Using a uniquely curated combination of loans and works from the KIA’s collection, spanning the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, Africa, Imagined: Reflections on Modern and Contemporary Art will juxtapose mostly West African works of art with European and American modern and contemporary works to explore three key themes: escapism, social inquiry, and cultural reclamation. The exhibition begins…
The Kirk Newman Art School Post-Baccalaureate Program is in its sixth year. The nine-month residency is designed for aspiring artists who want to grow and strengthen their art practice in a supportive community, with access to professional studio facilities and guidance. At each of these ARTbreaks, KIA guests will hear from the KNAS residents about…
The Long Road Home: A Pianist’s American Journey Lara Downes guides us through her professional trajectory as a classical American pianist. Learn how she defines her career, chooses her repertoire, and keeps her work mission-focused. Ms Downes is a trailblazing performer, Billboard Chart-topping recording artist, and sought-after producer, curator, activist, and arts advocate. She is…
The Kirk Newman Art School Residency Program is designed for aspiring artists who want to grow and strengthen their art practice in a supportive community, with access to professional studio facilities and guidance. Each resident has worked on their practice for nine months to present to you this annual exhibition. Learn more about the residency…
The Kirk Newman Art School Post-Baccalaureate Program is in its sixth year. The nine-month residency is designed for aspiring artists who want to grow and strengthen their art practice in a supportive community, with access to professional studio facilities and guidance. At each of these ARTbreaks, KIA guests will hear from the KNAS residents about…
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,…
Art Detectives will read They All Saw a Cat and see how one cat can be seen in different ways using a variety of colors, shapes, and patterns. Let’s see how artists at the KIA have used these building blocks of art, and play a fun game inspired by Romero Britto. Reserve Your Ticket
Portals, Hymns, and Passages explores Detroit-area artist Ed Fraga’s career, focusing on the landscape of figuration, dreams, and allegorical representation through paintings and constructions. For Fraga, art-making is the process of unveiling the unseen. A song, a hymn, or a poem can be integral components to bringing an idea to life, transforming one art form…
From the publisher: One of the hallmarks of Surrealism is the encounter, often by chance, with a key person, place, or object through a trajectory no one could have predicted. Penelope Rosemont draws on a lifetime of such experiences in her collection of essays, Surrealism: Inside the Magnetic Fields. From her youthful forays as a…
Since the 1960s, the annual juried exhibition celebrates the talented community of visual artists in the region. Drawing works from 14 counties, an experienced juror chooses artists from more than 300 submitted entries, ranging from paintings, prints, and photos to mosaics, ceramics, jewelry, sculpture, and mixed-media works. Honor the expertise of the mitten state during…
The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts always offers free admission to active military members but as a Blue Star Museum, we are taking it a little farther to honor the servicemen and women, and their families. The KIA is proud to be a Blue Star Museum this year, offering free admission for active military and their…
You might know what Vivaldi's Four Seasons: Winter sounds like—but what does it look like? The KIA’s Chief Curator, Rehema Barber, will join artist Linling Lu for an in-depth conversation about her artistic practice, which gives color, shape, and form to the music that plays in her studio while she works. Vivaldi is just one of her…
MRC artWorks is a working gallery and studio for adults living with disabilities. Focusing on strengths and abilities while developing job skills, artists create bright, encouraging pieces that follow the artist’s unique style and highlight what they can do and how they can inspire the greater community. Amy Thill is the unit manager of MRC…
Friday, June 3: 12-8pm Saturday, June 4: 9am-5pm The 71st Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Fair returns to kick off the summer in Bronson Park! You’ll find jewelry, photography, sculpture, painting, ceramics, glass, fiber, leather, wood, and more all handcrafted by over 125 jury-selected fine artists from across Michigan and the country. Shoppers can take home…
Join us for a special live book reading of The Ugly Doodles from the Arts Fair stage. Stop by the PNC kids tend from 10 am - 4 pm for Arty Mouse tattoos and a community art project for all to enjoy. This hilarious and adorable picture book about creativity, fear of failure, and embracing your imperfections…