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Hybrid Hybrid Event
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ArtBreak: Upjohn’s Building 88

May 21 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Hybrid Hybrid Event

In 1961, construction was completed on two remarkable structures in Kalamazoo, both designed by the architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. One was the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, based on a design by architect Mies van der Rohe and expanded in 1994 to become the structure we occupy today. The other was the Upjohn Company’s Building 88, designed by Bruce Graham and razed in 2007.

During this ArtBreak talk, learn more about the innovative design elements that made Building 88 unique with Dr. Christine Hahn, Professor of Art History at Kalamazoo College. Dr. Hahn argues that Building 88 represents one of the country’s earliest examples of the open office movement. In both its interior and exterior design, Building 88 blurred the lines between work and home, marrying together notions of modern domesticity with the new executive workplace.


All hybrid events will be livestreamed to our YouTube page and can be found under the “Live” tab. Recordings of select past events are available on YouTube as well. No registration is necessary in order to join in virtually.

Preregistration is encouraged. Find out why.

In the event that a program is modified, postponed, or cancelled, we reach out via email to all who have preregistered. If a significant change is made on short notice, your preregistration helps to ensure that you get the word from us in the most timely manner possible.

Registering for programs in advance also helps our staff to assess set-up needs beforehand, reducing the need for last-minute adjustments to numbers of chairs, tables, etc. Further, it streamlines the check-in process when you arrive and allows us to keep you in the loop about other upcoming programs that might be of interest!