Skip to content

Spring Fund Drive

The on-air portion of our fund drive has ended, but there's still time to help close the gap in our overall goal by March 31st. If you've yet to donate, please give now! If you've already supported or are a sustaining donor to KBCS, thank you so much!

$110,000 Goal

98.11%

Drive ends: March 31, 2024

Please enable your javascript to have a better view of the website. Click here to learn more about it.
index.php

Honoring the Nikkei Farmers of Bellevue

 
Prior to World War II, Bellevue, Washington was home to a powerful and vibrant Japanese American community.  In 1942 the United States government forcibly evacuated and incarcerated sixty Japanese American farming families from Bellevue.  They were among 120,000 Japanese Americans who were sent to incarceration camps from along the west coast.  
 
After the war, only a handful of these families returned to Bellevue because many of them lost their land and work here. 
 
Local artist, Michelle Kumata and creative director, Tani Ikeda, honor this community with an art display at Bellevue Arts Museum.  It’s titled ‘Emerging Radiance: Honoring the Nikkei Farmers of Bellevue.  
 
Kumata also has a solo exhibit titled Regeneration at Bonfire Gallery in Seattle’s Chinatown International District through April 7th
 
 
 
 
Audio Story Producer: Yuko Kodama
 
Photo: Courtesy of Michelle Kumata Taken by John Lok
 

Not Yo’ Butterfly – Nobuko Miyamoto

Nobuko Miyamoto is an activist, music and dance artist, who found her political and artistic voice in the Asian American movement. As a child, she and her parents were incarcerated in the internment camps.  Later, she performed on Broadway and has since produced many creative works. Over the past few decades, Miyamoto has been facilitating workshops to encourage her community to tell their personal stories.  Listen to Miyamoto’s reflection of the past year and the importance of expressing your story. (more…)

Yes! Magazine: Native Photographer Reflects on His Time at Standing Rock

Yes! Magazine’s Bailey Williams speaks with Josue Rivas, an award winning photographer and film director, who specializes in challenging the main stream narrative of indigenous people.  In Yes! Magazine’s Spring 2018 “decolonize” issue, he published a photo essay about his time at Standing Rock. In this interview, Rivas reflects on his time at Standing Rock and discusses his larger project, titled “Standing Strong”.

(more…)

Kehinde Wiley

African American artist, Kehinde Wiley, captivates audiences with his work. He’s a seasoned artist but many are meeting him for the first time through his exhibit, A New Republic, on display at the Seattle Art Museum. The Seattle Art Museum was intentional in choosing to open Wiley’s exhibit during Black History Month. They were also intentional about choosing partners to create relevant programming for the exhibit. Sonya Green spoke with SAM’s Kayla Skinner Deputy Director for Education + Public Programs, Regan Pro and with Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture, Arts Education Manager Lara Davis. Lara works with Creative Advantage, one of SAM’s community partners.

Art for Social Change

Some people might think of art as being easy-on-the-eye and created by professional artists to show off at fancy places.  Beverly Naidus, a professional in Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Washington, Tacoma, wants to make art accessible to anyone.  She doesn’t stop there though – she wants art to spur and encourage social change.

Guests:

Professor Beverly Naidus the author of “Arts for Change: Teaching Outside the Frame”.

Rachel Ervin is a writer and just graduated from UW Tacoma in Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, with an emphasis in Arts, Media and Culture.

Jenn Soikowski is a current student at UW Tacoma with a double emphasis.  One in Ethnic, Gender and Labor Studies and the other in Arts, Media and Culture, with an emphasis in Visual Art.

Listen to the interview: KBCS_M+I_20130620_Art for Social Change

Share this story by clicking the Facebook or Twitter icon on the right side of the screen.