Michael Zutis says in 2023, a year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he was walking his dog through the Vine neighborhood.
“I started to see all this graffiti that said things like ‘Slava Ukraini,’ which I looked up, which means ‘glory to Ukraine,’" said Zutis. "I just said to myself, ‘You know, that would be a great name for a concert to raise money for people who really need it.’”
A piano student at Western Michigan University, Zutis used his connections to put together a benefit concert of Ukrainian music. The proceeds went to humanitarian aid in Ukraine. Two years later, in 2025, he formed the organization Arts in Action — which weds social justice with the arts — with his neighbor, singer Elena Pulliam.
“We not only want to be able to connect the community to these different kinds of arts, but also connect artists to one another," said Pulliam.
When Zutis and Pulliam plan a concert, they look to current events. They describe their work as organizing the talent and ambition of Kalamazoo’s artistic community to help people. That could mean holding a benefit concert for local renters at risk of eviction like they did in February, or assembling an artists’ market in support of a local Palestinian refugee, as they did in November.
“It might not be the biggest impact," said Pulliam. "We're not, you know, raising thousands. We're not going to flip the script, but we are making a difference at least locally and at least here in Kalamazoo.”
Thursday’s concert at the St. Thomas More Catholic Student Parish supports a program at St. Thomas More’s sister parish in El Salvador. It helps pay educational costs for young parishioners. The show will feature performers including Pulliam, Zutis and students from the school of music at WMU.
