A singer songwriter, a fashion artist, a portrait painter, and a fiber artist: Checking in with the Missouri Arts Council's featured May 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 May artists: Singer songwriter Mick Byrd in Vienna who won a Billboard magazine award with the first song he wrote on his return to music in his late 30's; Yoro Newson, a jeweler and stylist in St Louis who creates fashionable art and had one of her creations catch the eye of the world's biggest pop star; Benjamin Parks, a portrait artist in Kansas City who works way beyond life size; and Jo Stealey, a fiber artist in Columbia who is a master of texture and volume. You can see, and hear, the works of this week's guests on their websites: https://www.mickbyrd.com/; https://yorocreations.wixsite.com/yoro; http://benjaminparks.info/; http://www.jostealey.com/. Thanks, as always, to guitarist Yasmin Williams (http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/) for the show's opening and closing music entitled, 'Restless Heart'.

What is Speaking of the Arts?

Speaking of the Arts is mid-Missouri's only weekly arts show. The show is hosted by Diana Moxon, who chats with actors, directors, authors, musicians, festival directors, event organizers, arts curators, and artists about the events they are involved in and also about their own works and their influences. Whilst the show focuses mainly on the mid-Missouri arts scene, Diana's guests have included international composers, conductors, authors as well as artists, musicians, and performers from around Missouri.