Community Calendar

Hughie Lee-Smith was a 20th century African American painter and art instructor. Growing up in the Midwest, he created a prolific collection of paintings that predominantly featured figures in urban and rural settings. Lee-Smith’s often enigmatic works explored themes of isolation, expectation, and loneliness. Regrettably, he was not as well recognized as many of his contemporaries. During this ArtBreak talk, learn more about this remarkable artist with KIA docent Dr. Sam Grossman, then visit our lower level galleries to view Lee-Smith’s The Spectators.

Dr. Sam Grossman is a long-time docent of the KIA. He also is a frequent instructor with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, teaching a variety of topics. Sam is a retired pediatrician; prior to medical school, he was an associate professor of theatre arts.

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.

Join us for Sneaker Culture Night featuring music, food, and an engaging presentation. Dr. Delisia Matthews will share her research on Sneaker Culture by highlighting its historical roots, the unique language and behaviors of consumers, and the deep ties of the culture to music. Additionally, this discussion will explore how sneaker collecting connects to fatherhood and legacy, while inviting the audience to connect through their own sneaker narratives.

Dr. Delisia Matthews is an Associate Professor at North Carolina State University in the Wilson College of Textiles whose research explores consumer behavior and trends, sneaker culture and the cultural meanings behind consumer decision-making. With a background in marketing research and retail at companies like Procter & Gamble, Nordstrom, and Walmart, she blends industry insight with scholarship. An award-winning educator, Dr. Matthews uses qualitative research to center consumers’ voices, tell their stories, and advocate for the communities behind the culture.

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

Join us for a family-friendly exploration of some of the shoes featured in Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks! All ages are welcome to join in the conversation as we observe shoe designs of the past, present, and future.

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.
Gallery Gatherings are short, lightly-moderated conversations about selected artworks from ongoing exhibitions. Chairs and gallery stools are available for guests. This program is free, but preregistration is encouraged.

During this virtual ArtBreak, learn more about Nick La Marca, the multimedia artist whose Sole Lines installation is on view in the KIA lobby. La Marca is an artist and documentarian working across photography and installation. Born and raised in the Bronx, his practice is deeply informed by the city’s cultural vibrancy and diversity. La Marca’s work engages art and design as forms of social practice, using creativity as a bridge between personal narrative, community histories, and broader societal issues. At the core of his projects is a commitment to recognition and research–illuminating local or “micro” concerns and situating them within larger cultural or economic frameworks. His installations and photographic works often serve as platforms for dialogue, highlighting how lived experiences intersect with questions of value, identity, and community. Through this approach, La Marca positions art as both a document and an agent of change, underscoring its ability to connect creativity with social responsibility.

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.

The Great KIA Book Swap returns! Bring gently used books to the KIA to trade for new-to-you titles! We are excited to offer this sustainable reading opportunity to our community. Music and refreshments will be provided. Enter a raffle for great prizes from our sponsors! Receive one raffle ticket per book, with a limit of five tickets per person. You must be present at the time of the drawing to win raffle prizes. Please no textbooks, encyclopedias or magazines. Books should be in good physical condition—no moldy, torn, or damaged books. Keep in mind that this is a book swap, so bring a book in the condition that you would want to receive.

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

Get ready to explore the color blue with Art Detectives this April! We’ll read a book that shows how artists discovered and used blue throughout history. Then we’ll explore the exhibition From Cobalt to Indigo: The Power of Blue in East Asia to see how East Asian artists use blue in their creations. After our gallery adventure, we’ll make our own brilliant blue artwork to take home.

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!

When ten year old Mona experiences a sudden, brief loss of sight, her grandfather Henry decides to give her a gallery of artworks to visit in her mind as she faces potential permanent blindness. Through fifty-two weekly trips to museums in Paris, Mona recieves an emotional art history education. Art lessons become tied to life lessons on love, fear, and beauty. Their relationship strenthens as Henry gives Mona more than a deep appreciation of art.

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.

Meet a living legend in the world of of shoe design! During this Artful Evening, Wilson W. Smith III will speak about his prolific career in the athletic footwear industry. The first Black designer for Nike, Smith has created shoes for Michael Jordan, Andre Agassi, Serena Williams, and many more. After a 41-year career with the company, Smith retired as the Manager of Design Eduation with Nike’s Blue-Ribbon Studio in 2025. His work has been recognized with a number of prestigious awards, including Nike’s inaugural Design Achievement Award in 2019. In 2024, Detroit’s Pensole Lewis College, the nation’s only design-focused HBCU, dedicated the Wilson W. Smith III Footwear Design Studio. Join us to learn more about the passion and artistry that have driven Smith’s remarkable career and his life’s work in design and education.

Thank you to our event sponsor:

Warner Norcross & Judd

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.

Virtual Butterfly Monitor Training

KNC’s Michigan Butterfly Network (MiBN) welcomes you for a virtual butterfly monitor training. Butterflies are indicators of the quality and health of entire ecosystems, and monitoring their abundance is critical for informing conservation work. Anyone with an interest in butterflies can contribute to MiBN monitoring activities. Community scientists are integral to learning more about butterflies across the state of Michigan. This free training is open to past and new participants of all experience levels to learn how to identify Michigan butterflies and monitor a butterfly route. Register to receive an email invitation to a Microsoft Teams meeting. Please note: a recording of the training will be sent to all registrants, should you be unable to attend synchronously.

Fee: Free. Please register by April 30 | Audience: Ages 15+

Join us for a special Artful Evening with Elizabeth Semmelhack, Director and Senior Curator of the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto! Semmelhack is the curator of Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks. During this program, she will talk about why shoes matter and about how designers today are revolutionizing what we will put on our feet tomorrow. If you’ve enjoyed Future Now, don’t miss this opportunity to meet the curator behind the exhibition!

Semmelhack’s work focuses on the intersections of fashion, culture, and economics, with a particular interest in the history of footwear. She is widely quoted in the media from the New York Times to Vogue, and since starting at the Bata Shoe Museum in 2000, she has curated over thirty exhibitions and written fourteen books and catalogues and over thirty chapters and articles. Her most recent exhibitions and publications related to sneakers include Art/Wear: Sneakers x Artists (2024), Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks (Rizzoli:2022), Collab: Sneakers x Culture (Rizzoli: 2019), and Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture (Rizzoli: 2015).

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.

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.