the Joliffe Theatre from 6 - 8 pm. They talk about the importance and challenges of budgeting for artistic priorities. Originally aired on Saturday...

Kristen Interviews Channon Mondoux, the Festival Director for the Canadiana Fest, now in its third year. They talk about the growth of the event, and what to expect if you attend. Originally aired on Saturday, September 6, 2025 at  am on WKZO 590 AM and 106.9 FM in Kalamazoo, MI. Creative Cafe is a program of the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.  Home - KalamazooArts.org

Kristen sits down with local artist Sara Slaughter and programs director Kim Shaw to talk about the September Art Hop happening on September 5, 2025, from 5 -8 pm in Kalamazoo, MI. Originally aired on Saturday, August 30, 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

Kristen sits down with Cara Lieurance, Sandra Bremer, and Bryan Zocher to discuss the Community Arts Awards. Each person has been awarded the Community Medal of Arts in the past and has also nominated others for various awards presented by the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.  Listen to their perspectives as you think about who you might nominate. Originally aired on Saturday, August 23, 2025, a...

In the final installment of a three-part series exploring the Brush the Block Mural Festival, Kristen and Kim talk with local artists Patrick Hershberger and Ellen Vandermyde about their respective murals, their work, and what draws them to large outdoor canvases as an outlet for their creativity. Originally aired on Saturday, August 16, 2025, at 8 am on WKZO 590 AM and 106.9 FM in Kalamazoo, MI....

In part two of this three-part series on the Brush the Block Mural Festival, Kristen and Kim Shaw visit with Heidi Weiss and Chafe Hensley about the mural they will be creating and their local partnership to bring creativity to Kalamazoo. Originally aired on Saturday, August 9, 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 -...

In the first of this three-part series, Kristen learns more about the artists selected to paint the public murals for the inaugural Brush the Block mural festival . In part one, she speaks with Kim Shaw , the Festival Director, and Dania Grevengoed , a muralist from Grand Rapids. Originally aired on Saturday, August 2, 2025, at 8 am, on WKZO 590 AM and 106.9 FM. Creative Cafe is a program of the A...

Kristen interviews Jeremy Koch, the Managing Artistic Director, about Season 18 of the Farmers Alley Theatre.  Originally aired on Saturday, July 26, 2025 on WKZO 590 Am and 106.9 FM in Kalamazoo, MI.    Creative Cafe is a program of the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.  Home - KalamazooArts.org

Kristen finishes her conversation with Shonda Buchanan about her career, and most recent publications. Originally aired on July 19, 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 and Kim Shaw sit down with Amy O'Donnell-Lueth and Maya James, two of the seven artists slated to complete murals for the inaugural mural festival in Kalamazoo, called Brush the Block. The festival will take place from September 2-7, 2025.  Originally aired on Saturday, July 12, 2025, at 8 AM on WKZO 590 AM and 106.9 FM in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Creative Cafe is a program of the Arts Co...

Kristen sits down with Kim Shaw to detail the artists and activities that will comprise the July Art Hop, as well as a sneak peek at the artist reveal set to take place during the Bronson Hop as part of Art Hop! Visit KalamazooArtHop.org to see all the stops planned for Friday.  Originally aired on Saturday, July 5, 2025, at 8 am on WKZO 590 AM and 106.9 FM in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Creative Cafe is...

Kristen sits down with Eltine DeYoung, executive director of Vicksburg Arts to talk about her new appointment and the current programs of the organization. Originally aired on Saturday, June 28, 2025 on WKZO 590 AM and 106.9 FM in Kalamazoo, MI. Creative Cafe is a program of the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.  Home - KalamazooArts.org

Kristen interviews local artist and educator, Shonda Buchanan, about her newest book release, a book of poetry entitled The Lost Songs of Nina Simone . Originally aired on Saturday, June 21, 2025, at 8 am on WKZO 590 AM and 106.9 FM in Kalamazoo, MI. Creative Cafe is a program of the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.  Home - KalamazooArts.org

Kristen interviews Museum Program Coordinator Stephanie Willoughby and KVCC Instructor and local artist Aubrey Rodgers about the new interactive Wallace and Grommit, and Shaun the Sheep exhibit called Sheer Genius! Originally aired on Saturday, June 14, 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 - Kal...

Kristen enjoys a plein air interview with Art on the Mall artists Jasper Hursley and Kenyatta Ray, Programs Director Kim Shaw, and Kalamazoo Concert Band Board Member Susan Carter, discussing all the fun planned for the second day of Art on the Mall and Sunday's Concert in the Park in Bronson Park.  Originally aired on Saturday, June 7, 2025, at 8 am on WKZO AM 590 and 106.9 FM. Creative Cafe...

Kristen sits down with Christopher Terkos, Executive Director of Outfront; Nancy Waldoch, the Advancement Liaison for the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts; and Kim Shaw, the Arts Council’s Program Director top discuss the JumpstArt weekend, June 6-8 in which our community will be able to enjoy, Kalamazoo Pride, KIA Art Fair in Bronson Park, the Art on the Mall Festival, the Doo Dah Parade, and the firs...

Kristen sits down with Keith Kirchoff, the President of SPLICE. This is a national organization with ties to Kalamazoo through Western Michigan University, exploring the intricate world of meshing electronic and acoustic music. Originally aired on Saturday, May 24, 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....

Kristen interviews Kim Shaw, Programs director; Ed Genesis, artist and producer; and Barbie Dunn, recreation programs/events manager for the City of Portage, about their roles in putting together the different music series that make up part of the 13-venue, 125-performance schedule from May through September 2025. Originally aired on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at 8 am on WKZO 590 AM and 106.9 FM. Cre...

Kristen interviews Laura Weiler, independent artist and illustrator, Eric Schmidt, web designer and developer, and Eric Oliphant, membership and operation director at the Arts Council about the upcoming Artist Happy Hour, set to take place on Wednesday, May 21st at 5:30 pm at the Kalamazoo Promise. We spend a little time talking about the importance of an online presence for artists, what that loo...