Detroit artist Richard Phillips started painting while in prison with a mail order watercolor set: landscapes, portraits of famous people, jazz musicians, and more, eventually creating over 400 paintings. Arrested in 1971 for a murder he didn’t commit, Phillips was in prison for 46 years. Creating art enabled him to persist and deal with the…
Drop in on Sundays between 1:30 - 2:30pm and have conversations with docents who can provide information and answer questions about the artwork in the KIA’s collection. Find the docents on the lower level of the museum’s galleries.
by Shonda Buchanan This powerful, deeply personal narrative explores Buchanan’s complex identity. She reflects on the trauma, resilience, and strength passed down through generations, as well as the tensions and misunderstandings she encountered due to her mixed heritage. Throughout, she weaves in stories of her ancestors, shedding light on the hidden and painful history of…
Drop in on Sundays between 1:30 - 2:30pm and have conversations with docents who can provide information and answer questions about the artwork in the KIA’s collection. Find the docents on the lower level of the museum’s galleries.
Meet artist Kelly Church, an Ottawa/Pottawatomi black ash basket maker, fiber artist, educator, activist, and culture keeper. A member of the Gun Lake Band in Michigan and descendent of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Ojibwe, she comes from an unbroken line of black ash basket makers and from the largest black ash weaving…
Drop in on Sundays between 1:30 - 2:30pm and have conversations with docents who can provide information and answer questions about the artwork in the KIA’s collection. Find the docents on the lower level of the museum’s galleries.
by Suzanne Greenlaw and Gabriel Frey Let’s learn about landscapes! We’ll begin with a book to see how the illustrator expresses them, visit the galleries to observe how artists portray them, and finally, you’ll create one of your own to take home.
There are so many things to find in the art on the walls. Let’s take a walk through the galleries and see what we can spy with our little eyes.
Take a closer look at two paintings featured in the Legendary Voices exhibition: Karl Knaths’ Wounded Tree and Harold David Landes’ Pink Tree. How do these artists approach similar subject matter in distinctive ways? Gallery stools will be available.
Drop in on Sundays between 1:30 - 2:30pm and have conversations with docents who can provide information and answer questions about the artwork in the KIA’s collection. Find the docents on the lower level of the museum’s galleries.
Rescheduled! The exhibition Legendary Voices: Art for the Next Century invites visitors to view much-loved pieces from the KIA’s collection in fresh ways, often drawing unexpected connections between very different works of art. In keeping with this concept, educational programming throughout the run of the exhibition will offer guests opportunities to engage with the visual arts…
Please note: ArtBreaks are moving to Wednesdays in 2025. Join us for a screening of the film Black Ash Basketry: A Story of Cultural Resilience. A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Lifeways Institute, Grand Rapids Community College, and the Goodwillie Environmental School, this film explores the role that black ash basketry has played in…