In 1924, members of the Kalamazoo Chapter of the American Federation of Arts established an art center "to further the development of interest and education in and of regard and appreciation for the various arts." The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts current building was unveiled in September 1961. Designed by the Chicago, Illinois, firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the structure is based on a Mies van der Rohe design for a small museum, in the International Style of architecture. In 1997, the KIA began a $14.5 million expansion and renovation. The project increased the size of the KIA to, and added a two-story lobby gallery, auditorium, classrooms and galleries, gallery shop, library and an interactive gallery for children. Dale Chihuly's Kalamazoo Ruby Light Chandelier, a colorful chandelier of 400 pieces of glass, became a permanent fixture in the lobby foyer. The renovated facility, with its 10 galleries and of exhibition space, opened in September 1998.
Exhibitions
The KIA hosts 10 to 15 temporary exhibitions each year in its ten galleries. These include recurring shows such as the West Michigan Area Show, High School Area Show, and Young Artists of Kalamazoo County. Others are built around works lent from museums, galleries, corporations or private collections. The museum also mounts ticketed exhibitions; the most successful have drawn tens of thousands of visitors.
In 2015, the KIA hosted exhibitions by Seungmo Park, Manierre Dawson, and curated an exhibition about an artist who helped found the KIA: "Rediscovering Nina Belle Ward."
In 2008-09, the KIA hosted two large-scale, ticketed exhibitions: "Spared from the Storm: Masterworks from the New Orleans Museum of Art" and "Georgia O'Keeffe and Her Times: American Modernism" from the Lane Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
In 2008, the KIA curated an exhibition celebrating the resurgence of American figurative painting: "The Figure Revealed."
In 2007, the KIA hosted "Lorna Simpson," a touring exhibition of the work of this contemporary artist.
In 2005, nearly 60,000 people came from all 50 states and 17 countries to see "Chihuly in Kalamazoo", an exhibition of works by glass artistDale Chihuly.
The school has offered visual arts instruction to the community since 1931. Its goal is to nurture artistic creativity in the residents of West Michigan by providing affordable classes and workshops for people of all ages and skill levels in a range of media, including painting and drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, jewelry-making, weaving and fiber arts. Faculty members are practicing artists and educators. The school was renamed in 2006 to honor Kalamazoo artist and former school director Kirk Newman.
The KIA Art Fair began in 1952 as the Clothesline Art Show, an opportunity for local and regional artists to sell their works. Held the first Saturday of June in nearby Bronson Park, the KIA Art Fair is now the second oldest continuously running art fair in the United States. Each year, thousands of visitors join 200 artists in Bronson Park to view and purchase paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, jewelry, ceramics, fiber ware, sculpture and more.
