Community Calendar

Harlem Rhapsody follows Jessie Redmon Fauset, the literary editor of The Crisis magazine, as she helps ignite the Harlem Renaissance while navigating a secret affair with W.E.B. Du Bois. As the first Black woman to hold this editorial position, Jessie wastes no time uplifting those who will become some of the greatest voices of this legendary artistic movement. Victoria Christopher Murrary explores ambition, love, race, and the sacrifices behind artistic legacy and cultural transformation.

"“Art is the inner voice of the people.” —Alain Locke

Join us for a discussion of one of the most vibrant and significant movements in American art history – the Harlem Renaissance. Three scholars will reflect on the period’s rich legacy in the fields of visual art, music, and theatre. Moderated by Bianca Washington, the panel will include Dr. Amy Mooney (Professor of Art History at Columbia College Chicago), Rev. Millard Southern (PhD candidate in Interdisciplinary Studies at WMU), and Dr. Quincy Thomas (Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts at Kalamazoo College).

Help us reach our goal of zero suicides!

We're fighting for a better future. For those affected by suicide. For open conversations about mental health. For prevention. We can't do that without you. Walk with us to prevent suicide.

Join us for the 13th annual Gryphon Place Suicide Prevention Walk on Saturday, September 19, 2026. The 5K cause-walk will raise awareness for suicide prevention, allow people to connect with each other, and provide critical funds for Gryphon Place. 100% of the community-raised dollars stay here in the community, supporting the local programs and services we offer.

Schedule:
8:30 AM Registration Opens + Resource Fair Begins
9:30 AM Panel Discussion Beings
10:00 AM Opening Remarks + Walk Begins
12:00 PM Walk + Resource Fair Ends

"In the late 1950s, Upjohn Pharmaceuticals partnered with the United States Information Agency to develop an exhibition on Kalamazoo that toured several major European cities. ""Kalamazoo...and how it grew!"" was designed by Will Burtin in conjunction with Jack Masey of the United States Information Agency, with the bill for the exhibition footed by Upjohn Pharmaceuticals. In this talk, we will trace the exhibition's development and scope, as well as discuss how the exhibition fit into the USIA's broader goals of deploying design in the promotion of democracy abroad.

Christine Young-Kyung Hahn is a lifelong Midwesterner, born in Detroit, raised in Lansing, and a professor of art history at Kalamazoo College since 2008. She is a graduate of Carleton College in Northfield, MN, and received her M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Chicago. While rooted in the Midwest, her research questions have taken her around the world, digging through archives in Paris, New York, and Seoul. To support these endeavors, Dr. Hahn has worked on exhibitions for the Art Institute of Chicago, for the books division at the University of Chicago Press, and for higher education development at the University of Michigan Law School. Her work on modern Korean artists and exhibitions has been supported by the Fulbright and the National Endowment for the Humanities."

"During this talk, Dr. James Denison will examine John James Audubon’s multinational background, transatlantic audience, and the nationalist ambitions behind his celebrated publication, The Birds of America. While Audubon's book is now synonymous with naturalism in America, it was made with the intention of constructing particular ideas about place, identity, and nationhood in order to appeal to customers on both sides of the Atlantic. The result was a book as beautiful as it was expensive and evocative, yet also one that often cut corners, misrepresenting, fabricating, and plagiarizing in the name of commercial success.

Please note that this program will comprise a prerecorded lecture by Dr. Denison screened in the auditorium, followed by a lightly guided gallery exploration.

James Denison recently concluded his term as the Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow for the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts and Visiting Assistant Professor of Art History at Kalamazoo College, a joint position held since 2023. A native of Washington, D.C., he earned his Ph.D. in Art History at the University of Michigan, where he completed his dissertation on the Stieglitz Circle and racism in the interwar US. He has published scholarship in the journals Word & Image, Panorama, CAA. Reviews, and Art Journal. While at the KIA, he worked on multiple exhibitions and wrote for two catalogues: 101 Legendary Selections from the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts and Art, Music & Feminism in the 1950s. "

Photographer Sheila Pree Bright’s series Invisible Empire foregrounds the tension between the pastoral beauty of the American South and the historical exploitation of Black lives and labor that stains the landscape. In her series The Real Story of the Superheroes, Dulce Pinzón centers immigrant workers whose everyday heroism takes the form of quiet sacrifice and courage in the face of often extreme labor conditions. During this Gallery Gathering, we will discuss two artworks from these series featured in For the People, By the People.

"Let’s find the biggest works in the museum. Join us for a playful walk through the galleries designed for our youngest visitors. Together, we’ll explore big, bold paintings through close looking, storytelling, and interactive activities.

Wonder Walks are 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"

"Join the KIA for an evening celebrating family, culture, creativity, and community during Hispanic Heritage Month. Noche de Familia welcomes guests of all ages to gather through art experiences, cultural activities, storytelling, and opportunities to connect with neighbors and community organizations.
This year's event will place special emphasis on recognizing and honoring the contributions of farmworker individuals and families throughout Southwest Michigan. Through their labor, traditions, resilience, and community leadership, farmworkers have helped shape the region's history and continue to play a vital role in its future.
Visitors are invited to explore the galleries, participate in hands-on activities, engage with community partners, and celebrate the stories that connect generations and communities. By uplifting voices and experiences that are often overlooked."

"During this special program, three contemporary Indigenous artists from across the country will come together to discuss their artistic approaches, points of inspiration, and visions for the future. Speakers include Dakota Mace (Diné), Cara Romero (Chemehuevi), Kelly Church (Pottawatomi/Ottawa/Ojibwe). Mace’s work focuses on translating the language of Diné history and beliefs while pushing the viewer’s understanding of Diné culture through alternative photography techniques, weaving, beadwork, and papermaking. Photographer Cara Romero uses contemporary techniques to depict the modernity of Native peoples, illuminating Indigenous worldviews and aspects of supernaturalism in everyday life. Kelly Church is a black ash basket maker, a fiber artist, and a strong advocate for the survival of Native traditions through her work in educating the public about the endangered black ash tree.

Mace’s multimedia piece Tsin Bigaan (Branches) and Romero’s photographic print Arla Lucia are on view in the exhibition For the People, By the People: America at 250, and Church’s woven black ash piece Every Dawn is a New Day is on view in our permanent collection exhibition.

Galleries open at 11am, and admission is included with the price of program attendance.

Ticket Prices:
KIA Members - $20
Non-members - $25
College students - $10"

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).