This week in Ozarks arts: from the fringes to centerstage

Vol. 2, No. 24 , July 10, 2026

Welcome to The Green Room, friends.

Summer is in full swing, with temperatures creeping into the 90s, and the Ozarks arts scene isn't slowing down. This week, we spotlight two projects that showcase the power of collaboration. Photographer Randy Bacon and Abilities First join forces for The Life I Choose, an immersive exhibition celebrating the talents and everyday lives of people with disabilities and their families. Through Bacon's signature portraits and personal storytelling, these community members share their dreams, fears, and joy at the new C-Art Gallery on Commercial Street through Sept. 5.

We also turn the lens to Devising Original Theatre Springfield's Fringe Festival for its third year. Original works by local playwrights take audiences beyond traditional theater with an eclectic mix of comedy, drama, movement, music, and the unexpected. We chat with organizers about the Fringe tradition and this "something for everyone" event.

As always, you'll also find my Hip Happenings list below -- a roundup of performances, concerts, exhibitions, and community arts events happening across the Ozarks to help you plan the week ahead.

Every week is a blessing to spend with you in The Green Room.

Jimmy Rea

Host, Arts News

KSMU 91.1 - FM

Ozarks Public Broadcasting

The Green Room is sponsored by Springfield Community Gardens

Ethan Powell poses for a photo. Photo Credit: Randy Bacon

Artist and humanitarian Randy Bacon teams up with Abilities First to feature subjects with disabilities and their talents, passions, and enduring contributions to our community. We talk with folks from both teams about how this collaboration came to be...read more.

Participants in last year's DOTS Fringe Festival. Photo Credit: DOTS

This highly eclectic, all-original event runs July 9-12 at The Judy with multiple performance spaces and something for everyone. We talk with organizers about the festival's third year and its mission for theater in our community...read more.

Musician and producer Jin J. X. Courtesy of Jin J. X

Last year, Jin J. X released an album that some might say is outside of his usual style. The Barefoot, Pregnant, Neck Beard, Marital Bed String Band effortlessly blurs the lines of country music and jazz through Afrofuturism...read more.

Arts News on KSMU is your long-standing source for what's happening in the Ozarks arts scene spotlighting local creators, performances, and cultural events every week. Tune in Fridays at 10:00 a.m. on 91.1-FM or stream at KSMU.org or subscribe to the Arts News podcast wherever you get your podcasts. New podcast episodes are released every Friday.

The Green Room is supported by Maple Hill Fine Arts

👉Got a story, event, or artist I should know about? Share your arts and music tips with The Green Room, and help us shine a spotlight on the creative pulse of the Ozarks! You can email them to me at jrea@missouristate.edu

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🎶Friends don't leave friends out of the music and arts scene - they share all the local arts and music happenings. Just forward this email to a friend!

Somehow, they still let me do this every Friday night.

By “this,” I mean a live, hour-long radio broadcast dedicated exclusively to local and regional artists and shows - that is frequently achieved with varying levels of banter and success. For example, last week we lost all the audio I prepared for the show. Just kind of had to find our way to the other end of the thing in real time. We survived.

That’s radio, baby!

It seemed all the more auspicious this would happen last week, because tonight is our 100th episode. It blows my mind that we’ve done this for almost two years. By “we,” I mean myself (Hi, I’m Ran), and a rotating cast of friends and musicians and, most certainly, a woman who simply goes by the name “Weird Rachel.”

It’s a good time.

I should say, when this all started, I didn’t even know it was something I wanted to do. I mean, I very much wanted to do a radio show, but I also very much had my own ideas about what I wanted that show to be. A talk show! Friends and guests! Ran’s esoteric music choices! You know, stuff the public was absolutely clamoring for! So, when I was asked if I’d like to put together a local music show, at 9:00 on Friday nights no less, my response was far more of “well, if that’s what you’ve got.”

I don’t say that to be rude. Local music is something I’ve been a part of for over 25 years, but I wasn’t sitting on some vast library of knowledge or content. In a lot of ways I was going to be starting from scratch. This was going to be a lot of work and, besides, I had my other big ideas! But, I grabbed every local CD I’d picked up at shows 20 years ago (and hadn’t looked at in 10), crossed my fingers, and hoped for the best.

Finding out what Local Radar was took some time. But, as I did, it’s become one of my most favorite things. And, go figure, as it went along, it took the shape of so many things I love about the radio and broadcasting in general. And, go figure, I have discovered so many amazing artists, both old and new, learned a lot about where I’ve lived and played for so long, made new friends, and truly come to appreciate how amazing our music scene is.

So, please forgive my greater self-indulgence, but maybe tune in tonight if you get a chance for Local Radar - Episode 100. There will be guests. There will be chats. There will absolutely be Ran’s esoteric music choices. And it will all be live, and we will all survive, and (fingers crossed) they will still let me do it next Friday night.

We’ll see you next week!

Local Radar with Ran Cummings is a weekly music and conversation radio show on KSMU featuring bands and performances from in and around the Ozarks every Friday night at 9:00 p.m. 91.1 FM or stream KSMU.org

Missed an episode of Studio Live or Arts News? Can't listen live? Find them both as a podcast on KSMU or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Studio Live with Jess Balisle and Melissa Rea airs on the 2nd Friday of every month at noon. Tune in at 91.1 FM at KSMU.org for an hour of live music and conversation with talented local artists.

July 10: Jin J. X

August 14: Patti Steel

September 11: TBA

October 9: Drifters Mile

November 13: Pomfret

December 11: Devlin Pierce

In the mood to stay in? Queue up one of these videos handpicked by our staff at Ozarks Public Broadcasting, perfect for a night in when you're skipping the scene but still craving culture.

Great Performances - Now Hear This "Barrios: Chopin of the Guitar." Explore Agustin Barrios’ journey from rural Paraguay to global recognition as a guitar composer. Despite facing rejection and personal struggles, his innovative compositions and passion for Latin American folk music made him a 20th-century icon.

The Songpoet. Filmed for eight years in the US, Canada, and Europe, "The Songpoet” shines a light on the life of Eric Anderson, a singer-songwriter at the vanguard of the folk music scene in the '60s. Despite crushing setbacks, his 50-year creative odyssey earned him a devoted international following.

A Call to Arts. This film examines the photography and sculpture of Helen Hooker, and her marriage to Irish author Ernie O’Malley. This artistic journey took place from 1935-1975 in Ireland.

Foo Fighters: Tiny Desk Concert. The guys in Foo Fighters carefully curated and worked through their set for weeks leading up to their appearance, even taping out the dimensions of the Desk in a practice space to puzzle-out the close quarters. But once they were in the office, they tossed most of those plans. "If you put instruments in our hands and there are people," Dave Grohl jokes, "it's fun to play!"

These favorites from KSMU and OPT are just the beginning. There's a whole world of storytelling, music, documentaries, and local gems waiting on you to dive in and discover at your local public broadcasting station.

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