Art Hop returns with 37 stops across downtown Kalamazoo and in the Vine and Oakwood neighborhoods. Download the brochure, which serves as a guide to all events, with maps. Check out the calendar to learn more about the artists and events. 

Published: April 29, 2019

This year's Bach Festival Week features 4 ticketed concerts and 7 free events – taking place in recital halls, churches, the library, and at least one bar. Who are the performers? What are they playing (it's not all Bach, of course)? Where are they playing? Which performances are free? Click "schedule," below, for a simple overview of all events. Click "Festival" for the event site, with more details on each performance and links to tickets. 

Published: April 20, 2019

It's always great when a local theatre review appears while there are still upcoming performances. The New Vic Theatre of Kalamazoo's production of "Gaslight" continues through April 20. Revue Magazine's review begins: "The term 'gaslighting' has gotten a lot of play lately, with regard to personal relationships as well as the behavior of public figures. It’s used to describe a form of psychological manipulation or abuse in which a narcissist or sociopath plants seeds of doubt to destabilize the victim, causing them to question themselves, perhaps even their sanity."

Published: April 15, 2019

One day a year, digital music takes a back seat to vinyl, and indepedent record stores unveil limited edition LPs and singles from major and indie record labels. Ranging from otherwise unreleased music to classic releases brought back to vinyl, Record Store Day titles disappear fast, never to return. In Kalamazoo, the Vine neighborhood's Satellite Records and the WMU area's Green Light Music participate in Record Store Day. Visit their sites, below, or head over to the RSD site to see what is being released this year. 

Published: April 05, 2019

A group of Loy Norrix High School students used to playing classical music, will have the opportunity to explore classic tunes of a different sort when they back up the Bealtes and Rolling Stones tribute bands, Abbey Road and Satisfaction, at the State Theater on April 14. A string quartet of freshman Chanel Wilson and Cassidy Conley, both violinists; senior Hanna Terrian, violist; and freshman Anthony Porco, cellist, will perform six songs. They had less than two weeks to practice then record their video auditions of “Eleanor Rigby” and “Gimme Shelter,” and they’ll also be playing back up on “Ruby Tuesday,” “A Day in the Life,” “Hey Jude,” and “Hello, Goodbye.”

Published: April 05, 2019

Flick's Family Film Fest is an ongoing series that offers free theater movies to kids 12 and under. Celebration Cinema Crossroads is Kalamazoo's local participant. During the KPS Spring Break week, the series will offer "Smallfoot" through Thursday, March 4, and then "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," Friday March 5, through March 11. There are multiple matinee shows each day, and tickets for those over 12 are $5. 

Published: March 31, 2019

On their own, sheets of tissue paper may not hold much visual appeal, but in the hands of Maya Freelon, individual pieces in varying colors and sizes become vibrant structures that tell a story. An exhibit titled The Feeling Is Mutual: New Work by Maya Freelon featuring Freelon’s delicate manipulations of the gossamer-like fiber is on display through May 31 at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. On display will be a signature, site-specific tissue paper quilt that she’s creating for the KIA. Freelon’s work has been exhibited at the Smithsonian Museum of African American Art and the Nasher Museum of Art. Internationally, she has had exhibitions in France, Italy, Jamaica and Madagascar. She also has been commissioned by Google and Cadillac.

Published: March 30, 2019

Several organizations in West Michigan, including The Barn Theater, Farmers Alley Theater, Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts (UICA) and the Grand Rapids Symphony have wrestled with how best to use social media and digital streaming services for gathering an audience for their live events in the age of instant entertainment. “It used to be you’d have a flyer, you’d send out press releases and hard copy through the mail, and you’d put an ad in papers. We had, at one time, put an ad in nine different newspapers,” said Penelope Alex Ragotzy, owner of Kalamazoo’s The Barn Theater. “Social media has been a godsend for us,” she said.

Published: March 30, 2019

This month's Art Hop includes events all over downtown and beyond – Vine, Oakwood, and WMU. The Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo makes it easy to plan a night out with a downloadable brochure with maps, and an online calendar that provides more information on each Art Hop event. 

Published: March 30, 2019

Fran Blackwood of Sault Ste. Marie has spent eight years re-imagining, hand-animating, and creating new music for F. W. Murnau's classic, "Nosferatu" (1922). A prolific song writer, multi-instrumentalist, and accomplished stage performer, Blackwood will visit Kalamazoo Institute of Arts for a screening of her film. Thursday, March 28 at 6:30. Check out a preview of the film on YouTube, below. 

Published: March 25, 2019

The every-other-year Kalamazoo Poetry Festival returns in March 2019 to provide a multi-day series of events that include readings, guest poets, workshops, craft talks, and more. Emphatically diverse and adventurous, happening across many local venues, the Poetry Festival celebrates the power of words, written and spoken, to change how we think and act. Check the schedule link below to choose an appealing explosion of language to enjoy this week.

Published: March 12, 2019

Duke and the Loose Cannons will make one of their semi-rare appearances at Martini's, in the Vine neighborhood, on Saturday, March 16. Made up of diverse musicians, who've been part of the Kalamazoo scene for years and decades, the Loose Cannons are always a good time. Links to event info and a sample song, below.

Published: March 12, 2019

Guitar virtuso, Mdou Moctar, will perform in Kalamazoo on March 31. Moctar is a Tuareg songwriter and musician based in Agadez, Niger, and is one of the first musicians to perform modern electronic adaptations of Tuareg guitar music. He first became famous through a subtle trading network of cellphones and memory cards in West Africa. His band's music will appeal equally to Kalamazooans who want to dance for hours and guitar-shredding aficionados. Links to ticket information and a full live video to check out below. 

Published: March 12, 2019

This Kalamazoo Institute of Arts exhibition focuses on the Japanese publisher Shozaburo Watanabe, who started his business in the early 20th century, studying the traditions of Japanese woodcuts and hiring printers who could master the old techniques. To distinguish his prints, he hired designers capable of combining traditional subjects with the new style. Like the prints of the previous century, his were colorful images of Japan’s people and natural beauty, but with a fresh, western-influenced style to appeal to European and American art-lovers. His leadership established a new aesthetic in the print market.

Published: March 06, 2019