Art Alive! is free and open to the public during school breaks!
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Art Alive! family days at Munson include art-making activities, free performances and workshops, special guests, and a family-friendly menu at the Terrace Cafe.
The Secret Agency - Hip Hop
11 a.m. - Performance
1 p.m. - Songwriting Workshop
Secret Agent 23 Skidoo is a Grammy-winning, internationally touring, purple-velvet-tuxedo-wearing family funk phenomenon. Combining the positive, primal power of hip-hop with the surreal storytelling of science fiction, 23 Skidoo has concocted a potent potion that wows family crowds. If you can imagine a band with Jim Henson on guitar, Shel Silverstein on bass, and PIXAR as the lead vocalist, you’ve pretty much got it. And if George Clinton and Q Tip stopped by the party, that might clarify things even more. Basically, if Dr. Seuss and Dr. Dre had a baby, it would be the music of Secret Agent 23 Skidoo. Nuff said.
In 2007, Skidoo had already spent over a decade touring the nation with various live band/hip-hop groups as a rapper and producer. He’d opened up for MOS DEF, RUN DMC, P-Funk All Stars, and The Sun Ra Arkestra. And best of all, he’d helped bring a beautiful little baby girl into the world. By that time, she was 5 years old and as smart as a smart car that runs on smart drinks. Taking a break from the road, Skidoo taught little Saki (aka MC Fireworks) how to rap, and together they made the world’s first album of family hip hop, literally from a family that makes hip hop. It caught on quick, and they soon had a #1 hit on SiriusXM’s family channel, which started planting seeds across the nation and beyond.
In the next decade, 23 Skidoo, MC Fireworks, and Bootysattva (aka Mom) rocked lots of shows with a bunch of awesome friends who sang, scratched records, danced, played instruments, and did backflips. They played Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, and the Smithsonian. They flew to Canada for the Winnipeg Folk Festival, and to India for the Buddy Daddy Family Festival. They got glowing reviews in TIME, USA Today, People, and a bunch of other magazines and stuff.
They racked up a total of ten #1 hits on SiriusXM and ended up on NPR’s “All Things Considered” twice. Their music videos are currently playing on NBC’s kids’ show “Sprout House.” Nominated for a Grammy in 2014, went on to win a Grammy in 2017 for “Best Children’s Recording.”
As well as releasing six full-length albums, two books, one record, a line of hot sauce, and an E.P. that combines the entire Asheville Symphony with beats and rhymes, 23 Skidoo has written and produced the music for the US Library’s Summer Reading Program for six years running.
Funding for Art Alive! is provided by the MetLife Foundation, and by Rona Lucas, in memory of Roslyn and Irving Levine.
