Free Thursdays at the KIA

Kalamazoo Institute of Arts 314 S Park St, Kalamazoo, MI, United States

Enjoy free admission and extended hours until 8pm every Thursday, thanks to generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program and the Efroymson Family Fund.

Sunday Tour: Highlights of 100 years

Kalamazoo Institute of Arts 314 S Park St, Kalamazoo, MI, United States

Exceptional docent-guided gallery tours are on Sundays at 1:30pm. Gain a fresh perspective on selected artworks, or re-engage your excitement around the permanent collection. Tours are included with admission and meet in the lobby; no reservations are required.

ArtBreak: Black Ash Basketry: A Story of Cultural Resilience

Kalamazoo Institute of Arts 314 S Park St, Kalamazoo, MI, United States

Please note: ArtBreaks are moving to Wednesdays in 2025. Join us for a screening of the film Black Ash Basketry: A Story of Cultural Resilience. A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Lifeways Institute, Grand Rapids Community College, and the Goodwillie Environmental School, this film explores the role that black ash basketry has played in…

Artful Evening: Image Meets Text: A Legendary Poetry Workshop

Kalamazoo Institute of Arts 314 S Park St, Kalamazoo, MI, United States

Rescheduled! The exhibition Legendary Voices: Art for the Next Century invites visitors to view much-loved pieces from the KIA’s collection in fresh ways, often drawing unexpected connections between very different works of art. In keeping with this concept, educational programming throughout the run of the exhibition will offer guests opportunities to engage with the visual arts…

Event Series Sunday Drop-in Conversation

Sunday Drop-in Conversation

Kalamazoo Institute of Arts 314 S Park St, Kalamazoo, MI, United States

Drop in on Sundays between 1:30 - 2:30pm and have conversations with docents who can provide information and answer questions about the artwork in the KIA’s collection. Find the docents on the lower level of the museum’s galleries.

Gallery Gathering: Karl Knaths’ Wounded Tree and Harold David Landes’ Pink Tree

Kalamazoo Institute of Arts 314 S Park St, Kalamazoo, MI, United States

Take a closer look at two paintings featured in the Legendary Voices exhibition: Karl Knaths’ Wounded Tree and Harold David Landes’ Pink Tree. How do these artists approach similar subject matter in distinctive ways? Gallery stools will be available.

Wonder Walk: I spy…

Kalamazoo Institute of Arts 314 S Park St, Kalamazoo, MI, United States

There are so many things to find in the art on the walls. Let’s take a walk through the galleries and see what we can spy with our little eyes.

Art Detectives: The First Blade of Sweetgrass

Kalamazoo Institute of Arts 314 S Park St, Kalamazoo, MI, United States

by Suzanne Greenlaw and Gabriel Frey Let’s learn about landscapes!  We’ll begin with a book to see how the illustrator expresses them, visit the galleries to observe how artists portray them, and finally, you’ll create one of your own to take home.

Artful Evening: Artist’s Talk with Kelly Church

Kalamazoo Institute of Arts 314 S Park St, Kalamazoo, MI, United States
Hybrid Hybrid Event

Meet artist Kelly Church, an Ottawa/Pottawatomi black ash basket maker, fiber artist, educator, activist, and culture keeper. A member of the Gun Lake Band in Michigan and descendent of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Ojibwe, she comes from an unbroken line of black ash basket makers and from the largest black ash weaving…

Book Discussion: Black Indian: A Memoir

Kalamazoo Institute of Arts 314 S Park St, Kalamazoo, MI, United States

by Shonda Buchanan This powerful, deeply personal narrative explores Buchanan’s complex identity. She reflects on the trauma, resilience, and strength passed down through generations, as well as the tensions and misunderstandings she encountered due to her mixed heritage. Throughout, she weaves in stories of her ancestors, shedding light on the hidden and painful history of…

Richard Phillips: Strokes of Freedom

Kalamazoo Institute of Arts 314 S Park St, Kalamazoo, MI, United States

Coffee preceding 10:30 lecture Hear Richard Phillips’ compelling story. Mr. Phillips started painting while wrongfully incarcerated for 46 years, creating over 400 paintings. “Art is what I did to stay sane...” This program, rescheduled from September 18, is free.

ArtBreak: Tejer

Kalamazoo Institute of Arts 314 S Park St, Kalamazoo, MI, United States
Hybrid Hybrid Event

In anticipation of Wellspring’s annual RADFest, hear from this year’s RADicle Resident! Puerto Rican movement artist Lourdes del Mar Santiago Lebrón will discuss their new work, Tejer, inspired by the process of weaving. They observe, “Tejido (weaving) relies on pattern making and repetition; the practice, much like dance, requires patience, consistency, and practice. The ephemerality…