ARTSPEAK RADIO with Johnson, Salazar, Marron, & Wilks

Wednesday March 28, noon to 1pm CST
KKFI 90.1fm Kansas City Community Radio

On this special program, host/producer Maria Vasquez Boyd invited guests Michelle Tyrene Johnson, MG Salazar, Rodolfo Marron III, and Ryan Wilks to share their insight and opinions about cultural appropriation in the arts.

Wikipedia defines cultural appropriation, cultural misappropriations, as a concept in sociology dealing with the adoption of the elements of a minority culture by members of the dominant culture. It is distinguished from equal cultural exchange due to the prescience of a colonial element and imbalance of power. Cultural (mis)appropriation is often portrayed as harmful in contemporary cultures, and is claimed to be a violation of the collective intellectual property rights of the originating, minority cultures, notably indigenous cultures and those living under colonial rule. Often unavoidable when multiple cultures come together, cultural exchange, as well as misappropriations, can include using other cultures’ cultural and religious tradition, fashion, symbols, language, and songs.

Often the original meaning of these cultural elements is lost or distorted and such displays are often viewed as disrespectful or even as a form of desecration, by members of the originating culture. Cultural elements which may have deep meaning to the original culture may be reduced “exotic” fashion or toys by those from the dominant culture. Kjerstin Johnson has written that when this is done, the imitator, “who does not experience that oppression is able to ‘play’ temporarily, an ‘exotic’ other, without experiencing any of the daily discriminators faced by other cultures.”

Michelle Tyrene Johnson covers race, identity and culture issues for KCUR public radio, is a diversity and inclusion consultant and speaker, and a playwright.

MG Salazar is an artist, activist and business owner residing in Kansas City, Missouri. Salazar has published two books of poetry, the latest being “Striking the Black Snake: Poems from Standing Rock”, written while Salazar was serving as a water protector at Oceti Sakowin, North Dakota. They are the proprietor of The Skullery Maid, a vintage and curiosities shop located at 43rd and Walnut, by the Kansas City Art Institute. Salazar is a member of The Latino Writers Collective and a founding member of Brown Voices/Brown Pulse, a poetry series aimed at highlighting non-white voices.

Rodolfo Maroon III newest body of work he looks to explore the broad language of Chicanx culture through alters, religious imagery, portraiture, slang, and various media; as he shrouds/masks photographs of brown figures using glitter, tinsel, wallpaper, Cheetos® Flamin’ Hots etc. His works on paper are juxtaposed with phrases from the “Caló” language, to help further comment on narratives revolving death, immigration, ritual, cultural spirituality and identity within the Latinx community.
www.rodolfomarron.com

Ryan Wilks is a self -taught artist born in Kansas City, working predominately in the medium of oil paints and watercolor. Major themes in his work centralize on issues of gender and sexual identity. He is known for using his art to incept ideas into the minds of his patrons and viewers, with the hope of inspiring a dialogue about those ideas. He has traveled across the country, studying artists in Chicago as well as San Francisco; providing a less conventional education, which helped shape his execution of human form as well as his subject matter. His newest project, Here Where You Wish, will be a 3 month instillation at the Downtown Public Library in April of 2018.
www.wilkspainting.com

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