Arts and Culture

Grass Roots Organizing and the Community, Faith, and Labor Groups of Mid-Missouri added a political twist to holiday caroling in Columbia Monday. Together they caroled outside the headquarters of several Missouri politicians urging them to protect Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security as well as raise taxes for the wealthy. Listen to this audio postcard to hear the carolers lobbying with song.

Watch the show and join the conversation on the Intersection website.

Volunteering programs set up in both Boone and Callaway Counties have seen an increase in families asking for assistance this holiday season.  And many other families and organizations have stepped in to provide the assistance.

This has been an eventful year when it comes to Iranian filmmakers.  

Watch the show and join the conversation on the Intersection website.

Klaus Heymann has built NAXOS into one of the world's largest classical music labels. Based in Hong Kong, NAXOS has developed a business model that has led to growth in classical music sales and downloads in a time when sales of physical recordings are generally in decline. KBIA's Trevor Harris recently visited with NAXOS's founder and President Klaus Heymann. Here is their conversation about the economics and politics of recording and distributing classical music in the 21st century.

During the holiday weeks, foster children at the Boys and Girls Town Columbia wait in anticipation for the chance to spend the holidays with their relatives or foster parents. Yet as the days pass, some of the young people have to deal with the disappointment of not having a home to go to for the holiday.

In a seaside town just east of Havana, there’s an old colonial house where writers, artists and volunteers have been publishing handmade books for nearly three decades. This publishing collective calls itself Ediciones Vigia, or the Watchtower Editions.

The National Safety Council estimates that more than 400 traffic fatalities will occur during the holiday period starting today and continuing through Sunday night.  

“One Mizzou Week” kicked off with a diversity rally Monday night.

One Mizzou is hosting a series of events throughout the week, including last night's keynote speaker, author Maya Angelou. The week’s events are meant to challenge MU students to recognize and incorporate diverse voices into every aspect of campus life. Senior Coordinator of the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center Nathan Stephens said he wants the campus to become a better community by students getting to know more people.

Residents of Versailles, Missouri are aware of what makes the town hum. KBIA's Trevor Harris met some residents who expressed their appreciation for close friendships and the commerce that visitors to the Lake of the Ozarks bring. One hidden gem in Versailles? The Historic Royal Theater on the square presents live theater and concerts that are a central part of the town's cultural landscape.

To promote both fun and safety, organizations throughout Columbia have been offering special Halloween events. The Columbia Department of Parks and Recreation hosts the “Tiger Night of Fun” -- an alternative event held at Hearnes Center Field House, where children of young families can be in a safe, supervised environment.

Spokesperson Janel Twehous said the department first offered its Halloween event 18 years ago when there were fears of tainted candy. Twehous said the department wanted to offer a safe alternative to door-to-door trick-or-treating.

Watch the show and join the conversation on the Intersection website.

A couple dozen members of The North Cherokee Nation of the Old Louisiana Territory took part in an annual reunion in Columbia last weekend.

The tribe has about 10,000 members scattered across the country, but are headquartered in Columbia, Mo.  Beverly Baker has served as the chief of the nation for 27 years and has worked to uncover the tribe’s history, which she says dates back to Spanish documents from 1721.

“I was one of the fortunate ones who found my Cherokee ancestry on the first Cherokee roll of 1835.  So I am very fortunate in that way,” Baker said.

The State Historical Society of Missouri is working to digitize the thousands of records in their archives. Along the way, staff has rediscovered many significant documents, including one written by an American founding father.

Last Friday, more than a hundred would-be entrepreneurs got together for an annual event called Startup Weekend.  The fast paced, company building workshop brings big ideas down to earth in just 54 hours.  125 participants with laptop and smartphones gather to build small, lean companies that might grow into something much bigger.

The University of Missouri swings into its 2012 Celebrate Ability Week with an adaptive golf demonstration at the MU Student Recreation Complex.

Dany Baker, who has golfed for more than 30 years, began participating in Celebrate Ability Week four years ago.

“I just want to help spread the awareness and help educate, so they can take it on as far as telling their hometown golf courses that they need to be accessible," Baker says.