** Please note: Registration for this event has filled. You can still hear from Wilson at Thursday's Artful Evening! ** KIA members are invited to join legendary Nike designer Wilson W. Smith III for an intimate discussion of all things shoe design and a private viewing of Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks! This…
Enjoy free admission and extended hours until 8pm on Thursdays, thanks to generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program and the Efroymson Family Fund.
Meet a living legend in the world of shoe design! During this Artful Evening, Wilson W. Smith III will speak about his prolific career in the athletic footwear industry. The first Black designer for Nike, Smith has created shoes for Michael Jordan, Andre Agassi, Serena Williams, and many more. After a 41-year career with the…
Learn from a legendary athletic footwear designer and a Michigan college focused on the design industry. These workshops are aimed at high school and college students, or anyone interested in design, particularly shoe design. Schedule: 4-4:30pm - Check-in opens, view Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks exhibit 4:30-5:30pm - SPARK workshop with Wilson W.…
As we celebrate the future of shoes, it can be fascinating to look back to see where we have already been. During this ArtBreak talk, fashion historian and professor Iris Carney Cooper will offer an overview of notable and special shoe designs throughout time, discussing history, significance, function, and design. Cooper is a fashion historian,…
Enjoy free admission and extended hours until 8pm on Thursdays, thanks to generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program and the Efroymson Family Fund.
Spring is creeping closer, and we’re ready to get outside. Until it warms up, join us for a stroll through the permanent collection to enjoy some sunny landscapes and think ahead to brighter days. We'll discover how artists represent the natural world and have fun with a few gallery activities along the way.
The Kirk Newman Art School’s Post-Baccalaureate Program is designed for recent fine arts graduates seeking to grow and strengthen their creative practice in a supportive community with access to professional studio facilities. The culmination of the 2025–2026 resident artists’ work will be on display in the KNAS commons from May 1–31. This unique group exhibition…
Enjoy free admission and extended hours until 8pm on Thursdays, thanks to generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program and the Efroymson Family Fund.
Immerse yourself in shades of blue as we explore selected works from the exhibition From Cobalt to Indigo: The Power of Blue in East Asia, on view in the Joy Light Gallery through July 12. Together we will learn more about the cultural significance and wide-reaching influence of the color blue in the art of…
Explore the artwork of Edward Hopper in this lecture by Dr. James Denison, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts and Kalamazoo College. Denison's presentation will consider the use of fashion in Edward Hopper’s paintings of urban American life, interpreting his simplified representations of clothes as a strategy crucial to the sense of isolation…
In May, Art Detectives will be on the case, searching for how artists show people in their artwork. We’ll read a book about different artistic styles, hunt for faces and figures in the permanent collection, and finish by creating our own portrait masterpiece to take home. Arty will be on vacation in June, July, and…