When the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts landed the only Midwest stop of the exhibit Black Refractions: Highlights from The Studio Museum in Harlem, a national traveling exhibition that spans 200 years of American art history, it was understandably a big deal.
But the KIA saw Black Refractions as a catalyst for a much deeper dive into the works and contributions of African-American and black artists in this community and beyond. The result is a communitywide, collaborative celebration with multiple exhibitions and events spanning three months that will use art, literature, music, history and performance to create dialogue about class, diversity, access and social justice.
This package of stories discusses how the exhibit inspired a community conversation, the companion exhibition featuring local black artists, community events and documentary that are part of it:
