Community Calendar

Four prominent mandolinists – Don Stiernberg (Chicago), Carlo Aonzo (Italy), Brian Oberlin (Grand Rapids) and Don Julin (Traverse City) – collaborate for the first time.

This musical free-for-all throws solos, duos, and full-on mandolin pileups at you like it’s some kind of stringed instrument carnival. Joining the fun is rhythm section Andy Henley (guitar) and Tom Knific (bass).

The genres range as far as your mind can wander as the one-of-a-kind group delves into classical, swing, bluegrass, originals and all things mandolin-istic.

Summer Jams returns to the KIA as a lively open mic night celebrating music, poetry, and creative expression. This event brings artists and community members together to share their voices in a welcoming and creative space. Performers of all backgrounds are invited to take the stage, whether you’re a musician, poet, spoken word artist, or simply someone with something to share. Not looking to perform? Come enjoy the performances, discover local talent, and connect with the community.

Summer Jams takes place during Free Thursday, so admission to the galleries is free all evening. Guests are encouraged to explore the exhibitions, enjoy the museum atmosphere, and then gather for a night of live performances and creative energy. Each Summer Jams evening will feature a unique theme, with more details and performer opportunities announced soon. Whether you’re stepping up to the mic or just coming to vibe, Summer Jams is a celebration of art, creativity, and community at the KIA.

Please note that this event will not be livestreamed or posted on YouTube.

Visit the Motawi Tileworks Trunk Show to browse a unique selection of beautiful ceramic tiles crafted in Ann Arbor! Join us Thursday 7/23/26 in the Gallery Shop during Summer Jams from 6-8pm. Melissa from Motawi will have prototypes, discontinued, and limited run tiles.

Bug Month Trivia Night
Do you think you know your bugs? Put your arthropod knowledge to the test and meet your local nature nerds at nature trivia night!

Special guest MC Chef Yoon will provide buggy snacks as brain food and challenge your knowledge of insect eats, all while you compete for prizes and the title of 2026 Bug Champ.

This is a great time to make new friends and enjoy friendly competition! Teams of up to 5 players are welcome.

Thursday, July 23, 2026, 6:30-8 pm

Meet: Coopers Glen Auditorium inside Visitor Center

Fee: KNC Members $12; Non-Members $15

Please Register >

Audience: Adults

Lakota Hobia, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians (also known as the Gun Lake Tribe), will be joining Kalamazoo in Bloom at the Ladies’ Library Association on Thursday, July 23, at 6:30 p.m. to present on the Tribe’s collaborations related to Gzigmezék (past Pottawatomi village and present-day Kalamazoo) and Giknamezo zibé (Kalamazoo River). Included in her presentation will be the Three Sisters Garden project located in Bronson Park, a collaboration specifically with Kalamazoo in Bloom. A reception with light refreshments will follow the presentation. The public is welcome to attend this free, educational event.

Insect Canapés and Conversation with Chef Yoon
“Intimate. Considered. Delicious. An evening you will not stop talking about — long after the last bite is gone.”

This is not a lecture. This is not a demonstration. This is a gathering — the kind where conversation deepens alongside each passing bite, where a cricket or cicada canápé becomes the opening line of a larger story about flavor, ecology, culture, and what we choose to put on our plates.

Chef Joseph Yoon hosts a small group of guests for an evening of carefully curated insect-forward “bugs d’oeuvres”, poured alongside unhurried conversation. Drawing on years of culinary exploration across six continents, Chef Joseph brings both the food and the framework to make it meaningful — never a novelty, but always feeding both your belly and curiosity.

Seating is limited by design. Expect dishes that challenge expectation and reward curiosity.

Friday, July 24, 2026, 7-9 pm

Meet: Heronwood Field Station at 6378 Hart Dr, Kalamazoo, MI 49009

Fee: KNC Members $20; Non-Members $25

Please Register >

Audience: Adults

Insect ID Hike
Celebrate Bug Month by hitting the trails with one of our naturalists to identify the beautiful insects of our native landscapes! We’ll use field equipment to track down our six-legged neighbors and take a look at the diversity of one of the most successful groups of life on the planet.

Saturday, July 25, 2026, 10 am-11 am

Meet: Front desk inside the Visitor Center

Fee: Included in regular KNC admission; KNC Members free!

Audience: All ages

Terry Todd Lecture and Tasting: Can Eating Insects Save the Planet?
As our population grows and our climate shifts, more and more we as a species have to ask the question: how can we keep us all fed?

Chef Joseph Yoon is the founder of Brooklyn Bugs, and for the last eight years he’s been making the case — deliciously — for why edible insects represent one of the most compelling food solutions of our time.

Come explore the frontier of sustainable food and experience a special tasting of insect-based dishes. Whether you’re gastronomically curious or just a lover of ecology, this is a perfect evening to have fun and step beyond your comfort zone.

Saturday, July 25, 2026, 7-9 pm

Meet: Coopers Glen Auditorium inside the Visitor Center

Fee: $5 per participant

Please Register >

Audience: All ages

Leonard Duke was a man with little direction in life -- until he discovers he has a flair for the trumpet, flute, guitar, piano, banjo, harmonica, violin, vibraslap and hog-o-phone. When the Loose Cannons agree to put his name at the top of the act, Leonard becomes obsessed with hot rods and model airplanes at the expense of everything else. Soon Duke is playing at the coolest club in town, but his love of jazz and his stubborn nature soon clash with some of the ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶s̶e̶r̶v̶a̶t̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶p̶a̶t̶r̶o̶n̶s̶ squares while attracting certain others, such as highbrow socialite Judy Sarkozy.

Again with the dancing and the eating and drinking down in Shakespeare’s Lower Level. Leonard “DUKE” Duke and his Cannons perform selections from hundreds of Jazz, R&B, Rock, Soul, and original music in their repertoire. They do this every other Monday for the enjoyment of a mighty lively group of regulars spending their Social Security checks. Crowded dance floor. Friendly staff. Free Parking. Complimentary popcorn(!) Often a local musical guest is allowed on stage – who knows who it will be this time? Doors 4pm, Music from 5 until 7.

Explore the For the People, By the People: America at 250 exhibition with theatre artists from Face Off Theatre Company! This program offers guests an opportunity to learn more about artists who have powerfully shaped the landscape of American theatre and visual art. As we make our way through the galleries, Face Off performers will deliver excerpts from works by prominent Black American playwrights alongside selected artworks from the exhibition.

Face Off Theatre Company presents audiences with fresh and innovative work, creating transcendent theatre experiences that explore the complexity and richness of the Black experience while encouraging cross-cultural dialogue that illuminates and expands our understanding of the universal human experience.

Please note that this event will not be livestreamed or posted on YouTube.