KALAMAZOO—September 8, 2026
Hank Willis Thomas, Love Over Rules (Horizon Blue), 2020, neon. Courtesy the Artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.
Join artist Hank Willis Thomas at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts as he brings world-class cultural dialogue directly to our community. Presented on the 25th anniversary of September 11, at 6–7pm. Thomas’s discussion explores his approach documenting society and questioning what it means to be American. Thomas will also reflect on love, language, and unity as tools for collective healing — drawing on reflections including:
- Love Over Rules, neon work
- Community, polished stainless sculpture
- Pledge, Photo-based work
See these works and more currently on view in For the People, By the People: America at 250 at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts through October 4.
A moderated Q&A facilitated by Rehema Barber, KIA Director of Curatorial Affairs, will follow.
Arrive early to view Thomas’s artwork on view in the For the People, By the People exhibition! Gallery hours will be extended until 6pm and admission is included with the cost of lecture attendance. Purchase early — tickets for this highly anticipated program are likely to sell quickly!
Ticket Prices:
KIA Members – $10
Non-members – $15
College students – $5
“For many years, I’ve followed Hank Willis Thomas’ trajectory in the art world, and the opportunities I’ve had to collaborate with him have always been incredibly enriching experiences. I am so pleased to have included his work in For the People, By the People, and am honored to host such a potent, creative, and mindful individual in our community.” says Rehema C. Barber Williams, Director of Curatorial Affairs.
About Hank Willis Thomas
Thomas’s public art can be found across the country, including The Embrace on the Boston Common, REACH at O’Hare International Airport, and Duality at The Underline in Miami. His work is held in major public collections such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the National Gallery of Art, and he has mounted solo exhibitions at institutions including Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Henry Art Gallery. He currently has a traveling exhibition, Hank Willis Thomas: LOVERULES-From the Collections of Jordan D Schnitzer and His Family Foundation, being presented at museums across the nation.
He holds a B.F.A. from New York University and an M.F.A. from California College of the Arts, along with honorary doctorates from four institutions. Thomas is a recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Gordon Parks Foundation Fellowship, and the 2022 U.S. Department of State Medal of Arts.
Hank lives and works in Brooklyn, NY as a conceptual artist working primarily with themes related to perspective, identity, commodity, media, and popular culture. His work has been exhibited throughout the United States and abroad including the International Center of Photography, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Musée du quai Branly, Hong Kong Arts Centre and the Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art.
His collaborative projects include Question Bridge: Black Males, In Search Of The Truth (The Truth Booth), The Writing on the Wall, and For Freedoms. In 2017, For Freedoms was awarded the ICP Infinity Award for New Media and Online Platform. Thomas is a recipient of the Gordon Parks Foundation Fellowship (2019), The Guggenheim Fellowship (2018), AIMIA | AGO Photography Prize (2017), Soros Equality Fellowship (2017), Aperture West Book Prize (2008).
“Hosting Hank Willis Thomas in person is a wonderful opportunity to experience firsthand the creativity, thoughtfulness, and technique displayed in his works. The seamless connection between his artwork in For the People, By the People exhibition and the in-person lecture on the 25th anniversary of September 11th, will surely inspire deep reflection,” says Director of Museum Education, Jennifer Cooley.
For more information on upcoming For the People, By the People events and programs click here.
About the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
Founded in 1924, the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts (KIA) is a nationally accredited art museum and community art school that brings people together through creativity, learning, and shared experience. Each year, more than 100,000 visitors explore 10–15 rotating exhibitions across the museum’s 10 galleries, drawn from a permanent collection of more than 4,600 works spanning American, European, Asian, and contemporary art.
Beyond the galleries, the KIA is a place where art is not only viewed but made. The Kirk Newman Art School (KNAS) welcomes more than 3,400 enrollments annually, offering hands-on instruction in ceramics, sculpture, jewelry, drawing and painting, printmaking, fiber, photography, glass fusing, and enrichment programs for all ages. Students learn directly from professional artists and educators in a dynamic, studio-based environment.
The museum campus also includes a multi-media auditorium, a publicly accessible art library, an interactive children’s gallery, and the KIA Gallery Shop featuring work by local, regional, and international artists.
Through exhibitions, education, and community partnerships, the KIA serves as a cultural anchor for Southwest Michigan — a place where art sparks curiosity, strengthens connection, and inspires new ways of seeing. Learn more at kiarts.org.