From stainless steel labradors to an epic tale in 1-minute episodes: Checking in with the Missouri Arts Council's featured March artists
Each month the Missouri Arts Council features four artists on its website from a variety of arts genres, and on this week's show Diana Moxon checks in with the March four: writer, storyteller and Classical Indian Dancer, Nartana Premachandra from St Louis; stainless steel sculptor Doug Cox from Republic (Springfield); realist with a hint of the surreal painter Natalie Wiseman from Joplin; and abstract geometric painter and ceramicist Kevin Umaña in Kansas City. You can read more about the artists at https://www.missouriartscouncil.org/featured-artists/ as well as on their own websites: https://www.nartanapremachandra.com/; https://jdcoxrocksmetalart.com/; https://www.nataliewisemanartist.com/; https://kevin-umana.com/. Thanks, as always, to guitarist Yasmin Williams (http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/) for the show's opening and closing music, 'Restless Heart'.
Juneteenth activist Miss Opal Lee, her grandson, actor Richard Harris and a new production of 'Satchmo at the Waldorf'
Miss Opal Lee of Fort Worth Texas has been promoting June 19th as a day of unity and freedom for over 40 years and last year delivered a petition of 1.5 million signatures to congress to recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday. On this week's show Miss Opal shares with Diana Moxon her history with the Juneteenth celebration and her lifelong commitment to education. In Act II of the show her grandson, Columbia-based actor and musician Richard Harris, talks about playing Louis Armstrong, his manager Joe Glaser and Miles Davis in the one-man play 'Satchmo at the Waldorf' about the life of Louis Armstrong, opening to limited audiences next weekend at Columbia Entertainment Company. To sign Miss Opal's petition to recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday go to www.therealopallee.com before the end of February. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to Yasmin Williams www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com