“What is going on in this picture? What do you see that makes you say that? What more can we find?” These three questions form the backbone of Visual Thinking Strategies, a critical thinking practice that provides a foundation for lifelong learning and communication skills. Guests will actively participate in an unique and exciting ARTbreak…
Inaugural Joy Light Annual Lecture in East Asian Art featuring Dr. Jacqueline Chao Originating in China, "rock paper scissors" is a hand game used to fairly settle disputes or make decisions. Referencing the game of “rock paper scissors” as a playful metaphor, Dr. Jacqueline Chao, Senior Curator of Asian Art at the Crow Museum…
Yifan Li is a Ph.D. student specializing in modern Chinese art and visual culture at The Ohio State University. Li’s current research centers on materiality and transnationality, the artistic exchange between China and the U.S., and art and politics in Mao-era China. His lecture will examine an early twentieth-century collection of Chinese decorated letter papers.…
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer From the publisher - Drawing on her life as an indigenous scientist, a mother, and a woman, Kimmerer shows how other living beings—asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass—offer us gifts and lessons, even if we’ve forgotten…
Parable of the Sower (Novel and/or Graphic Novel) by Octavia Butler From the publisher - When global climate change and economic crises lead to social chaos in the early 2020s, California becomes full of dangers, from pervasive water shortage to masses of vagabonds who will do anything to live to see another day. Fifteen-year-old Lauren…
Jon Imber (1950-2014) was an American artist who experimented with different influences, styles, and subject matter all of his life, from figurative painting to landscapes and abstraction. Join Jill Hoy, his wife, as she introduces us to Jon's passion for art-making and its ability to create transformative experiences - his lasting legacy. The last two…
“Meaningful art, enduring art, and the transformative process it awakens keeps us alive,” writes Mark Nepo, a poet and philosopher who is nationally recognized and a local presence. Nepo will read from his book Drinking from the River of Light, which invites you to explore how art and authentic expression can help us explore our…
Known for her curation of thought-provoking traveling exhibitions, Reni Gower will take us behind the scenes and show us how she brings exhibitions to life. Gower is a visual artist, curator, and educator, whose award-winning work in painting and multimedia has been represented in many prestigious collections both nationally and internationally. Supported by the…
Kelly Church's nationally recognized role as an Ottawa and Pottawatomi Culture Bearer involves much more than her exquisite artistry. According to the artist, her work as a black ash basket maker connects ancient tradition with "issues that affect us all ... especially those who come after us if we do not act today." RSVP to…
A historian of architecture, landscape, preservation, urban development, and the built environment, Dr. Robert Bruegmann will discuss general and regional Art Deco architectural characteristics. During the summer or fall of 2022, Dr. Bruegmann has offered to meet the Kalamazoo Art League in Chicago for a depARTure focusing this style. When it is safe to travel,…
View the new exhibition, Captive Beauties: Depictions of Women in Late Imperial China, now on view in the Joy Light Gallery of East Asian Art from 5 to 6 p.m. The 2nd Annual Joy Light Lecture on East Asian Art Widely hailed as China’s premier couturier, Beijing-based fashion designer Guo Pei uses exquisite craftsmanship, lavish…
Dr. Tuliza Fleming is the Interim Chief Curator of Visual Arts at the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), Smithsonian Institution. During her tenure at the NMAAHC, Dr. Fleming has played a critical role in building the museum’s foundational art collection, served as lead curator for Reckoning: Protest, Defiance Resilience (2021), and…