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…
by Mark Nepo Discussion Leader: Gayl Walker From the publisher: Just as no one can live without inhaling and exhaling, no one can live without feeling and expressing. The life of expression is how the heart breathes and how our spirit grows in the life that carries it. Writing, whatever form it takes poetry, story,…
Leilei Chen and Beibei Chen are artists, educators, and twin sisters from China. Their collaborative work is heavily influenced by Chinese culture, aesthetics, and philosophy; they have always been interested in engaging with environmental and cultural issues through ceramics and painting. Their work, Gaia I, is in the KIA permanent collection and will be on…
Rufus Ferguson is a multi-instrumental musician and educator and is Assistant Professor of Jazz and Popular Music at Albion College. He will speak about his original compositions as part of the Resonance Project. This partnership between the Connecting Chords Music Festival and the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts invited musicians to create original music inspired by…
Join us in a virtual celebration of Africa, Imagined: Reflections on Modern and Contemporary Art, the KIA’s first exhibition opening of 2022. Virtual guests will hear from the KIA’s Chief Curator Rehema Barber as she highlights the works by African artists within the exhibition. Rehema Barber Africa, Imagined will explore how artists of varying…
Join Chief Curator, Rehema Barber, for an informative and lively presentation about the artists and works featured in Africa, Imagined: Reflections on Modern and Contemporary Art. Africa, Imagined reveals how the arts of Africa are woven into modernism and extend deeply into contemporary art practice today, while also recognizing a variety of complicated pre and…
Conrad Egyir, Irving’s Class, 2021, oil, acrylic, mounted wood on canvas. Collection of the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts; Elisabeth Claire Lahti Fund Purchase. Conrad Egyir will provide insight about his practice, rise within the contemporary arts scene, and one of the KIA’s newest acquisitions by the artist entitled, Irving’s Class, 2021. A Cranbrook Academy of…
Jerome and Delma Washington are the minds behind the art project Hidden Women of Color. This project is a series of portraits of African American women who lived between 1744-1996 who deserve to be seen for their achievements. These women, who include artist Edmonia Lewis and explorer Merze Tate, stepped out of their assigned roles…
“The Dance of Social Justice” is a lecture-demonstration which Wilkins has designed to be an introduction to his background and his journey of art and social justice practices leading to his RADicle project, “The Conversation Series: Stitching the Geopolitical Quilt to Re-Body Belonging.” “The Conversation Series” culminates in a multi-media performance and is tailor-made to…
Museums are colonial institutions that traditionally prioritized academic knowledge and devalued traditional knowledge and lived experience. They have historically marginalized communities by hoarding their cultural objects while holding themselves up as the arbiters of cultural greatness. Current calls to action to address internal structures of racism in museums have inspired an uptick in hiring BIPOC staff for senior leadership positions,…
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…
Join us for an insightful evening discussion with Chief Curator Rehema Barber and three exceptional professors from Western Michigan University, Dr. Mariam Konaté, Professor Monique Haley, and Dr. Jennifer Richardson. A Woman’s Voice: Then and Now? will discuss the roles of women within the African diaspora as it relates to each participant's individual discipline and…