Community Calendar

Enjoy free admission and extended hours until 8pm on Thursdays. Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program and the Efroymson Family Fund.

During this Gallery Gathering, hear from community members whose pieces are included in our Sourced from the ‘Zoo exhibition. With a focus on artworks and objects relating to self-care and wellbeing, we will explore the galleries together and hear the stories behind several of these pieces. Gallery stools will be available.

After the gathering, stick around for a care-centered workshop led by Alessandra Santos Pye and Kama Tai Mitchell, where we will discuss strategies for taking care of ourselves and our communities during times of uncertainty and upheaval.

Join us for a restorative, thought-provoking workshop led by Alessandra Santos Pye and Kama Tai Mitchell. This session offers mindfulness practices, creative expression, movement, and group discussions to help you reflect, recharge, and connect. Explore self-care techniques while honoring individual stories and experiences. Whether you’re new to wellness or an enthusiast, this workshop will foster healing, connection, and personal growth. Come as you are and leave inspired to nurture your well-being.

Prior to the workshop, join us for a Gallery Gathering focused on works in the Sourced from the ‘Zoo exhibition that are connected to the theme of self-care and wellness.

Alessandra Santos Pye (Ally Pye, she/her), is a Brazilian, mixed-race psychedelic-assisted therapist, psychotherapist, facilitator, and artist. Her work centers ritual, relational dynamics, restorative justice, trauma-informed care, and the expressive arts. She is the Founder of the Chrysalis Institute for Emerging Artists and Changemakers, and Lead Clinician at Curando.

Kama Tai Mitchell is a mama, certified doula, dancer, and cultural healing innovator. She founded Rootead Enrichment Center in Kalamazoo, focusing on healing trauma, de-stigmatizing mental health, and addressing poverty. Kama centers BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ experiences, facilitates racial healing, and integrates West African traditions into her practice.

A dazzling musical based on the L. Frank Baum classic story. Book by Tim Kelly Music and lyrics by Bill Francoeur. A cyclone carries Dorothy and Toto to the magical Land of Oz. When Dorothy’s house squashes the Wicked Witch of the East, she is ecstatically thanked by the liberated Munchkins and given permission to wear the witch’s powerful silver slippers. From there, Baum’s lovable characters — rubber-legged Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and Tin Woodsman — join Dorothy on a journey to meet the great Oz. While on their trek, they battle the Wicked Witch of the West, who is determined to get revenge for the death of her sister. This bright musical is charged with a bundle of wonderful songs and thrill after thrill...

You’re invited to take a walk through JooYoung Choi’s imaginative world of colors and characters. We’ll meet Pound Cake Man, his daughter, Emma Pound Cake Girl and many others.

Take a Wonder Walk through the galleries! The walk will include close looking at a few artworks as well as gallery games and activities. This is a great way to introduce your little one to art and the museum. Wonder Walks is for children 2-4 years old (but all are welcome) and is free with the cost of admission. Caregivers must stay with their children at all times. Preregistration is encouraged. Adults, remember to register your children.

Gallery photo by Colleen Woolpert.

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 2024–2025 resident artists’ work will be on display in the Kirk Newman Art School commons from May 2–June 1, 2025. This unique group exhibition will feature new works in sculpture, ceramics, painting, printmaking, and photography from our seven residents.

The opening reception for this exhibition will coincide with Art Hop and its theme of Emergence on Friday, May 2 from 5–8pm. Join us in celebrating the talents of these amazing emerging artists! To learn more about each Resident and their art making journey, visit the KIA YouTube page after April 18 for our virtual ArtBreak series.

A dazzling musical based on the L. Frank Baum classic story. Book by Tim Kelly Music and lyrics by Bill Francoeur. A cyclone carries Dorothy and Toto to the magical Land of Oz. When Dorothy’s house squashes the Wicked Witch of the East, she is ecstatically thanked by the liberated Munchkins and given permission to wear the witch’s powerful silver slippers. From there, Baum’s lovable characters — rubber-legged Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and Tin Woodsman — join Dorothy on a journey to meet the great Oz. While on their trek, they battle the Wicked Witch of the West, who is determined to get revenge for the death of her sister. This bright musical is charged with a bundle of wonderful songs and thrill after thrill...

A dazzling musical based on the L. Frank Baum classic story. Book by Tim Kelly Music and lyrics by Bill Francoeur. A cyclone carries Dorothy and Toto to the magical Land of Oz. When Dorothy’s house squashes the Wicked Witch of the East, she is ecstatically thanked by the liberated Munchkins and given permission to wear the witch’s powerful silver slippers. From there, Baum’s lovable characters — rubber-legged Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and Tin Woodsman — join Dorothy on a journey to meet the great Oz. While on their trek, they battle the Wicked Witch of the West, who is determined to get revenge for the death of her sister. This bright musical is charged with a bundle of wonderful songs and thrill after thrill...

Please join us the first Saturday of each month at 9 AM (barring special events or bad weather which will be announced on our Facebook page), for "Beginning Birding Walks," led by experienced birders from the Audubon Society of Kalamazoo. This event is free and open to the public. Meet at the second parking lot at Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery in Mattawan, just off SR 43. All skill levels are welcome.

We will enjoy nature while typically identifying 20-40 species of birds, plus butterflies, frogs, etc. Over 200 bird species have been sighted at Wolf Lake, which offers a variety of habitats and easy walking trails. Annual highlights include colorful songbirds like orioles, warblers, tanagers, hawks and eagles, kingfishers, Great Blue and Green Herons, and over 20 species of waterfowl. Eastern Bluebirds can be found year-round! Children accompanying adults are welcome. The focus is on birding fundamentals, and extra binoculars are always available. The walk typically takes about 2 hours (but feel free to arrive late or leave early).

The Kalamazoo Recorder Players are celebrating their 50th anniversary with a concert that will feature world premiere performances of four pieces by composers from the Sound Ecologies Music Artist Collective based in Indianapolis. Rob Funkhouser, Luke Garrigus, Brenna Green, and Amanda S. have each written pieces for the Kalamazoo Recorder Players to celebrate this milestone. Additional works on the concert will be by William Byrd, Marg Hall, Josquin des Prez, and William Ruthenberg.

The Kalamazoo Recorder Players began in 1974 under the direction of Judith Whaley. Over the years, they have performed public concerts, school concerts, and music for community events. Since 2006 the group has been directed by Karen Woodworth. Membership is open to recorder players of all ages who are interested in exploring music as a group with the goal of sharing it with the community. The Sound Ecologies Music Artist Collective formed to utilize music and the arts to specifically benefit environmental conservation and social causes. Their members are dedicated to cultivating music, community, and conservation.

The concert will be held in the sanctuary of Portage United Church of Christ on Sunday, May 4th at 2:00 p.m. and will be followed by a reception. Admission is free. Donations will be accepted.