First Things A round-up of things happening in SW

First Things

Something Important Summit on Racism offered virtually

The annual Summit on Racism, to be held virtually Nov. 12-14, is especially timely this year as the Covid-19 pandemic disproportionately impacts people of color, the economy struggles and there’s growing acknowledgment of racism in America. #Beyond 400: The Virtual Summit on Racism will feature speakers, online conversations and video shorts designed to bring the local community together for an open dialogue regarding race and eradicating racism. The summit is hosted by the Society for History and Racial Equity (SHARE).

Among the speakers is keynoter Jesse Hagopian, a Seattle educator and leading voice on issues of educational equity, the school-to-prison-pipeline, standardized testing, the Black Lives Matter at School movement, and social justice unionism. He will speak from 6–8 p.m. Nov. 12.

Several simultaneous sessions will run from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Nov. 13, on topics such as racial disparities in health, responsible law enforcement and implicit bias. At 10 a.m. Nov. 14, a multi-media presentation on 400 years of African-American history will be presented by local historian Michelle Johnson.

The virtual summit will be accessed through Zoom. The cost to register is $30, or $20 for students. There are also discounts for groups and teachers. To register or for more information, visit sharekazoo.org. Something on Saturdays Catch Stulberg medalists in concert Three free recitals by recent Stulberg International String Competition medalists will take place on consecutive Saturdays this month as the Stulberg goes virtual. Each performer will offer a 45- to 60-minute program from their home stage that will be broadcast via the Stulberg’s website, stulberg.org. All • Nov. 14 — Violist Hae Sue Lee, 2015 Bronze Medalist.

Something Local Kalamatopia features makers’ market

It has local artisans and wares, it’s outdoors, you can sip a beer, spirits or hot mulled wine and it’s just in time for holiday shopping. What’s not to love about Kalamatopia?

This one-night event, from 5-8:30 p.m. Nov. 13 on the North Kalamazoo Mall, will feature vendors from Kalamazoo and other parts of Michigan, with booths lining the mall from East Michigan Avenue to Water Street. The event is put on by the Kalamazoo Experiential Learning Center and is free to attend, with beverages and products priced separately. CDC social distancing guidelines will be followed, and masks are required for

For more information, visit kalamatopia.com.

recitals will begin at 10:30 a.m. The recital schedule and performers are: • Nov. 7 — Cellist Oliver Herbert, 2015 Silver Medalist. attendees and vendors.

• Nov. 21 — Violinist Charlotte Marckx, 2018 Gold Medalist.

For more information, visit stulberg.org.

Charlotte Marckx

Brooklyn Rider

Something Musical String quartet gives virtual concert

Brooklyn Rider, the group that NPR credits with “recreating the 300-year-old form of string quartet as a vital and creative 21st-century ensemble,” will present a virtual concert from New York Nov. 20, presented by Kalamazoo’s Fontana Chamber Arts.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are $20. Can’t tune in on Nov. 20? Not to worry, a ticket provides online viewing access to a recording of the concert for 30 days. Passcodes for access will be emailed to ticket buyers upon purchase.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit fontanamusic.org or call 382-7774.

Something Artsy KIA hosts sale online and in person

The annual Holiday Sale at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts is a highly anticipated shopping extravaganza, and, despite Covid-19, this year is no different. Except it will be.

The traditional sale runs from Nov. 19-21 at the KIA, and the online sale from Nov. 9–Dec. 21. Some items will be available both online and in person, but most items will be available in only one format or the other, according to Maya Mokzran, KIA member services officer.

The online sale can be accessed at kiarts.org. The in-person sale will be held from 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Nov. 19 for KIA members only and 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Nov. 20 and 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Nov. 21 for members and others. Because of Covid-19, however, those wishing to attend the in-person sale must secure a timed, ticketed spot by registering beforehand at kiarts.org.

In response to the pandemic, the KIA also is offering personal shoppers for a small fee. KIA staff and volunteers will shop for individuals by collecting information on what they are looking for, whom they are buying for and their budget. Once the personal shoppers have picked out items, they will place Zoom calls to clients to confirm purchases. Pickup of purchased items will be coordinated in the weeks following the sale.

For more information, visit kiarts.org or call 349-7775.

Connect from home. 25+ local, licensed therapists

Our Kalamazoo and Portage Clinic therapists are available to help with anxiety, depression, addiction and more during the COVID-19 crisis through teletherapy. Visit our website to learn more and set up your first appointment.

pinerest.org/teletherapy

Something Live-Streamed Last Gasp Collective to perform

We’re all getting used to the idea of living-room concerts by now — watching our favorite artists livestream performances while we sit blissfully on our couches — so here’s one to add to your calendar.

A performance by Kalamazoo’s own Last Gasp Collective will be streamed live at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12 from the Kalamazoo State Theatre, as part of the theater’s Artist Spotlight Livestream Series.

The ensemble’s music features melodic cello and saxophone lines, jazz guitar voicings and gospel piano underneath soulful voices and poetic lyricism. The group’s most recent album, Seen Not Heard, won a 2020 Jammie Award for Best Album by a New Artist from the West Michigan radio station WYCE (88.1 FM).

Tickets are $10–$30 and available at kazoostate.ticketspice.com/last-gasp-collective.

Something Dramatic One-woman show looks at social justice

A homeless woman’s 20-year quest to right a social wrong is the focus of The Conviction of Lady Lorraine, an original one-woman teleplay that is being streamed online by Farmers’ Alley Theatre. Dwandra Nickole Lampkin, an associate theater professor at Western Michigan University and a frequent performer in Farmers Alley Theatre’s productions, wrote and performs in this drama about a writer who has a powerful meeting with a homeless woman named Lady Lorraine near the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. The show, which was professionally filmed in October by Chicago-based film company Waltzing Mechanics, is available through Nov. 8 on the Broadway On Demand platform. BOD is accessible through Apple TV, Roku, Amazon and personal computers and devices.

Tickets are $19.95 and are available on the Farmers Alley website, farmersalleytheatre.com.

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