Get to know the Kirk Newman Art School’s 2024-2025 resident cohort! In this virtual ArtBreak series, each resident will speak about their work and inspiration, sharing insights about their residencies and aspirations for the future. Our 2024-2025 residents are: Mariah Donmyer, Lexington Fate, Lilly Mattern, Haley McFall, Madison McKenzie, Olivia Stier, and Michael Trimboli. All resident…
During this ArtBreak, artist and educator Tom Rice will discuss the evolution of his large-scale drawings and installations that address the global climate crisis. The increasing size and frequency of hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, and floods are symptoms of a seismic transition from a relatively stable climate to a new normal. The denial of these signs…
In February 1943, Mies van der Rohe published his “Museum for a Small City” in Architectural Forum. Architectural historians have long been fascinated with the concept drawings, but often refer to the plans as never having been realized. And yet, archival evidence suggests that Mies’ “Museum for a Small City” was indeed realized in 1961,…
During this special ArtBreak event, we will be touring the West Michigan Area Show with some of the talented local artists whose work is included in the exhibition! Learn more about: Nathan Anderson's The Mourning of Battle (acrylic on linen) Gary Eldridge's She's Got the Music in Her (mixed media assemblage) Lee Ann Frame's Stopping…
** Please note the time for this event was listed incorrectly in an email. The correct time for this ArtBreak is Wednesday, August 27 from 12–1pm. ** Artist Julia Wang, a fourth-generation disciple of the Lingnan School, reveals the historical significance of this influential movement in Chinese ink painting, tracing its roots to ancient times.…
Explore how a variety of apps and digital tools can be used to help artists working in traditional media. Artist Kris Walker will lead a discussion of the ways in which technology can assist the contemporary artist, from creating references to organizing artwork catalogs. We’ll discuss a wide range of methods by which artists can…
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…