Four Inane Questions with artist Maria Vasquez Boyd

Maria Vasquez Boyd. // Courtesy photo

If we tried to list all of Maria Vasquez Boyd’s artistic achievements/endeavors/accolades, we’d have a short novella on our hands. 

Not only is she a founding member of the Latino Writers Collective, but she’s also a well-known storyteller, poet, artist, designer, and painter. Her newest poetry book, The Weight of Recognition, was published late last year. She also has a piece of art on display in A Layered Presence exhibit at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art through next September.

The KCAI graduate tells us she enjoys inspiring up-and-coming artists—where she taught in the Design and Illustration Department and at the Nelson Atkins Museum for 15 years. As if that weren’t enough, Boyd is a facilitator/educator with the Migrant Farmers Work Project in Kansas City, which operates out of Lexington and Waverly, Missouri. 

We caught up with the proverbial renaissance woman to zing her with our everything-but-the-kitchen-sink questionnaire. She was a trooper—and then some. 

The Pitch: If you were a color palette, what color palette would you be?

Courtesy image

Maria Vasquez Boyd: There’s something about the color of Granny Smith apples that I love—but I would choose a much brighter version, like Pantone 583 or Valspar’s 6007-8c Martian. Look it up. (If this color had a flavor, I’m sure it would taste like raw garlic, right?)

What is the single most annoying sound in the whole world? (You know, other than the one in Dumb & Dumber.)

Tinnitus is the most annoying sound, but since folks can’t hear mine, I say vacuums make the worst sound ever. And maybe that’s the cause of my tinnitus? Vacuums are angry machines. Do you suppose it’s all the food crumbs, cat hair, dust bunnies, and dead skin cells they digest that are the cause?

What’s the worst thing you ever did as a kid—and got away with?

Here’s a “kid” story for you: When I had to deliver my 40” x 60” paintings to galleries, they were too big for my 1983 Honda Civic. So, I would go to a car dealership and ask to test drive a van. The salesperson would just hand me the keys then I would drive the van to my home, load up my paintings then deliver them to the gallery. The salesman didn’t seem to care how long I was gone when I dropped off the van; he only wanted to get me a good deal. Oh, Maria… 

What’s your all-time favorite Halloween costume?

I created Halloween costumes for my daughter throughout her childhood. However, one year, I made myself a costume for a Halloween contest at our local dive bar. I wore a thrift store dress that I shredded and created a Medusa wig with entwined stuffed toy snakes—which was the best part of the costume. I didn’t win the prize—that went to a person wearing a store-bought nurse outfit, and she wasn’t even a nurse. I’m not bitter…

Bonus 5th Question: Name a totally rad expression you totally overuse. 

I’m guilty of saying “guys” and “you guys”—especially if I have forgotten someone’s name. I say it often enough that I hear my granddaughter Luna say, “Hey, guys!”