Artist Bella Kiser’s mother, Magdalena Arguelles, will join us virtually to share a collage activity inspired by the balikbayan box, a large cardboard box traditionally used to send gifts, goods, and everyday necessities to family in the Philippines. Participants will use cardboard box cutouts, store flyers, and other materials to imagine their own balikbayan box.

What would you send to someone you love? What objects, foods, or small comforts would you pack to make a place far away feel a little closer? Come make a collage, spend time with Balikbayan Box, and think about the ways objects can carry care, memory, and connection across distance.

Enjoy 13 projected silent spooky films with a live piano accompaniment from Dr. Larry Schanker. These not too scary silent shorts have real appeal for viewers of all ages. This indoor event will take place in the KAC library. Program begin at 6:30 pm. We will be serving warm cider and fresh popcorn.

The classic silent films are: The Black Imp/Le Diable Noir (1905 France 4 min) The Cobweb Hotel (1936 USA 8 min) Egyptian Melodies A Silly Symphony (1931 USA 6 min); Felix The Cat Switches Witches (1927 USA 7 min); Habeas Corpus with Laurel and Hardy (1928 USA 20 min); The Haunted House with Mickey Mouse (1929. USA. 6.5 min); The Haunted Ship (1930 USA 7.5 min); Hell’s Bells A Silly Symphony (1929 USA 6 min); Les Invisible (1906 France 8 min); A Mad House (1934 USA 5 min); The Merry Skeleton (1989 France 1 min); The Motorist (1906 UK 3 min); Mutt and Jeff The Invisible Revenge (1925 USA 6 min). Films are listed alphabetically. Follow KAC and CCFF to see the final order.

12–1 PM | Artist Conversation
Bella Kiser and Kenton Kiser will be in conversation with Associate Curator Meli Bandera about Balikbayan Box and the relationships between family, migration, memory, and place that shape the exhibition. Together, they will discuss the making of the project and Kenton’s soundscape, which forms an audio component of the installation.

Balikbayan Box takes its name from the large cardboard boxes used to send goods and gifts to family in the Philippines. The exhibition considers what happens when objects move between places and generations, carrying stories of family, distance, belonging, and care along with them. The conversation will also explore the role of sound in the exhibition and how it can evoke memory, create a sense of place, and connect us to people and places that may be far away.

1–2 PM | Sound Walk + Workshop with Kenton Kiser
$10 | Limited to 30 participants

Following the conversation, join soundscape composer Kenton Kiser for a hands-on sound workshop. Participants will take a five-minute sound walk in the area surrounding Krasl Art Center, recording the sounds they encounter along the way. After the walk, participants will share what they recorded and collectively map their routes and the sounds they discovered for others to explore.

Sound can be a material just like paint, fabric, or clay. By slowing down and listening closely, ordinary sounds can become a way of noticing a place, documenting a moment, or triggering a memory. This workshop offers a chance to experiment with sound as part of an art-making practice and to consider how listening can change the way we experience our surroundings.

No prior experience with sound or recording is necessary. Bring a phone or recording device if you have one.