Creative Cafe

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...

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