Claude Debussy, a friend of Monet, wanted to be a painter. Instead, he used music to create evocative, beautiful pictures. His contemporary Maurice Ravel turned the miraculous seascapes of Impressionist painters into sparkling piano pieces. In Vienna, Arnold Schoenberg, also a serious painter, wrote music that pushed traditional boundaries to their limit. In his opera…
Learn and create with us during an interactive ArtBreak that will highlight the power of sharing stories and experiences in order to unite communities! “The Rope Project” began in 2017 as an alternative arts initiative woven together by Education for the Arts’ visual teaching artists, whose hope was to bring students across the county together…
The Kalamazoo Book Arts Center functions as a creative public space where artists and book enthusiasts of all kinds gather to celebrate the collaborative arts of the book, including papermaking, printmaking, letterpress, bookbinding, and creative writing. KBAC preserves and employs traditional technologies while combining them with contemporary ideas and techniques. During this off-site ArtBreak, we…
In February 1959, the front page of the Kalamazoo Gazette announced, “The city is to have a new art center,” with costs of construction paid by Mr. and Mrs. Donald S. Gilmore. In addition to their extraordinary philanthropy, the Gilmores were KIA board members, art collectors, and skilled artists. Mrs. Gilmore’s bequest to the KIA…
Created by Vanessa Gould, the award-winning documentary Between the Folds follows the stories of ten artists and scientists whose work applies the art of origami in unexpected ways. The film examines both traditional and unconventional approaches to origami art, then explores the work of mathematicians, scientists, and educators who use origami as a tool for…
The Kirk Newman Art School Faculty Review is a much-anticipated biennial exhibition at the KIA, showcasing the considerable talents of Kirk Newman Art School faculty members who provide world-class instruction in a wide range of media. During this ArtBreak, KNAS Director Leslie Donaldson will offer remarks on this year's show, which centers on the theme…
Typography brings form to words both beautiful and mundane. What factors do graphic designers consider as they’re selecting the “clothes” our words will wear? How have changes in technology influenced fonts, designers, and the work they make? What effects have these developments had on the philosophy of typography? Join Ryan Lewis for a brief journey…
The People Could Fly is a poetic look into the history of Black gathering spaces in Louisville, KY, from the 1960s to mid-2000s. Intimate video portraits reveal the ritual of skating and how roller rinks emerged as sanctuaries for Black culture, joy, and resilience. This short documentary explores the magic conjured by one community as…
Explore Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks through the medium of poetry! Local poet and Kirk Newman Art School instructor Elizabeth Kerlikowske has led her poetry students in composing original works responding to selected shoes featured in the exhibition. During this ArtBreak, the students will share their work and offer new perspectives on this…
Join Jozefa Rogocki for an artist's talk and demonstration of the intricate art of pysanky eggs, a traditional folk art practiced in various regions of Poland, Ukraine, and other Slavic countries. During this ArtBreak, Rogocki will share her process for decorating these colorful eggs by applying a wax-and-dye batik process. She will demonstrate tools and…
Hughie Lee-Smith was a 20th century African American painter and art instructor. Growing up in the Midwest, he created a prolific collection of paintings that predominantly featured figures in urban and rural settings. Lee-Smith’s often enigmatic works explored themes of isolation, expectation, and loneliness. Regrettably, he was not as well recognized as many of his…
During this virtual ArtBreak, learn more about Nick La Marca, the multimedia artist whose Sole Lines installation is on view in the KIA lobby. La Marca is an artist and documentarian working across photography and installation. Born and raised in the Bronx, his practice is deeply informed by the city’s cultural vibrancy and diversity. La…