Community Calendar

The 2025 Grand Rapids 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb is a way to remember the FDNY firefighters, police and EMS who selflessly gave their lives so that others might live on 9/11/2001. Each participant pays tribute to those brave souls by climbing the equivalent of the 110 stories of the World Trade Center. Your individual tribute not only remembers the sacrifice of those heroes but symbolically completes their courageous journey to save others. Through firefighter and community participation we can ensure that each of the 343 firefighters, 60 police officers, and 10 EMS are honored, and the world will know we will
never forget. Come climb with your local heroes!

Our popular trail walks return for 2025! This walk will feature a performance by the Kalamazoo Drone Society, a group of unnamed and uncredited Kalamazoo-based musicians who collectively record long-form “drone-like” meditative improvisations. Mike Weis of the Stewards of Kleinstuck will lead the walk in.

Attendees should meet at the tennis courts behind the Maple Street YMCA. As the audience will be walking to a location without seating, we recommend wearing appropriate footwear and bringing a portable chair. The hike to the performance location takes about 10 to 15 minutes.

A $10 cash suggested donation per person will be accepted on-site.

Moonlight Migration Walk
Saturday, September 6, 8-11 pm (Last walk leaves at 9:30pm)

The Corn Moon, typically the last moon cycle before the autumnal equinox, signifies a period of abundance, gratitude, and the culmination of hard work at the end of a year’s corn harvest.
Celebrate this special season by walking through the moonlit grasses to learn about the awe-inspiring autumn bird migration taking place overhead, and enjoy the tranquil sights and sounds of the prairie under the moonlight. The Kalamazoo Astronomical Society will be on hand with a viewing session! Drinks included in entry fee. Register in advance, come any time to hike!

Fee: $12/member, $15/non-member. Register in advance or drop in.

Audience: All Ages

Meet: Prairie Pathway near KNC Camp

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 goal of the event is to empower the community through civic engagement by highlighting the importance of participating in and defending democracy.

Explore how a variety of apps and digital tools can be used to help artists working in traditional media. Artist Kris Walker will lead a discussion of the ways in which technology can assist the contemporary artist, from creating references to organizing artwork catalogs. We’ll discuss a wide range of methods by which artists can use digital tools to enhance the creative process, explore new ideas, and streamline some of the “work” involved in creating art.

Kris Walker is a photographer, illustrator, and designer with over thirty years of experience producing a wide range of creative projects for clients across the country. He also has taught design at Southwestern Michigan College and currently teaches Photoshop and other software in the Kirk Newman Art School’s Photography Department.

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.
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.

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month a little early! Explore the mesmerizing digital exhibition Leo Villareal: Interstellar and enjoy an evening of games and creative art-making.

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

Embark on a Japanese-inspired Art Detectives adventure! We’ll read the story of Wabi Sabi, a curious little cat in Japan on a quest to discover the meaning of her name. Then, we’ll explore beautiful wood-fired ceramic pots before creating our own multimedia masterpiece.

Stick around for Community Day at the KIA! Watch pottery demos in the school commons and take part in a kurinuki cup workshop in the Kirk Newman Art School.

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!

Join us for an exploration of clay during our free September Community Day. Stop by the Meader Fine Arts Library for an easy drop-in art project. You can also take part in building and decorating a community pot that will be fired in the KIA’s anagama wood kiln.

If you would like to deepen your exploration of clay, sign up for a kurinuki cup workshop and carve your own cup using this traditional Japanese technique—no clay experience needed!

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