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, take a closer look at abstract artist Richard Mayhew’s 1974 painting Mohawk Hills. Using rich colors to capture the emotional and often spiritual imprints of the places they depict, Mayhew’s highly expressive “mindscapes” challenge many of the conventions of American landscape art. We will discuss Mohawk Hills in conversation with other landscape paintings on view. Gallery stools will be provided.

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.

Join us for a colorful autumn adventure through the galleries! We’ll explore artworks that capture the magic of fall. Along the way, we’ll look for warm colors, interesting textures, and hidden surprises that celebrate the beauty of the season. Bring your imagination and get ready to see autumn through the eyes of artists!

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!

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).

Learn and create with us during an interactive ArtBreak that will highlight the power of sharing stories and experiences in order to unite communities! “The Rope Project” began in 2017 as an alternative arts initiative woven together by Education for the Arts’ visual teaching artists, whose hope was to bring students across the county together to share stories celebrating their community and their unique experiences. These stories are written on fabric and tied together to form a rope using a rope-making machine.

Gayle Swank-Reyes, with the help of her EFA advanced high school students, will discuss the history of the rope-making project and share some of the projects inspired by the ropes and the stories they hold. Attendees will then be invited to contribute their stories to a rope we will create together. This rope will later be incorporated into a project that EFA students will develop during the school year.

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.

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.

Discover the beauty and expression of Chinese ink painting! Start the evening by exploring Ink Rhapsody: The Art of the Lingnan Masters in Hong Kong and get inspired by the dynamic brushwork. Then bring your ideas to life with a fun, hands-on art activity. Ink painting will be offered for ages 8 and older. This workshop is open to the first 20 participants and runs from 6:30 to 8 pm. A drop-in hand fan activity will be available for all ages to enjoy from 6 to 8pm.

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

This October, Art Detectives will explore the wonders of fall! We’ll read a charming story about some hesitant leaves who aren’t quite ready to change colors and let go. Then, we’ll search the galleries for autumn-themed art and create our own leaf-inspired creation.

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!

The Lantern of Lost Memories tells the story of Mr. Hirasaki’s magical photo studio, a gateway to the afterlife where the departed revisit their memories through a “spinning lantern.” Guests—including a kind yakuza, a devoted teacher, and a young girl—relive their past and choose one cherished moment to photograph. This emotional story celebrates memory, love, and beauty. Discussion will relate themes in the book with the exhibition Washi Transformed: New Expressions in Japanese Paper.

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.

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.