This article profiles several key figures in Kansas City's Black art history, including painter Lonnie Powell, 84, founder of The Light in the Other Room collaborative; George C. Mayfield, a painter with commissions for the King Center; and Mother Mary Moses Moore, an 81-year-old jazz and blues singer, poet, and performance artist. It highlights their contributions and life stories, with Moore recounting her childhood picking cotton in Louisiana, her career as a performer and DJ, and her work with the Homeward Bound Foundation to honor victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
The article matters because it documents and honors the often-overlooked elders—the "griots"—who have shaped Kansas City's Black artistic heritage. By sharing these personal histories, it underscores the importance of preserving cultural memory in a society that marginalizes aged Black voices. The piece serves as a vital record of local art history and a tribute to the resilience and creativity of these community pillars.