New Work, a collaboration by Maria Vasquez Boyd and Teresa Mosley Dirks

Thursday, February 6, 2025 through April 14, 2025

Metropolitan Community College Blue River Community College MCC-Blue River (AS 112)
20301 East 78 Highway, Independence, MO 64057-2052

Teresa Mosley Dirks and Maria Vasquez Boyd present new work on multi-faceted surfaces. Rich color, movement, and linear expression are hallmarks of our collective work. As mid-century artists and friends, the opportunity to exhibit work together was a challenge as we worked separately from our studios. The result of our mutual confidence and trust as artists is witnessed in the new body of work.

Maria Vasquez Boyd is producer/host, of Artspeak Radio a weekly live program on90.1FM KKFI Kansas City Community Radio. Since 2012, she features local and world renowned artists, writers, poets, playwrights locally and internationally. Boyd is a founding member of the Latino Writers Collective, a storyteller, poet, artist, designer, painter, and continues to exhibit her work across the country. Boyd’s poetry book, The
Weight of Recognition, was published in 2023. Her poetry can be found in numerous anthologies; Primera Página, Cuentos Del Centro, Duende, Everyday Things, Toasted Cheese, Kansas City Star, and No One Sees the Irony.

Teresa Mosley Dirks, born near Memphis and raised in Malden, Missouri, draws inspiration from rural farm life and the connection between nature and the horizon, themes central to her poetry and paintings. Her art highlights the vibrancy of nature and the power of color, emphasizing the importance of reconnecting with the environment in today’s tech-driven world.
Dirks earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Art from Southeast Missouri State University in 1998, followed by a master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from William Woods University. After teaching environmental and art education, her passion for painting led her to pursue a full-time art career.
In 2016, Southeast Missouri State University awarded her the Alumni Merit Award for the Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts. Dirks has received numerous accolades, including the 2011 Missouri Arts Council Poster Award, and her work is collected by private and corporate entities. She serves on the KC NeuroArts Coalition and has contributed to various community boards and initiatives.
Dirks lives in Weatherby Lake, Missouri, with her husband, Dave, their children, grandchildren, and grand pups.

Metropolitan Community College Blue River Community College MCC-Blue River (AS 112)
20301 East 78 Highway, Independence, MO 64057-2052