Creative Cafe
Episodes
242 episodes
We were LIVE at Art on the Mall 2026!
Kristen Chesak and Kim Shaw of the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo talked with Val Birch, Carolyn Fink, and Kaitlin Gotcher - artists involved in this year's Art on the Mall Festival. We discussed the uniqueness of presenting artwork ou...
Celebrating 40 years of Art on the Mall
This week on Creative Café, we preview Art on the Mall as it celebrates its 40th anniversary in downtown Kalamazoo. Hear from Kim Shaw of the Arts Council and Jennifer Prenkert Hudson of Sounds of the Zoo as they share what to expect from this ...
Reverend Millard Southern III - Music, Faith, Democracy, and Community
On this episode, Kristen Chesak sits down with Reverend Millard Southern III—pastor of historic Allen Chapel AME Church, accomplished trumpeter, scholar, and community leader. Together they discuss the powerful connection between music, faith, ...
New Executive Director of the Stulberg International String Competition - Dr. Garrett Jones
On this episode we welcome Garrett Jones, the new Executive Director of the Stulberg International String Competition. A seasoned arts leader and accomplished musician, Garrett shares his journey to Kalamazoo, what excites him about leading one...
Bars for a Cause: A Mic for Meals Initiative
This week on Creative Café on WKZO, Kristen Chesak welcomes back purpose driven hip hop artist Slym Beno along with Kalamazoo DJ, host, and entertainment entrepreneur DJ Certified. Together, they discuss the power of creativity to inspire chang...
Glow Hall - Kalamazoo's newest space for creativity
This week on Creative Café, we’re joined by Christopher Keener, owner of Glow Hall in downtown Kalamazoo, a new all-ages space for music, art, and creative community. From group singing to live shows and youth programs, discover how Glow Hall i...
Lavendar Home Project - Drue McPherson Part II
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 th...
House, Human, Home - Drue McPherson Part I
This week on Creative Café, we sit down with Kalamazoo-based artist, architect, and salon owner Drue McPherson. We explore his thesis work, House, Human, Home, and the powerful ideas behind his Pinkwashing project, examining how identi...
Creativity in Action - Edison Neighborhood
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. ...
Nike Designer Wilson W. Smith III - Don't miss it!
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 exhibitio...
A Conversation Through Us - Negar Dena Afazel
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 e...
Akiko Yamamoto, Prairie Ronde Artist Residency - Part III
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 p...
Catching up with Queer Theatre
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.
RADFest 17
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 jo...
Art Hop 2026 - Kalamazoo Candle Company
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 ...
Angels in America at the Civic - AIDS Quilt makes a visit
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 mes...
Mariana Norena, Prairie Ronde Residency Artist - Part II
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
Xingyu Huang, Prairie Ronde Spring Residency - Part I
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...
Eclectic Glass Guild - Celebrating 10 years
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 Satur...
Purpose-Driven Hip Hop - Slym Beno
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 i...
Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks at the KIA
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...
Institute of Public Scholarship - "We See You"
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...
The Power of Storytelling Part 2
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, ...
The Power of Storytelling Part 1
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...
New Year's Fest Kalamazoo is 40!
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 Satu...