Celebrate our 97th birthday with us!
The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts has an extensive history since its inception 97 years ago. Known as the Art House in 1920s, the KIA had several homes before finding its permanent residence at 314 S. Park Street. We invite you to view some of the KIA’s milestones, and a collection of art through the last nine decades.
Our gift to you!
Celebrate our 97th birthday with us all month long
As our gift to you, the KIA is offering Sunday admission in July for only 97¢ when you pre-book your ticket online.
97 years of excellence
Local chapter of the American Federation of Arts incorporates at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts at YMCA on Rose Street with programs and classes at other venues.
The KIA, then located at 347 South Rose Street, shared its new home with the public museum and library art department.
The Art Center hired its first full-time director and began offering art classes to both children and adults.
The Institute moved from its leased temporary home to its first owned home, a Victorian at 421 West South Street.
Kirk Newman joins the KIA as part of the University of Michigan Extension Service.
The annual art fair begins as the Clothesline Art Show. Tens of thousands of people were attracted to Bronson Park to attend the one-day art exhibition and sale with local and regional artists.
The 44,000-square-foot Genevieve & Donald Gilmore Art Center was finished. The building was based on a Mies van der Rohe design, created by Chicago architecture firm of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. At this time, annual gallery attendance increases to 9,000 visitors, with the art school serving 900 students per year.
Walt Disney (right) visited the KIA in 1964. He is pictured with former Executive Director Alfred Maurice, who served as director 1959–65.
Classes resume and staff moved back into the renovated facility, using the 1961 building as its base. The new building was a direct result of the $14.5 million capital campaign. The facility expanded to 77,000 square feet. At this point, the KIA had over 3,100 works in its permanent collection, with membership exceeding 1,900. Its annual budget increased by about 8,579% from 1961.
Chihuly’s glass exhibition breaks attendance records, with the artist visiting Kalamazoo in support of the show.
Kirk Newman served as Director of the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts’ School from 1949 to 1978. He originally designed the sculptures of Kalamazoo children at Bronson Park to commemorate the United States bicentennial in 1976. He passed away Nov. 4, 2017.
In 2019, the KIA hosted the touring exhibition “Black Refractions: Highlights from The Studio Museum in Harlem” and solo shows by contemporary artists Orna Ben-Ami, Inka Essenhigh, Maya Freelon, and Sungyhun Moon
TEXT TO GIVE
Text ArtLover to 44321
DONATE ONLINE
Visit our donation page
or call 269-585-9297 or 269-349-7775
MAIL A CHECK
Payable to: Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
Memo line: Birthday
We believe that art is for everyone. It transforms, inspires, and fulfills. We bring the world of art to life through a world-class collection, engaging temporary exhibitions, a wide range of youth learning opportunities, and excellent arts instruction in the Kirk Newman Art School.
For 97 years, the KIA has been educating and enlightening the community through the arts.
Your support makes a difference, especially this year, to provide a place of healing and rejuvenation.
Executive Director Belinda Tate
