Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kenneth May. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kenneth , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

Every Liquid Arts project we engage in is meaningful at some level. In the last year, we held two events that resounded in our local community. First, we dedicated a Liquid Arts Open Stage event to the plight of the women and people of Iran called “Women, Life, Freedom.” Secondly, we dedicated an installment of our Books and Authors series to Dendeviin Terbishdagva, the former acting-Prime Minister of Mongolia. These events were very inspiring. At Women, Life, Freedom, two of the young, Iranian female performers cut off their hair in a symbolic act of defiance. At Books and Authors, the former acting-Prime Minister, who had met with former Korean President Moon JaeIn the day before our event with him, discussed the overlooked role that Mongolia could play in reunifying South and North Korea and bringing peace and stability to Northeast Asia.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Kenneth May. I grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana with three siblings and two parents who persevered through trying times and created a loving atmosphere in our home.

In the late 80’s, right when I was on the verge of dropping out of university, I was lucky enough to meet, study with, and become friends with poets Yusef Komunyakaa and Etheridge Knight. Eventually, I was able to introduce them to each other for the first time. Through them, I found myself in a creative community. It was inspiring and life-changing. I ended up completing undergraduate and graduate studies.

In 1996, I relocated to Busan, South Korea and have lived here for the last 27 years. In 2000, we started the very first sustainable performance arts series. We called it Poetry Plus. In 2019, we re-branded as The Liquid Arts Network. We organize a number of different events: poetry events, pop up jams, film screenings, visual arts exhibitions, meet and greets, such as our Books and Authors series, multi-media events, and, beginning next spring, a fashion show.

At the onset of the Covid pandemic, we immediately cancelled our events scheduled for that spring. On February 28th, 2020, on our Instagram page, we posted what may have been the first artistic response to the Covid pandemic in the world: Empty Venue-Create & Submit Remotely. The first Empty Venue production was a print creation. For the next three Empty Venues, we created one hour video productions and they can be seen on our Liquid Arts Network YouTube channel.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The best thing about being an artist is the pursuance of ideas and being in a community that appreciates, encourages, and supports creative thinking. I remain highly suspicious of individuals and organizations that focus on attaining and maintaining power. By its very nature, power seeks to dismiss, smother, and annihilate ideas in order to exist. Ideas are threatening. To be an artist is to invest in the exploration of ideas that can be actualized into contributions that make our world a better and more enjoyable and equitable place for one and all.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Our goal at Liquid Arts Network is to present art, support artists, and connect communities. In a world where humanities are being cut from university curriculums and funding for the arts is being reduced more drastically each and every year, we strive to sprinkle art into as many nooks and crannies as possible. We believe that our events can inspire people to make art and creative thinking part of their ideological profiles and then, in turn, they, too, become creators and event organizers who go on to give others inspiration.

Contact Info:

• Website: liquidartsnetwork.com
• Instagram: liquidartsnetwork
• Facebook: Liquid Arts Network page
• Twitter: LiquidArtsNet
• Youtube: Liquid Arts Network