Community Calendar

Lace up and let’s explore Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting Edge Kicks! We’ll check out shoes from the past, super-cool styles of today, and shoes that exist only in the virtual world.

Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks is co-organized by the American Federation of Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum, and curated by Elizabeth Semmelhack, Director and Senior Curator of the Bata Shoe Museum.

Please note that this event will not be livestreamed or posted on YouTube.
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!

Thinking of taking a class at the KIA? Want to make, take, and experience a range of creative projects all in the same night? Join us on Friday, March 6, from 6 to 9pm for Hands On, a fun, fast-paced art making evening!

Bring friends and create a ceramic cup or raku fired vessel, hand print a tea towel, weld metal garden art piece, produce a postcard, and more. More than 15 different projects will be available to enjoy. Admission to the event and some projects are free while others require nominal tickets to cover the costs of materials. Tickets for projects can be purchased at the door (1 ticket = $1). Projects range from $2-$30.

Registration is not required, but it does help us in planning for our exciting projects.

Projects include:

Raku and wheel throwing

Indigo dyeing

Miniature canvas paintings

Timed still life drawings

Printmaking demos

Postcards in the darkroom

Jewelry creation

Drop-in sound bath sessions

Welded sculptures

..and more!

Join Jozefa Rogocki for an artist’s talk and demonstration of the intricate art of pysanky eggs, a traditional folk art practiced in various regions of Poland, Ukraine, and other Slavic countries. During this ArtBreak, Rogocki will share her process for decorating these colorful eggs by applying a wax-and-dye batik process. She will demonstrate tools and techniques; discuss the history, myths, and traditional symbols engaged by this unique art form; and share a variety of designs that include contemporary interpretations of archetypal symbols.

Jozefa Rogocki is an artist from the UK with Polish heritage and has lived in the US for 25 years. She recently received an Arts Midwest Culture Bearers Award for her extensive work continuing and sharing the traditional folk art of pysanky eggs. She regularly teaches classes and attends local art fairs and festivals demonstrating this beautiful art form to audiences of all ages.

All hybrid events will be livestreamed to our YouTube page and can be found under the “Live” tab. Recordings of select past events are available on YouTube as well.

Creative Corner
Saturday, March 14 & Sunday, March 15, 10 am – Noon

Get ready for spring and join us for a relaxing art day at KNC! We’ll have craft and art supplies available in the Classroom, so drop by and flex those creative muscles.

Audience: Families

Meet: Visitor Center Classroom

Fee: Included in regular KNC admission; drop in program

Grab your favorite pair of sneakers and come along for March Art Detectives! We’ll explore Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks, enjoy a story about amazing footwear, and spot some eye-catching shoes in the galleries. Afterward, Wellspring dancers will help us get up and groove in our cool kicks.

We won’t make a project during Art Detectives this time—but if you still want to create, hang around for Community Day!

Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks is co-organized by the American Federation of Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum, and curated by Elizabeth Semmelhack, Director and Senior Curator of the Bata Shoe Museum.

Please note that this event will not be livestreamed or posted on YouTube.
Art Detectives is a free program for children 4-8 years old (but all ages are welcome). Join us as we read a story, look at art, and make a project to take home. Caregivers must stay with their children at all times. This is a free program; preregistration is encouraged. Adults, remember to register your children!

Step into a day all about shoes! Wear your favorite pair for fun photo ops. Discover incredible footwear in Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting Edge Kicks and then get creative with shoe inspired art projects.

Have shoes that need some flair? Bring them along and stop by the auditorium between 12:30 and 1:30pm to decorate, bedazzle, or totally reinvent them! Supplies will be provided.

Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks is co-organized by the American Federation of Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum, and curated by Elizabeth Semmelhack, Director and Senior Curator of the Bata Shoe Museum.

Please note that this event will not be livestreamed or posted on YouTube.

Alabama, 1973. When nurse Civil Townsend begins work at the Montgomery Family Planning Clinic, her goal is to care for her African American community. Among her patients are two poor, young Black girls, Erica and India. Civil learns that a terrible medical procedure has been inflicted on the girls without their consent and reports the crime. This historical fiction novel is inspired by true events and is the Kalamazoo Public Library Reading Together selection.

Please note that this event will not be livestreamed or posted on YouTube.
All book discussions are free, open to the public, and take place in-person at the Meader Fine Arts Library. Participants do not need to have read the book, but it will help facilitate the overall discussion. Preregistration is encouraged.

Join us for our Gallery Shop Artist Meet & Greet on Thursday, March 19. This event offers visitors the opportunity to connect with a selection of local artists whose work is featured in the KIA Gallery Shop. Featuring a variety of artist-made works, the Gallery Shop showcases the creativity and craftsmanship of regional/local artists. Visitors are invited to explore the shop, engage with participating artists, and learn more about the ideas and processes behind their work. This Artist Meet & Greet highlights the Gallery Shop as a space for connection between artists and the community. Whether visiting for the first time or returning, guests will have the opportunity to experience the creativity represented in the Gallery Shop and connect directly with the artists.

Please note that this event will not be livestreamed or posted on YouTube.

Show off your fabulous footwear and join us at the KIA for an evening of fun and connection with DJs, a cash bar, savory bites and sweet treats, dancing and a “kicks contest” inspired by the KIA’s next exhibition Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks (Feb. 7 to June 7, 2026).

Immerse yourself in the sights, sounds and feels of the KIA’s latest exhibitions with Future Now celebrating innovation, transformation and sustainability, the KIA’s incredible permanent collection, and the future in our own community with Young Artists of Kalamazoo County (closing March 22, 2026).

What to expect:
DJs spinning
Cash bar with signature beer from Wax Wings Brewery
Savory bites & sweet treats
A “kicks contest” and brief remarks from KIA’s executive director
Photo opportunities galore
Access to all KIA galleries including entry to Future Now
Raffle tickets & drawing (top drawing is one free class voucher to the Kirk Newman Art School!)

Tickets: $75 general admission & day of / $65 for KIA Members

Become a member today to secure your ticket at the member’s price. Must be 21+. Ticket includes entry for 1 person, 1 drink ticket, hors d’oeuvres, live DJs and access to the KIA galleries, including entry to Future Now.

Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks is co-organized by the American Federation of Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum, and curated by Elizabeth Semmelhack, Director and Senior Curator of the Bata Shoe Museum.

Mark your reading place in style using a shoe bookmark! We will provide all of the materials to make a bookmark to take home. Take inspiration from the exhibition on view Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks, shoes in literature, or be your own creative designer! The librarian will have some templates on hand to help you get started.

Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks is co-organized by the American Federation of Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum, and curated by Elizabeth Semmelhack, Director and Senior Curator of the Bata Shoe Museum.

Please note that this event will not be livestreamed or posted on YouTube.