In anticipation of the 2024 West Michigan Area Show’s opening on May 3, juror Jessica Silverman sits down for a conversation with Rehema Barber, the KIA’s Director of Curatorial Affairs. Drawing on perspectives honed from many years working in curatorial positions in both the commercial and non-profit art sectors, Silverman and Barber will discuss the…
Join us for a screening of “Blue and White Porcelain,” an episode from the documentary series Wonder of China. Learn more about the history of the iconic blue-on-white ceramic style that has been admired, collected, and copied for centuries. Follow artists Lu Lyujun, Ye Jianxin, and Liao Zhidan as they demonstrate their own approaches to…
The work of West Michigan’s talented artistic community is on view during the annual West Michigan Area Show. Opening to the public on Friday, May 3, this crowd-pleasing annual juried exhibition was carefully curated from more than 300 submitted entries, ranging from paintings, prints, and photos to mosaics, ceramics, jewelry, sculpture, and mixed-media works. This…
George A. Bayard III, Executive Director of the Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives (GRAAMA), shares the museum’s origin story, a selection of unique local stories he’s encountered, and his vision for the futures of both GRAAMA and West Michigan itself. Bayard holds a Bachelor of Arts in Art Education from the University of…
by Sarah Suzuki Join Art Detectives to learn about artist Yayoi Kusama and look for patterns in artworks on exhibit. Then make your own artwork inspired by Yayoi Kusama.
Founded by Dale Chihuly and a few art school friends in 1971, the Pilchuck Glass School has long been pushing the limits of a medium that can last for centuries or shatter in an instant. Through the story of this small and highly influential school in the Pacific Northwest, Pilchuck: A Dance with Fire identifies…
by Kevin Wilson It’s 1996. Frankie and Zeke are two teenagers just trying to get through a long, hot Tennessee summer. Frankie wants to be an author and Zeke an artist. One boring day, they decide to create some poster art containing an intriguing phrase and hang the copies all over town. When some older…
In 1961, construction was completed on two remarkable structures in Kalamazoo, both designed by the architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. One was the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, based on a design by architect Mies van der Rohe and expanded in 1994 to become the structure we occupy today. The other was the Upjohn Company’s…
As part of the KIA's mission to cultivate the creation and appreciation of the visual arts in West Michigan, we are proud to be working with Art Bridges Foundation to increase access to museums and foster engagement with local audiences. Enjoy free general admission at the KIA every fourth Thursday of the month, featuring extended…
Join us in observing Memorial Day with a screening of the 1994 film Maya Lin: A Strong, Clear Vision.This Academy Award-winning documentary tells the story of architect-sculptor Maya Lin, whose design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was selected from over a thousand submissions when she was a 21-year-old student at Yale University. The film explores…
Visit the KIA to see which films were selected as highlighted works and award winners during this year's Kazoo 48-Hour Film Festival! In this annual Kalamazoo event, filmmakers were assigned a genre, prop, character quirk, location, and line of dialogue to use within a short film, created in just 48 hours. Winning films were selected…
More information on the 2024 Arts Fair can be found here.