Encore September 2019

Black Refractions Inspires KIA

September 2019

The Dam Project at Gull Lake

Latinos find support at El Concilio

Meet James Devers

Southwest Michigan’s Magazine

Where We Stand Black artists in the spotlight

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Black Refractions Inspires KIA

The Dam Project at Gull Lake

Latinos find support at El Concilio

September 2019

Meet James Devers

Southwest Michigan’s Magazine

Where We Stand Black artists in the spotlight

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Encore Magazine is published 12 times yearly. Copyright 2019, Encore Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Editorial, circulation and advertising correspondence should be sent to:

www.encorekalamazoo.com 117 W. Cedar St. Suite A, Kalamazoo, MI 49007 Telephone: (269) 383-4433 Fax: (269) 383-9767 Email: Publisher@encorekalamazoo.com The staff at Encore welcomes written comment from readers, and articles and poems for submission with no obligation to print or return them. To learn more about us or to comment, visit encorekalamazoo.com. Encore subscription rates: one year $36, two years $70. Current single issue and newsstand $4, $10 by mail. Back issues $6, $12 by mail. Advertising rates on request. Closing date for space is 28 days prior to publication date. Final date for print-ready copy is 21 days prior to publication date.

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EDITOR'S NOTE ENCORE

From the Editor Since

it began 47 years ago, Encore has firmly established itself as greater Kalamazoo’s community lifestyle and cultural magazine, so it’s not much of a surprise that community is a common theme in our articles. And this month we explore some of the communities within our larger community that make living here so interesting.

First, there is our feature package on the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts’ trio of art exhibits that focus on art created by African Americans. When Black Refractions: Highlights from the Studio Museum of Harlem opens at the KIA on Sept. 14, it does so with two companion exhibits, including one spotlighting the work of African-American artists in our own community. The KIA has collaborated with several community partners to assemble a wide schedule of events and activities in conjunction with the exhibits that will focus on themes including diversity, equity and social justice. It’s an impressive utilization of art, literature, history, music and performance to look at African-American experiences and perspectives.

This month’s Back Story introduces you to James Devers, the new executive director of Communities in Schools. CIS provides invaluable supplemental support to Kalamazoo Public Schools to help kids overcome myriad barriers to succeed at school and life. The organization works in 20 of KPS’ buildings, providing everything from tutors and mentoring to food and clothing. It’s an organization that proves it really does take a village to help the youth of our community survive and thrive.

We also talk with the people at El Concilio about how they work to help the Latino community in our area by providing assistance and programs. Given the heightened attention and dangers that immigrant communities throughout the country are facing, this organization’s work is proving increasingly important.

In a story on the Gull Lake Dam, readers will find that a sense of community has been a happy byproduct of the Gull Lake Dam Association’s effort to raise money to replace the crumbling 140-year-old structure that protects one of the area’s most distinct natural resources — the 2,030-acre Gull Lake, in northeast Kalamazoo County. The association’s efforts to secure financial support from all of the lake’s 700-plus households — many of whose residents had no idea the dam existed — have resulted in a new sense of community among the lake’s residents and businesses.

All of these are stories about different pieces of our larger community, with each piece helping to create the beautiful mosaic that is Kalamazoo.

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CONTRIBUTORS ENCORE

Chris Killian

Chris wrote two articles for this issue: a profile of El Concilio (the former Hispanic American Council) and a story about the efforts to raise money to replace the Gull Lake Dam. Chris says that, with all the incendiary rhetoric surrounding the issue of immigration, it’s easy to understand how many migrants are on high alert. “I was happy to highlight the good work the staff at El Concilio is doing for the immigrant community in Kalamazoo, providing a wealth of assistance and programming that is perhaps more important now than ever before,” he says. Chris is a travel-loving freelance writer whose work has appeared in the Christian Science Monitor, Detroit Free Press, Grand Rapids Press and Kalamazoo Gazette and on radio station WMUK.

Marie Lee

Marie says she looked forward to doing the interview of new Communities In Schools Executive Director James Devers for this month’s Back Story because, with a child who attends Kalamazoo Public Schools, she was aware of CIS but wasn’t entirely sure of why the school system needed the organization’s help. “I found out there are many unexpected barriers that keep kids from succeeding in school and life,” she says, “and that, with 13,000 students, it’s a big job for the KPS system to be able to help each individual child. CIS is there to help do that, working with teachers, school staff and families to figure out what kids need and to meet those needs.”

Marie is the editor of Encore.

Kara Norman

Kara is a writer and designer living in Kalamazoo. She wrote this issue’s feature stories about the KIA’s events and activities surrounding the traveling exhibition Black Refractions: Highlights from The Studio Museum in Harlem and the nine local artists whose work comprises the companion exhibition Where We Stand: Black Artists in Southwest Michigan. “Picking the artists’ brains about process, materials and inspiration was an absolute pleasure because I love learning how people make things,” says Kara. You can find more of Kara’s writing at karanorman.com, including her thoughts on reading and on watching films.

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September

CONTENTS 2019

FEATURES ‘A mirror of our common humanity’

24

Where We Stand

25

Beyond Black Refractions

27

The KIA turns exhibition into community conversation

Exhibit showcases the contributions and persepectives of the area’s community of black artists

Landing the prestigious traveling exhibition was just the start

DEPARTMENTS 5 From the Editor 6 Contributors

8 First Things

Happenings and events in SW Michigan

12 Five Faves

Favorite artifacts at Schmaltz Museum of Earth History

14

Up Front

18

Good Works

46

Back Story

No Holding Back — Gull Lake group works to replace 140-year-old dam

Commitment to Community — El Concilio helps Latinos and others find support

Meet James Devers — His mission is to help kids overcome barriers to learning and life

ARTS 37 Events of Note 43 Poetry On the cover: Among the nine area artists whose work is part of the KIA’s Where We Stand exhibit are, back row from left: Al Harris Jr., Tanisha Pyron and Brent Harris; middle row, from left: Maria Scott, Chakila Hoskins and James C. Palmore; bottom row: Audrey Mills. Photo by Brian K. Powers.

Above: Marriage of Hiawatha, Edmonia Lewis (1845-1907), 1872, marble, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.

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FIRST THINGS ENCORE

First Things Something Newsy Journalist helps group mark 100th year

Veteran journalist and Western Michigan University alumnus Ed Gordon will be the keynote speaker at the Douglass Community Association’s 100th Year Celebration, at 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 28 at WMU’s Bernhard Center.

Gordon, the host of National Public Radio’s News and Notes with Ed Gordon, is an Emmy Award-winning journalist whose career has included working as a news anchor on Black Entertainment Television (BET) and as a contributor to CBS’ 60 Minutes news program. He graduated from WMU in 1982.

The Douglass Community Association began as an African-American social hall for troops stationed at Fort Custer and has grown to house a dozen nonprofit organizations that provide social services, arts, youth enrichment, education and employment support for the Northside neighborhood.

The evening’s program will also include live music, a video presentation, additional speakers and dancing. Tickets are $100. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 343-6185.

Something Theatrical

Civic brings Matilda to stage

One of Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s stories comes to life

in a new way this month at the Civic Theatre, 329 S. Park St. Matilda the Musical follows the story of Matilda, a young genius with some incredible talents. Put down by her family, the Wormwoods, and her awful headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, Matilda uses her smarts to take a stand against the bullies in her life.

Show times are 7:30 p.m. Sept. 20, 27 and Oct. 4; 2 p.m. Sept. 21, 22, 28, 29 and Oct. 5 and 6; and 10 a.m. Sept. 28.

Tickets cost $27.50 for adults, $22.50 for students and children 12 years old and up and $17 for children under 12.

For tickets or more information, visit kazoocivic.com or call 343-1313.

8 | ENCORE SEPTEMBER 2019

ENCORE FIRST THINGS

Something Funny

Quote along with Monty Python If you find yourself blurting out such lines as “You must bring us a shrubbery” or “’Tis but a scratch” in random conversation, then you’ll want to clap your coconuts together and get to Final Gravity Brewing on Sept. 26 for a Monty Python Quote-Along.

The quoting along to Monty Python and the Holy Grail starts at 7 p.m. at the brewery, located at 246 N. Burdick St. You won’t need to know the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow to gain entry, but you will need to be at least 18 years old and have a ticket, which costs $5. Everyone gets a sword and a chance to win some prizes playing a trivia game.

For tickets or more information, visit facebook.com/ finalgravitykalamazoo or call 350-5136.

Something Crafty

Partake in a ‘pint-sized’ symphony Looking for a relaxing way to introduce yourself to symphonic music?

Then check out the Craft Music event at Bell’s Eccentric Café at 8 p.m. Sept. 11. The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra’s “Salon Orchestra”— dubbed the Pint-Sized KSO and consisting of its eight Artists in Residence — will play short selections from the greatest symphonies, operas and dance music of the 19th century.

Tickets are $30, or $25 if combined with the purchase of tickets to two other KSO programs. For information or tickets, visit kalamazoosymphony. com or call 349-7775.

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FIRST THINGS ENCORE

Something Good

Walk will aid suicide prevention As part of its observation of National Suicide Prevention Awareness

Month, Gryphon Place is holding its annual Suicide Prevention Walk on Sept. 28.

Gryphon Place connects people in crisis to local programs and services that can help them through rough times and operates a 24/7 crisis hotline. All money raised through the event goes toward supporting these services.

The 5K walk will begin at 9 a.m. at Arcadia Creek Festival Place, at 145 E. Water St. Registration is $25 until Sept. 9 and $30 after that date. Kids and friendly, leashed dogs are welcome to participate. To register or for more information, visit gryphon.org.

Something Spontaneous Improv Fest brings on the laughs

Watch as more than 10 of the Midwest’s best improvisational comedy teams make it up as they go during Crawlspace Theatre Productions’ annual Improv Fest, set for Sept. 13 and 14 at Farmers Alley Theatre, 221 Farmers Alley.

Audience members will be treated to a wide variety of improv comedy styles at six performance sessions during the two-day event. The festival will also include workshops presented by some of the performers.

An all-access pass costs $142 and includes entry into the fest both days and all six of the performance sessions as well as two improv workshops. A pass for performances only is $107.

For tickets or more information, check out crawlspacetheatre.com.

10 | ENCORE SEPTEMBER 2019

ENCORE FIRST THINGS

Something Moving

Cyclists unite for celebration When bicyclists celebrate, they bring it all on. The first-ever Fall Bike Celebration hosted by Bike Friendly Kalamazoo Sept. 20-22 is a weekend biking love fest that will be held in Vicksburg and involve more than just spinning your wheels.

In addition to the event’s celebratory ride from 7:30 a.m.–3 p.m. Sept. 21, the weekend’s schedule will include historic walking tours, a quilt tour, a bonfire, disc golf, an ice cream social and more.

Tickets are $30 for individuals and $55 for families if purchased before Sept.

17 or $35 and $65, respectively, after that date. For tickets and a full schedule of events, check out fallbikecelebration.org.

Something Alternative

See iconic ‘90s bands in concert You’d be hard pressed to find a better way to relive the alternative rock

music of the 1990s than by taking in a concert by two of that decade’s biggest bands, Live and Bush, when they appear at the Allegan County Fairgrounds on Sept. 7.

The bands are touring together to celebrate the 25th anniversary of two of their most popular albums, Bush’s Sixteen Stone and Live’s Throwing Copper.

The show begins at 7 p.m. and includes a special guest performance by Our Lady Peace. The concert is part of the lineup for the Allegan County Fair, which takes place Sept. 6-14.

Tickets are $45–$60 and do not include entry into the fair. For tickets or more information, visit allegancountyfair.com.

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FIVE FAVES ENCORE

Five Faves

Favorite artifacts at Schmaltz Museum of Earth History by

ANDREW CARUTHERS AND ROBB GILLESPIE

The Lloyd Schmaltz Museum of Earth History is a true hidden gem.

Located in the lobby of Rood Hall at Western Michigan University, it was established in the late 1970s and has become a repository for several unique paleontological and mineralogical collections.

The WMU Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences is currently conducting a fundraising campaign to renovate the

museum into a modern, active-learning environment for WMU students and the Kalamazoo community. The goal is to encourage students to become environmental stewards and raise awareness of recent advances in Earth science and technology.

These are some of our favorite artifacts at the museum:

Fish of the Green River Formation A remarkable set of fossils in the museum comes from the Green River Formation, an internationally renowned limestone deposit with extremely well-preserved aquatic organisms that once thrived in a large freshwater lake occupying much of what is now southwest Wyoming. Approximately 50 million years ago, this deposit of freshwater limestone delicately enveloped many different organisms, so they retained much of their original biologic material, including skin, feathers and internal organs. Well-preserved fossils from this deposit include turtles, birds, snakes, mammals, crocodiles, insects, rays and other fish, and a wide variety of plants. Exquisitely preserved fossils from the Green River Formation are a featured favorite not only in the Schmaltz Museum, but also in many prominent museums across North America, including the Field Museum in Chicago.

Dinosaur Park

Currently under construction adjacent to Rood Hall, Dinosaur Park will be a three-dimensional exhibit demonstrating an important time in Earth history. It will have a variety of dinosaur replicas, allowing visitors to experience firsthand the incredible scale of these prehistoric creatures. It will also be a central hub for laboratory and classroom exercises for a variety of geology courses. The exhibits will incorporate real-world data from many sub-disciplines of geoscience and provide hands-on learning opportunities to explore several aspects of the Mesozoic world.

Ammonites Another fascinating set of fossils housed in the Schmaltz Museum is a collection of ammonites donated by local mineral collector Skip Martin. Also known as ammonoids, ammonites are an extinct subclass of cephalopod that lived for more than 300 million years in Earth’s oceans. Related to today’s nautiloids and coleoids, the latter of which include the modern-day squid and octopus, ammonites resemble what one might expect to find if you shoved an octopus into a coiled shell.

These extinct sea creatures are a favorite of fossil collectors worldwide, due to the incredible diversity and beauty of their shell morphology and size. It is the highly diversified shell morphology among ammonoids that has been instrumental in helping geoscientists distinguish much of the relative geologic time scale, which ultimately helps to determine the age of the Earth.

12 | ENCORE SEPTEMBER 2019

ENCORE FIVE FAVES

Jim Duncan Collection

About the Authors

An

exquisite collection of rareEarth minerals and rocks generously donated by Jim Duncan serves as the backbone of the displays in the Schmaltz Museum. Duncan’s father, James H. Duncan Sr., the former CEO of First National Financial Corp., often went on Lloyd Schmaltz’s Grand Canyon raft trips and instilled a love of minerals in his son, who became a collector. The high-quality preservation of these specimens, in concert with their pristine mineral faces and eye-popping colors, makes this one of the most valuable collections of minerals in the state. In addition, the collection’s diversity of mineral specimens provides excellent visual learning aids when teaching about the many uses of Earth minerals in our everyday lives.

Mastodon In 1970, a farmer in Van Buren County found teeth and a few bones of a mastodon poking up through the ground of his pasture. He contacted the WMU geology department’s then-chair (and museum namesake) Dr. Lloyd Schmaltz, who gathered a team to investigate this fossil, determine the extent of its preservation and organize the retrieval of its remains. This fossil provides a direct link to a not-so-distant past when the landscape of Michigan (and much of the Great Lakes region) was located on the front lines of shifting paleoclimate, advancing and retreating continental-sized sheets of ice, and roaming bands of humans and other large mammals. This period, approximately 10,000 years ago, represents the end of the last ice age, the results of which we see in our modern topography.

Dr. Andrew Caruthers is a faculty specialist in WMU’s Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences. He uses a combination of invertebrate paleontology and isotope geochemistry to investigate the effects of paleoclimate change and mass extinction.

He has been conducting research in the Cordilleran region of western North America for over 10 years and specializes in paleoclimate change and mass extinction during the Triassic and Early Jurassic time periods. Caruthers is also researching the paleoenvironmental change of the Paleozoic strata of the Michigan Basin.

Dr. Robb Gillespie is an assistant professor in WMU’s Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, a research associate with the Michigan Geological Repository for Research and Education, and an associate of the Michigan Geological Survey, all located at WMU. He has worked at WMU for 16 years.

Previously, he held concurrent geological teaching positions at Richland Community College and Collin County Community College, both in the Dallas area, while also employed full time as an exploration geologist in the oil and gas industry.

You can learn more about the Schmaltz Museum and the renovation plans at wmich. edu/geology/museum/museumdevelopment. w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 13

UP FRONT ENCORE

No Holding Back

Gull Lake group working to replace 140-year-old dam by

CHRIS KILLIAN

Above: Gull Lake Dam Association members, from left, Jim Rawsky, Jeff Price, Rollin Richman, Bill English and Sue Harrison, are working to raise money to replace the dam behind them. Right: A historic picture of the Gull Lake Dam. 14 | ENCORE SEPTEMBER 2019

ENCORE UP FRONT

Brian Powers

Y

ou can hear the Gull Lake Dam well before you can see it, the water splashing down the spillway creating a kind of wet whisper in the woods.

Michael Brundage grew up in a house a stone’s throw from the dam, opening his window at night to let the gentle sound of cascading water lull him to sleep. Although he was very aware of the dam, many in the area “were totally unaware it even existed,” he says.

Lake Dam Association, which has launched a campaign to fund a new dam’s $700,000 price tag.

“When you are out on the main lake, most are simply oblivious to it. Unless you’ve heard about it, I doubt many people know it’s there,” Brundage says.

But it is, tucked behind thick foliage off R Avenue near Yorkville. And it’s old — almost 140 years old — and nearly past its useful life. And when one considers the important work it does maintaining consistent water levels on one of the state’s most beautiful lakes, on which some of the most valuable property in the region lies, well, you replace it when it needs replacing.

Making sure that job gets done falls to a group of individuals who comprise the Gull

in 1921 to acquire the dam and provide maintenance for the historic structure, which acts as an outlet control measure for the lake.

The association, now renamed the Gull Lake Dam Association, commissioned a professional analysis of the dam in 2017. In the spring of 2018, the engineering firm Prein & Newhof determined the dam to be in fair condition, with a “low” hazard potential. And even though the report made no mention of the likelihood of the dam failing, it’s estimated Gull Lake’s water level would drop 4 to 8 feet if the dam were to collapse, says Jeff Price, vice president of the association.

Historic structure The dam was built in the early 1880s and powered a gristmill used by the Price Cereal Food Co. until the firm’s closure, in 1906. The dam sat unmaintained for 15 years, until the former Gull Lake Association was organized

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He sees the wisdom in replacing a structure that the firm also found to have spalling — loss of chunks of concrete and large cracks in several areas, including one that’s nearly 2 inches wide.

“It’s not like the dam is going to burst tomorrow,” Price says. “But it is very old and wearing out. Once this new dam is built, there won’t be any concerns for another hundred years — at least four, five more generations.”

The structure, in a very real way, protects some of the most expensive inland lakeshore property in Southwest Michigan. And even though almost 40 percent of lake residents surveyed didn’t even know there was a dam and even though it would be easy to approach one of the lake’s several wealthy residents and simply ask for a large check, the association is seeking financial support for the new dam from all of the 750 households on Gull Lake.

“Everyone on the lake should feel responsible for maintaining the dam,” says Price, who moved to the Gull Lake area from

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New Jersey in 1977, after taking a job with the former Upjohn Co. “It (the dam) creates value for everyone, so it’s our opinion that everyone should contribute.”

Fundraising organizers are asking property owners to give $10 for every foot of lake frontage they have. As of mid-August, almost $520,000 of the $700,000 had been raised, with more than half of lakeshore households participating, including a dozen local businesses — ones that Price says

stand to benefit from maintaining the lake’s water level. A Sept. 30 deadline has been established to raise the total. Construction would begin this fall and extend through the winter, with completion of the project expected by sometime next spring.

Keeping it level Heavy spring rains saw water levels rise significantly on several Kalamazoo County lakes, causing extensive property damage

Brian Powers

ENCORE UP FRONT

Brian Powers

Above and left: Spalling — missing chunks of concrete — and cracks in the dam structure are a concern. Below left: A historic photo of the serene waters behind the dam.

and forcing many families to evacuate their homes. Gull Lake, fed by springs and two streams and considered by many travel publications to be one of the most beautiful lakes in the state for its pristine, clear water,

is one of only a handful of lakes in the region whose water level is dam-regulated. The lake, which has a public boat launch on its north end and marinas that provide boat rentals, attracts non-resident lake users from across the area.

The lake’s water level is consistently monitored by a small cadre of volunteers, including Price, who regulate the level by raising or lowering a mechanical metal gate, controlling the flow of water that travels into Gull Creek, a tributary of the Kalamazoo River.

Price is confident the fundraising goal for a new dam will be met, but he says there has been another positive offshoot of the fundraising effort that can’t be measured in dollars and cents.

“Sometimes I felt like there was a lack of community out here,” he says. “This effort has really brought people together. There is a real sense of community growing now, and I think the common cause of all of us is saving that dam.”

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GOOD WORKS ENCORE

Commitment to Community El Concilio helps Latinos and others find support by

CHRIS KILLIAN

18 | ENCORE SEPTEMBER 2019

ENCORE GOOD WORKS

Adrian Vazquez remembers the anxious

Brian Powers

tone in a little girl’s voice and how it hurt his heart.

“She asked me, ‘Why do I have to go back to Mexico if I was born here?’ It breaks your heart sometimes, the level of stress that so many in our community live with, but it only makes us want to work harder for them.”

For more than two years, Vazquez has headed El Concilio, formerly the Hispanic American Council. the greater Kalamazoo region’s foremost nonprofit advocacy agency for Latinos. Since 1981, the organization has helped countless individuals and families with a host of human services and immigration and legal needs. But these days El Concilio is needed perhaps more than ever, Vazquez insists.

The interaction with the little girl happened just last year, as the Trump Administration began to institute tougher immigration policies and talks of a wall on the country’s southern border ramped up. Anxiety among members of Vazquez’s ethnic community steadily rose, he says.

“We have to try to change the narrative, because we can’t change the administration — yet,” he says. “Whether they’re citizens or undocumented, Latinos are living in this community, working hard and adding value to our city. They’re deserving of human rights, the same as everyone else.

El Concilio staff members, from left, Katie MillerPurrenhage, Juliana Hafner, Adrian Vazquez and Sofie Ovalle, work as a conduit to connect Latinos and others in need with community services.

“They are not taking jobs, they are filling jobs. They are opening businesses. They are sharing their culture. They are creating jobs.

Latinos have an entrepreneurial spirit and strong family values that make where they live a better place to be.”

Serving as the middleman El Concilio — Spanish for “The Council” — is located at 930 Lake St. It works as a kind of middleman between those in need and community service providers that can fill those needs, ranging from food stamps and child care to tutoring programs and legal assistance. It’s important work because a significant share of those seeking help have trouble with English or simply don’t know where to look for much-needed help.

For example, Vasquez relates the story of a child in an immigrant family who was struggling with anxiety, thinking that, because of the current political climate, her parents might not be at home when she returned from school because they had been deported. Staff facilitated getting her help in the form of counseling and other mental health support, and she is back to school and much more stable emotionally.

Another family needed assistance with an older member of their household, a man with diabetes who needed treatment and medication to keep his disease in check but, because he is not documented, did not qualify for health-care benefits. The language barrier also hampered the family’s efforts to get help. El Concilio put the family in touch with the Family Health Center, where the

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GOOD WORKS ENCORE

man now receives his medication and has his condition monitored.

The degree of need is seen in the numbers: El Concilio served 3,200 people in 2018, a 40 percent increase over the year before. Of those, almost 80 percent were undocumented, Vazquez says. And even though the vast majority — some 90 percent — of those the organization serves are Latino, immigrants from Asia, the Middle East and other regions around the world are helped there too.

The current political climate surrounding the issue of immigration has meant many more Latinos are nervous about their future, Vazquez says, even though both the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Department and the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety have pledged not to inquire about a person’s legal status during interactions with them.

“We exist because we know our community needs us,” he says. “Our community is not going away, so we can’t go away. Our work is too important.

Nuestras Raices Second Annual Fundraising Gala What: An evening of music, food, and entertainment to raise funds to help El Concilio serve Latinos and others who seek help there Where: The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts When: Sept. 28; doors open at 6 p.m., and entertainment begins at 8 p.m.

Cost: $65 per person (includes one drink); $500 per table (eight people) For more information: Visit elconciliokzoo.org or call (269) 385-6279

Rebranding and rebuilding El Concilio has weathered several storms over the past several years, including a former executive director embezzling $50,000 from the agency, a decline in funding from donors as a result, and trouble keeping the group’s top leadership position filled. Those are among the reasons that in 2017 the organization changed its name from the Hispanic American Council to its current name.

But all that trouble is in the rearview mirror, Vazquez says.

The trust that local foundations and private donors have in El Concilio appears stronger than ever, most clearly evidenced by its receiving a three-year $100,000 grant from the Kalamazoo Community Foundation this year. Other service agencies and philanthropic groups are back on board as well, including the United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region. Four full-time

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employees run El Concilio’s day-to-day operations, up from one full-time and one part-time employee a few years ago.

Community support is also critical to the organization, and this month it will host its annual Nuestras Raices (Our Roots) Fundraising Gala. In addition to providing funds for El Concilio’s operations, the gala proceeds will also go to support the organization’s Escuelita Nuevo Horizonte (New Horizon School), a new bilingual preschool that will begin in the fall.

The commitment El Concilio has to those it serves is akin to the commitment Latinos here have for the Kalamazoo community, says Vazquez, noting that if you get away from the often divisive nature of the current political debate over immigration policy and see Latinos of all legal statuses, you will find generous people as eager to share their heritage as they are to integrate into their new home.

After all, many of them gave up so much to be here, pushed on by a desire for a better life for themselves and their families, an almost instinctual human motivation.

“For many families,” Vazquez says, “they think, ‘We gave up so much to get here. We can’t give up. We want to know our struggle was not in vain because we came here to become something we couldn't become in our home country.’”

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‘A Mirror of Our Common Humanity’

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.

24 | ENCORE SEPTEMBER 2019

Where We Stand Exhibit reveals area’s rich community of black artists

O

Stories by KARA NORMAN

ne of the three exhibits opening at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts this month will highlight the rich community of accomplished African-American artists in our midst.

Where We Stand: Black Artists in Southwest Michigan will feature nine artists at various points in their careers, all living and working in western Michigan. The exhibit is co-curated by Denise Lisiecki, who directs the Kirk Newman Art School at the KIA, and Fari Nzinga, a post-doctoral curatorial fellow at the KIA and Kalamazoo College

Speaking for others

The works by each of the nine artists in the exhibition offer different perspectives of the black experience.

For example, photographer Tanisha Lynn Pyron, of Kalamazoo, who is also an actor, dancer, poet and educator, will present a multimedia piece called Black Americana: A Black Woman Speaks. Inspired by a 15-minute poem by actress and activist Beah Richards, Pyron’s work will remix and reappropriate the idea of “Black Americana,” which Pyron says is a vitriolic subject.

“If you Google ‘Americana,’ it’s Norman Rockwell, Coca-Cola, and a smile. It is the happiest dish on Earth. And then you put ‘black’ on there and it becomes a different thing,” she says.

Black Americana — sometimes referred to as Afro-Americana — is a type of memorabilia that can include anything from “mammy” cookie jars to racist prints of black children eating watermelon.

“Black Americana is a warped view of black identity,” says Pyron, “so I decided to remix it and say, ‘You know what? I am Black Americana, and that is not what I look like.’”

Black Americana: A Black Woman Speaks is a display of vintage LP covers featuring African-American female recording artists, with an audio component and digital projection.

Pyron says the piece was motivated by a desire to speak for generations of women who weren’t allowed to speak for themselves.

Her grandmother died young, and Pyron says, “I didn’t get to hear her voice at all — what she dreamed about, what she wanted.”

She says a lot of women’s stories have been lost to race and gender inequities and to poverty. “I felt obligated to dream and speak for them,” she says.

Brian Powers

Exploring past and present

Printmaker Audrey Mills, who will show two large screenprint monotypes and six smaller ones, says she constantly thinks about Where We Stand artists include: Back row, from left: Al Harris Jr., Tanisha Pyron, Audrey Mills, Brent Harris and James C. Palmore. Front row, from left: Maria Scott, Chakila Hoskins. w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 25

From left: A ceramic vessel created by Maria Scott; printmaker Audrey Mills works on a piece for the exhibit; and Satchel, an acrylic painting by James Watkins. Photos by Maya Wanner. Courtesy of the artists and the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.

black bodies and how the U.S. government finds ways to “restrain and control them.”

For the smaller series, Mills used copies of a declassified document called the Rabble Rouser Index, compiled by the FBI during the civil rights movement to document instigators of “civil unrest.”

Mills, 39, who is originally from Detroit and now lives in Kalamazoo, graduated from Western Michigan University’s Gwen Frostic School of Art in 2018 and recently completed a nine-month residency at the KIA’s Kirk Newman School of Art. She has shown her work twice before at the KIA: first in a 2018 show titled do it and then, in 2019, with a work she created for her residency called Flight, a textile piece made using printmaking techniques.

Mills describes herself as “an artist of the African diaspora” and someone “interested in the similarities that are the remnants of our stolen cultures.”

Like Pyron, Mills says she’s seeking reconciliation with what she’s lost as a person whose heritage includes the tragedies of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

“I can’t go back and live how I might have if colonialism and slavery hadn’t happened,” Mills says. “That time and place is gone. I am seeking an expression of both my past and present.”

Mills’ two larger pieces, Bougie and Inheritance, are meditations on the relationship between “text” and “texture.”

They were fun to make, Mills says, since she enjoys researching the history behind words.

A personal perspective

For some artists, history has a more personal bent. Al Harris Jr., 65, who grew up in Detroit and came to Kalamazoo as an education student at WMU, is showing a portrait of his youngest daughter (his “baby daughter,” now 36) titled Kim. At 40 by 50 inches, it’s one of the largest paintings in his portfolio, and the only one he wouldn’t sell.

When people ask Harris how he can sell other paintings of his kids, he responds, “I’d rather it hang somewhere and get attention for what I tried to do. I’m not trying to create some Kmart family portrait here.”

Indeed, the expression on Kim isn’t precious.

She’s looking off-frame and could easily be an older person gazing over her shoulder.

Harris says that when he was a young man with a family, he wondered how he was going to do everything. He recalls the advice of one professor who was also a father: “He said, ‘Some artists around you are creating like machines. You’re going to look at an empty easel for months, even years, but don’t worry about that. The emotion you put into raising your kids will come out in the work.’”

“He was like Yoda,” says Harris. “I had no idea what he was talking about. In retrospect, it’s so clear.”

Harris often zooms in on his subject, capturing faces with vivid colors. The artist works from blown-up photographs of people who inspire him and keeps a camera in the trunk of his car.

“I’ll see someone on a porch and have to back up, and, wow, the sun is just perfect, so I’ll ask this person if I can photograph them,” he says.

Some people turn him down, so he shows them a photo album of his work. “I try to impress them,” he jokes. “And some just say flat out, ‘Nope.’”

Harris will also show a second oil pastel, a close-up of an elderly black man in a pink hat, titled Shadows in Elijah’s Mind. The piece features a model Harris worked with several (continued on page 30)

26 | ENCORE SEPTEMBER 2019

Beyond

‘Black Refractions’

O

n Sept. 14, the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts will open its doors for Black Refractions: Highlights from The Studio Museum in Harlem, a national traveling exhibition that spans 200 years of American art history.

The exhibition, which features 91 works and will run until Dec. 8, has only six stops in the U.S., and Kalamazoo is the only stop in the Midwest.

“This is one of the biggest things that’s happened in Kalamazoo related to African Americans,” says local artist Al Harris Jr., “Chicago doesn’t have that. Detroit doesn’t have that. And little old Kalamazoo is getting that.”

The KIA decided to celebrate the occasion by putting together two companion exhibitions and planning a host of collaborative community activities highlighting black artists from the community, the country and the world.

Where We Stand: Black Artists in Southwest Michigan will feature works by nine local artists, including Harris. (See related story.)

Resilience: African American Artists as Agents of Change will present more than 60 paintings, photographs, works on paper

KIA turns exhibition into community conversation

Nwantinti, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, 2012. Acrylic, pastel, charcoal, colored pencil, and Xerox transfers on paper, The Studio Museum in Harlem.

and sculpture by African-American artists that are part of the KIA’s permanent collection. These works range from 1870 to the present and reflect African Americans’ “vital contributions to the story of American art and history,” according to the KIA website.

With the three simultaneous exhibitions, 90 percent of the art on the walls at the KIA this fall will be by African-American artists.

But the combination of these art exhibitions and related events is about more than just art, says Rehema Barber, the KIA’s chief curator.

“It is about building bridges and creating conversations with and for our audiences about our common humanity,” she says.

The potential to expand the impact of the Black Refractions exhibit was quickly realized after the institute secured the exhibition last year, says Katie Houston, marketing manager at the KIA. “Soon after, it became apparent that an exhibition showing off works the KIA had collected throughout the century could greatly complement it, and that turned into Resilience,” she says. “Our community show, Where We Stand, came into being when our w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 27

Black Refractions Community Events Below is a selection of the events planned in conjunction with the exhibition Black Refractions: Highlights from The Studio Museum in Harlem and its companion exhibitions at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. A complete list of events, including artists’ talks, film screenings and more, is available at blackrefractionskalamazoo.org.

Art Hop: Spin n Images Preview Party, 5-8 p.m. Sept. 6, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, 4325 W. South St., with music by DJ Disobedience, free.

Curator’s Talk, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 12, featuring Lauren Hayes, part of the team that conceived Black Refractions. Preceded by 5:30 p.m. reception.

Free Community Day, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sept.

14, KIA. Celebrating the exhibitions’ openings with free admission to the KIA, storytelling, art-making projects led by artists Brent Harris, James C. Palmore and Al Harris Jr. and performances by Tanisha Pyron.

Spiral Up and Out, Sept. 4-Oct. 13, Richmond Center for the Arts, Western Michigan University. An exhibition featuring works by the African-American artists’ collective Spiral, which was formed in the 1960s.

Ahead of the Curve: Sculptures from the KIA, Sept. 6-27, Arcus Gallery, Center for New Media, Kalamazoo Valley Community College downtown campus. An exhibition

of sculptures from the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts from 1995-present, featuring Kalamazoo sculptor Al La Vergne and others.

Opening Day After-Party, 9 p.m.–midnight Sept. 14, Jolliffe Theatre, Epic Center, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall. Live music, food and drinks, $10, or free for members of the KIA, the Black Arts and Cultural Center and/or the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.

Local Artists in Action, SeptemberNovember, Kalamazoo Public Library and its branches. A local artist will be featured at each library location creating a new artwork on-site throughout the week. Patrons can interact with the artists, create art in the style of the artists and participate in a special program facilitated by each artist.

Participating artists are Darien Burress, James C. Palmore, Tanisha Pyron, Al Harris Jr. and Audrey Mills. See blackrefractionskalamazoo. org for a schedule and more information.

Filling in the Gaps: The Art of Murphy Darden, Oct. 12–April 5, Kalamazoo Valley Museum. An exhibit featuring black cowboys, Darden’s personal experiences in Mississippi, civil rights heroes, and the African American community in Kalamazoo.

Quilt Exhibition, opening 5-8 p.m. Nov. 1 and continuing through November, Black Arts & Cultural Center, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall. Michigan-made quilts that tell a story about black culture and history.

eLLe, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14-16, 2 p.m. Nov. 17, Judy Jolliffe Theatre, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, $8-$20. The Black Arts & Cultural Center’s Face Off Theatre Company, in collaboration with Queer Theatre Kalamazoo, presents the episodic dramedy about Kalamazoo-based characters from the LGBTQ community.

Where We Stand: Black Artists in Southwest Michigan, documentary film premiere, Nov. 14, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, 5:30 p.m. reception followed by a screening of the film at 6:30 p.m. The artists and filmmaker will be on hand for questions after the film.

Ibram X. Kendi, 4 p.m. Nov. 15, hosted by Western Michigan University Center for the Humanities, location to be announced. The author of The Black Campus Movement, Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, winner of the 2016 National Book Award for Nonfiction, and the new book How to Be An Antiracist: A Memoir of My Journey will speak.

Gem of the Ocean, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15, 16, 21-23 and 2 p.m. Nov. 24, Shaw Theatre, WMU. University Theatre will perform the first installment of August Wilson's decadeby-decade, 10-play chronicle, The Pittsburgh Cycle, dramatizing the African-American experience in the 20th century.

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Marie Lee also contributed to this article.

community of stakeholders, who represent different aspects of arts and diversity in Kalamazoo, expressed strong interest in the project.”

The main exhibit features works from The Studio Museum in Harlem’s permanent collection and is touring the country while that museum constructs a new building. The KIA is the third stop on the exhibit’s sixstop tour, which also includes The Museum of the African Diaspora, in San Francisco; the Gibbes Museum of Art, in Charleston, S.C.; the Smith College Museum of Art, in Northampton, Mass.; the Frye Art Museum, in Seattle; and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, in Salt Lake City.

Among the artists whose work is in the exhibit are Kalamazoo native Titus Kaphar; Kalamazoo College graduate Julie Mehretu; and Kehinde Wiley, who created the portrait of President Barack Obama that hangs in the National Portrait Gallery, in Washington, D.C. "I am always seeking opportunities to maximize community impact through our collection and exhibitions,” says KIA Executive Director Belinda Tate. “In 2018, the KIA was the first to sign up for the Black Refractions tour. I recognized the opportunity to build a communitywide conversation around art and equity for a community eager to learn more about diverse American and global cultures.

“My goal was to make art a part of civic life for a broad spectrum of Kalamazoo through a suite of complementary shows that featured local artists, our stellar collection, and the international visual art leaders represented in Black Refractions.”

Tate says the KIA quickly found a team of partners throughout the community that would help the organization “introduce conversations about art and inclusion in circles of the community that we don't consistently access.”

“These will further our understanding of art as a mirror of our common humanity,” she says.

Young Woman Receives Voter Registration Card, Ernest Withers, 1960, gelatin silver print, is one of the works from the KIA collection featured in the Resilience exhibit.

Its partners include the Black Arts & Cultural Center, Kalamazoo Public Library, Kalamazoo Valley Community College and WMU. The result is a slate of nearly 40 activities and events, from theater performances andspeakers to film screenings and the creation of new artworks on site. ”We have been delighted by the enthusiasm and positive energy generated by community collaborators creating their own numerous programs and events," says KIA Director of Education Michelle Stempien. “There is truly something for every age and every interest — and something new and different every week.”

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Where We Stand (continued from page 26)

times, and it captures in bold contours a strip of shade across the man’s face.

Brian Powers

Making statements

Clockwise from top left: James Palmore adds the finishing touches to a portrait; sculptor Brent Harris at work on a bronze figure; Tanisha Lynn Pyron created a multi-media piece for the exhibit; and Darien Burress contemplates the structure for her installation piece. Photos by Maya Wanner. Courtesy of the artists and the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.

Lisiecki says she and Nzinga chose pieces based on their aesthetic response to them.

Some may think this is simply a show of local black artists, but, for Lisiecki, it’s a show of artists making a statement. In other words, their subject matter just happens to be African American.

An artist herself, Lisiecki says she hates being called a “woman artist.” “I’m an artist, period,” she says, and she feels strongly about her selection of artists based on skill and technique.

“Just because they’re choosing black subject matter, well, everybody chooses a subject matter that resonates with them,” Lisiecki says. “What makes a great work of art is when an artist speaks from their heart.”

Nzinga, who previously curated shows in New Orleans and teaches art history classes at Kalamazoo College, says she and Lisiecki made a visit to the studio of 75-year-old James C. Palmore, another artist in the show, one with a long list of credentials. Palmore will be exhibiting a large acrylic painting called Nikki, with an arresting figure staring out from the frame, and a smaller mixedmedia piece called A Sundered Beginning.

A co-founder of Kalamazoo’s Black Arts & Cultural Center, Palmore won the People’s Choice Award at the KIA’s West Michigan

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Where We Stand Documentary If you’d like to see the creative processes of the nine artists featured in the Where We Stand exhibit, the KIA has made a documentary film to do that.

The documentary, also titled Where We Stand, features each of the exhibition’s nine artists working in the their studios. The production was filmed and edited by Kalamazoo College graduate Maya Wanner with support from Kalamazoo College art instructor Danny Kim and funded through a grant from the Michigan Council of Humanities.

The film will have its premiere on November 14 at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts with a 5:30 p.m. reception followed by a screening of the film at 6:30 p.m. The artists and filmmaker will be on hand for questions after the film.

Admission is $5.

“The film is part of our effort to help these artists propel their careers forward, something that will be useful after the exhibition comes down in December," says exhibit co-curator Fari Nzinga. “It was also an opportunity to think about Michigan regionally and the creative landscape and art ecosystem in which black artists find themselves.”

Area Show in 2018 with Chief, his large drawing of an older black man.

“On the surface,” says Nzinga, “it would be easy to think that he only does portraiture of black people.” But at their visit to Palmore’s studio, she says, she and Lisiecki saw images of Palmore’s white friend, a fellow artist, and a landscape with a blonde woman in it.

Lisiecki says, “If he had put those works in — and they’re of equal quality, they were beautifully done —it would feel more universal to some.”

Nzinga says the passion an artist has for his or her subject shines through in the works she and Lisiecki chose. “It’s not any less universal because some of these artists portray black people or make a comment about what it’s like to live in this world as a black person,” she says.

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Different career phases In addition to selecting people who excel at their craft, Nzinga and Lisiecki wanted to spotlight artists at different points in their careers.

The owner of Kalamazoo’s Alchemist Sculpture Foundry, Brent Harris, will show a bronze called Empyrean Woman, a figure reaching into the sky, with a generous arc of hair circling her head. Harris shows in galleries across the Midwest and boasts work in New York, Chicago and Paris collections.

There will also be an oil painting titled Victims by James Watkins, who founded the Kalamazoo Film Society and has appeared in exhibitions throughout western Michigan.

The KIA has a painting by Watkins in its permanent collection as well as a piece by another artist in the show, Maria Scott. A Kalamazoo artist who makes handcrafted ceramics, Scott will show an untitled piece of stoneware with a mysterious, sensual opening at its top.

Chakila Hoskins, from Grand Rapids, will show an oil painting called Visitation, a diptych of a child in moody gray tones on grass, with pastel butterflies hovering above her chest. Hoskins won first prize in the 2019 West Michigan Area Show with an oil painting called Transformation (Metamorphosis) and was also featured in the 2018 Area Show.

Installation artist Darien Burress is still a student, a senior in WMU’s Gwen Frostic School of Art, but her bronze sculpture in the show, titled Fruitful Tree, is a breathtaking execution of the form.

With a nude torso growing from a cocoonlike swath of metal attached to a large slab of wood, Fruitful Tree explores Burress’ pregnancy that had many complications, she says.

“The fears I had around that pregnancy, and the pain of loss, are channeled in this piece,” says the 24-year-old, who hails from Grand Rapids. She notes that there will be an interactive element to her piece, encouraging others to embrace their stories of motherhood.

Like much of Burress’ work, Fruitful Tree takes its inspiration from nature. And, as with the natural world, the sculpture had complications of its own.

The plaster mold of the cocoon element broke into three pieces when Burress was making it. She soaked the mold in water and tried to cast it in a wax form, with trial and

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Serving the Kalamazoo area Top: Grand Rapids artist Chakila Hoskins adds detail to an oil painting she is working on. Bottom: Al Harris Jr. holds a picture of his daughter Kim as he prepares to work on a portrait of her for the exhibit.

error. Finally satisfied, she created a channel system to allow molten metal to reach all areas of the sculpture and made a ceramic shell out of slurry and sand for the casting, building up seven layers. Once the shell dried, Burress fired it to melt out the wax and plastic.

“Then the real fun began,” she says. Within WMU’s foundry, she used the pouring floor — similar to a sand pit — to cast the sculpture, pouring in molten metal. She finished by cutting off the channel system, sanding and cleaning up the sculpture, and adding patina to create visual depth.

If that sounds arduous to the layperson, like many of the artists in Where We Stand, Burress knew from a young age that she wanted to be an artist. She remembers, as a kid, seeing old drawings her father did and knowing she wanted to create.

For others, it took a while. When Mills was a senior in high school, she wanted to be a surgeon. “Anyone who knows me personally just fell out of their seat laughing,” says the printmaker.

Her uncle suggested art school, which she tried for a year before dropping out, joining the Navy, and working odd jobs. By her late 20s, though, she knew she wanted to pursue art for the rest of her life.

“For me, at least, art is not a profession but an identity,” she says. “It is an exciting, exhausting journey of self-discovery.”

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rEstAurAnt / MArkEt / CAtEring Locally and thoughtfully sourced ingredients, because we care about what we eat. Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, daily.

401 E. Michigan Ave 269.382.1888 • fooddance.net

Private Parties

Rehearsal dinners, Office parties, Meetings and Presentations

5402 Portage Road, Kalamazoo Phone: 269.344.7700

103 S. Grove St., Delton • (269) 623-8310 Open 7 days a week

Where Fresh Ingredients Become Great Meals Gun Lake, Corner of 126th Ave. and Patterson Rd • (269) 525-1555 Open Tuesday – Sunday 4:00 pm

WHAT’S NEW THIS FALL From the bounty of the harvest to handcrafted brews, Encore’s Dining Destinations partners are excited to tell the new surprises their chefs are dishing up this fall:

Bravo 5402 Portage Road

Four Roses Café 663 10th St., Plainwell

Delicious new features using apples, foraged mushrooms, squashes and game meats, including grilled duck with wild mushroom risotto, pumpkin ravioli, apple fritters with maple cream and handcrafted beer, Sweet Bravo! Brown Ale.

Nothing welcomes autumn like our Butternut Squash Lasagna. With creamy layers of blended white cheese, fresh herbs and butternut squash, it is always a fall favorite.

Comensoli’s 762 W. Main St.

Lift Restaurant Delta Marriott, 2747 South 11th St.

Smoked brisket, salmon and whitefish add some deep flavors to our new fall features.

Stop in for our craft cocktails featuring Michigan distilleries.

In time for cooler temps, fall brings beer, bourbon and BBQ! Come check out the new BBQ offerings on our fall menus and enjoy a brew or two.

Food Dance 401 E. Michigan Ave. Fall brings roasted squash, pumpkin and apples to Food Dance. Look for our celebration of artisan cheese in October on our menus and at events.

Kalamazoo Public Schools

are reaching higher! duation rates ra g r a e -y 5 d n a 4 g  Risin school and high le d id m , ry ta n e m le  Rising e vement school student achie nts taking e d u st f o r e b m u n e th  More than double ourses in the last 10 years c Advance Placement llege tuition for o c e e fr : e is m ro P o  The Kalamazo irements apply) qu re ce an nd te at & ency KPS graduates (resid Promise scholars 0 0 ,0 2 n a th re o M  rees have completed deg 0 students 0 ,5 2 ly te a im x ro p p  Growth of a last 14 years e th r ve o t) n e rc e p (24

For enrollment or more information please contact Kalamazoo Public Schools at

269.337.0161 36 | ENCORE SEPTEMBER 2019

PERFORMING ARTS THEATER Musicals

Evil Dead: The Musical — A bloody comedy combining elements of a cult classic film and its sequels, 5 p.m. Sept. 1, Barn Theatre, 13351 West M-96, Augusta, 731-4121.

Matilda — The story of a girl who immerses herself in books, based on Roald Dahl's classic book, 7:30 p.m. Sept 20, 27 & Oct. 4; 2 p.m.

Sept. 21, 22, 28, 29, Oct. 5 & 6; 10 a.m. Sept. 28, The Civic, 329 S. Park St., 343-1313.

Other Campfire — New Vic Theatre presents songs, stories, poems and memories, 8 p.m. Fri. & Sat. through Sept. 21, New Vic Theatre, 134 E. Vine St., 381-3328.

MUSIC Bands & Solo Artists The North 41 — Chicago-based rock, funk and jazz band, 9 p.m. Sept. 6, Bell's Eccentric Café, 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave., 382-2332.

The Verve Pipe — Alternative rock band, 8:30 p.m. Sept. 7, Bell's Eccentric Café, 382-2332.

Minnesota, Pigeon Hole, Chadderboxx, Anserz and Fendz — 9 p.m. Sept. 7, State Theatre, 404 S. Burdick St., 345-6500.

2nd Sunday Live: Coffee with Friends — Trio performs acoustic pop-rock hits plus soulful originals, 2 p.m. Sept. 8, Parchment Community Library, 401 S. Riverview Drive, 343-7747.

Langhorne Slim & the Law — Alternativecountry, indie and folk band, 8 p.m. Sept. 14, Bell's Eccentric Café, 382-2332.

Sunday Funday — Free all-day, all-ages event starting at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 15, with music by Uncle Kooky, Analog Ancestry, Jake Simmons & The Little Ghosts, DJ M Sord and evening performance by a Led Zeppelin cover band, Bell's Eccentric Café, 382-2332.

Strfkr — Indie rock band, 8 p.m. Sept. 16, Bell's Eccentric Café, 382-2332.

Delbert McClinton & Self-Made Men — Soul, blues and country music, 8 p.m. Sept. 20, State Theatre, 345-6500.

Black Violin Impossible Tour — The string duo performs a blend of classical and hiphop music, 8 p.m. Sept. 24, State Theatre, 345-6500.

Tommy Emmanuel — Australian guitarist and songwriter, 8 p.m. Sept. 25, State Theatre, 345-6500.

Consider the Source — Sci-fi, Middle-Eastern fusion trio, 8:30 p.m. Sept. 26, Bell's Eccentric Café, 382-2332.

Spektral Quartet with Mark DeChiazza — 8 p.m. Sept. 20, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, 387-4667.

Nora Jane Struthers — Americana and roots rock singer/songwriter, 8:30 p.m. Sept. 28, Bell's Eccentric Café, 382-2332.

Orchestra, Chamber, Jazz, Vocal & More

KSO Jazz Ensemble — Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra musicians perform Gershwin favorites, 11 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. Sept. 29, Sarkozy Bakery, 350 E. Michigan Ave., 349-7759.

The Foresters — Outdoor concert of Southern and traditional gospel music, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 1, Klines Resort, 22260 Klines Resort Road, Three Rivers, 649-2514; rain location, West Mendon Community Church, 22994 Portage Lake Road, Mendon.

DANCE Workshop with Mark DeChiazza — The New York director, filmmaker, designer and choreographer gives a dance workshop, Sept.

19, Wellspring Theater, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, 342-4354.

Best of MAT — Students in the Multimedia Arts Technology program present their works, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 10, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, 387-4667.

COMEDY

Oboist Alex Hayashi & Clarinetist Ellen Breakfield-Glick — Bullock Performance Institute concert, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 11, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, 387-4667.

Fall Craft Music: Pint-Sized KSO — Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra's artists-inresidence play short selections from great symphonies, operas and dance music of the 19th century, 8 p.m. Sept. 11, Bell's Eccentric Café, 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave., 349-7759.

Saxophonist Noa Even — Guest artist recital, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 12, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, 387-4667.

The Wonderful World of … Barbershop — Mall City Harmonizers' 78th annual show, featuring songs from Disney animated films, 4 p.m. Sept. 14, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, 615-8796.

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition — The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra performs works by Schuller and Mussorgsky, and Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2, with violinist Leticia Moreno, 8 p.m. Sept. 20, Miller Auditorium, WMU, 349-7759.

Picture Yourself

Kalamazoo Improv Festival — Crawlspace Comedy Theatre hosts 10 improv teams, Sept.

13 & 14, Farmers Alley Theatre, 221 Farmers Alley; see crawlspacetheatre.com for details.

Bert Kreischer: Body Shots Tour — 7 & 9:30 p.m. Sept. 21, State Theatre, 404 S. Burdick St., 345-6500.

Ron White — Stand-up comedian, 8 p.m. Sept.

28, Miller Auditorium, WMU, 387-2300.

VISUAL ARTS Kalamazoo Institute of Arts 314 S. Park St., 349-7775 Exhibits Moments of Peace: Watercolors by Sunghyun Moon — Large-scale watercolor works painted in the style of mid-20th-century American Action painters, through Oct. 13.

Black Refractions: Highlights from The Studio Museum in Harlem — Traveling exhibition of works by artists of African descent, Sept. 14–Dec. 8.

Resilience: African American Artists as Agents of Change — An exhibition of works from the KIA’s permanent collection, Sept. 14– Dec. 8.

at the

Symphony

CONCERT & TICKET INFO:

KalamazooSymphony.com

w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 37

EVENTS ENCORE Where We Stand: Black Artists in Southwest Michigan — Works by nine artists working in sculpture, photography, painting, ceramics and printmaking, Sept. 14–Dec. 8.

Events Sunday Guided Tours — Docent-led tours, 2 p.m. Sept. 8 & 22.

ARTbreak — Weekly program about art, artists and exhibitions: Spiral: Up & Out, talk on the arts alliance Spiral, of New York City, Sept. 10; Art21 Films, films about four artists featured in the Black Refractions exhibit, Sept. 17; Where We Stand: Black Artists in Southwest Michigan, talk by exhibition co-curator Fari Nzinga, Sept.

24; sessions begin at noon, KIA Auditorium.

Evening Curator's Talk — Lauren Haynes, curator of contemporary art at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, discusses her experience and the exhibit, Black Refractions, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 12; preceded by a reception at 5:30 p.m.

Family Fun Day — Hands-on activities, artmaking and videos about featured artists, noon–2 p.m. Sept. 15.

Book Discussion: To Describe a Life: Notes from the Intersection of Arts and Race Terror — A discussion of the book by Darby English, 2 p.m. Sept. 18 at the KIA; also 6 p.m.

Sept. 18 at the Black Arts & Cultural Center, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Suite 202.

Artist's Talk with Adia Millett — The artist discusses how the personal can become a tool for collective healing and the evolution of her work, process, and relationship to concept and craft, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 26.

Richmond Center for Visual Arts Western Michigan University, 387-2436 > 1: Celebrating Design + Community — Graphic design exhibition, Sept. 4–Oct. 13, Monroe-Brown Gallery.

Motoko Furuhashi — Visiting artist lecture by this Japanese artist and assistant professor at New Mexico State University, 5:30 p.m. Sept.

19, Room 2008.

Justin Lincoln — Visiting artist lecture by this experimental artist and educator, 5:30 p.m.

Sept. 26, Room 2008.

Other Venues The Honeycomb Scriptures — Etchings by Ladislav Hanka Jr., enhanced by bee-created honeycomb formations, through Oct. 6, Kalamazoo Valley Museum, 230 N. Rose St., 373-7990.

Portage Community Art Award Exhibition — Art by award winner June Belitz and other original works, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. through Oct. 31, 38 | ENCORE SEPTEMBER 2019

Portage City Hall, 7900 S. Westnedge Ave., 329-4522.

Art Hop — Art at various locations in Kalamazoo, 5–8 p.m. Sept. 6, 342-5059.

Book Arts in Italy — Works created in Italy by Western Michigan University students, Sept.

6–27, with opening 6–9 p.m. Sept. 6, Kalamazoo Book Arts, 326 W. Kalamazoo Ave., Suite 103A, 373-4938.

Watercolor in the Woods — KNC facilitators lead a hike to find inspiration for painting, 5:30 p.m. Sept. 20, Kalamazoo Nature Center, 7000 N. Westnedge Ave., 381-1574.

LIBRARY & LITERARY EVENTS Kalamazoo Public Library Page Turners Book Club — Discussion of Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 9, Oshtemo Branch, 7265 W. Main St., 553-7980.

Reading Race Book Group — Discussion of My Beloved World, by Sonia Sotomayor, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 10, Van Deusen Room, Central Library, 315 S. Rose St., 342-9837.

Urban Fiction Book Club — Discussion of Livin' Life Like It's Golden, by Brenda Hampton, 6 p.m. Sept. 30, Eastwood Branch, 1112 Gayle St., 553-7810.

Parchment Community Library 401 S. Riverview Drive, 343-7747 Envisioning Our River — Explore the economic, recreational, environmental and educational potential of the Kalamazoo River, 7–8:30 p.m.

Sept. 12.

Mystery Book Club — Discussion of How the Light Gets In, by Louise Penny, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 16.

Yum's the Word: Cooking with Lavender — Janene Rawlinson, from Shades of Lavender Farm, discusses ways to use lavender, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 18; registration required.

Donuts & Discussion — Discussion about why babies are dying and what we can do about it, led by Healthy Babies Healthy Start's Terra Bautista, 10:30 a.m.–noon Sept. 21.

Portage District Library 300 Library Lane, 329-4544 SciFi/Fantasy Discussion: The Force — Share opinions about The Force that gives a Jedi power, 7 p.m. Sept. 10.

International Mystery Book Discussion: India — Discussion of The Widows of Malabar Hill, by Sujata Massey, 7 p.m. Sept. 12.

Open for Discussion — Discussion of Unsheltered, by Barbara Kingsolver, 10:30 a.m.

Sept. 17.

MI Pride Author Series: Deborah Carol Gang — Local author discusses her novel The Half-Life of Everything and the craft of novel writing, 7 p.m. Sept. 17.

Women and Retirement: Getting the Retirement You Want — Discussion of topics geared toward women and retirement, 6 p.m.

Sept. 18.

Paint Along with Bob Ross Again — An episode of The Joy of Painting on painting little trees, 6–8 p.m. Sept. 18; registration required.

Richland Community Library 8951 Park St., 629-9085 The Automobile Adventures of the Abernathy Brothers — Hear about Bud and Temple Abernathy, who, at ages 6 and 10, traveled from Oklahoma to New York City on horseback and then returned home by automobile, presented by the Gilmore Car Museum, 7 p.m. Sept. 4.

Meet Michigan Author Tobin Buhk — The author discusses Michigan's most dangerous women, 7 p.m. Sept. 11.

Book Club & Dessert — Discussion of The Lost City of Z, by David Grann, 7 p.m. Sept. 12.

Other Venues Creative Writing in the Woods — Head to the woods for a time of storytelling and inspiration, 2 p.m. Sept. 15, Kalamazoo Nature Center, 7000 N. Westnedge Ave., 381-1574.

MUSEUMS Air Zoo 6151 Portage Road, Portage, 382-6555

Memories and Milestones: Forty Years of the Air Zoo — A celebration of four decades of flight, spacecraft, science and education, through December.

The Day We Walked on the Moon — Screening of a new documentary marking the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, 3 p.m.

Sept. 1 & 2.

Gilmore Car Museum 6865 Hickory Road, Hickory Corners, 671-5089 Duesenberg: Celebrating an American Classic — This exhibition showcases up to 20 rare Duesenbergs in rotation, through September.

Muscle Cars Plus Show & Swap Meet — Hundreds of vehicles, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Sept. 8.

Ford Model A Day — Swap meet, Hall of Fame induction and seminars, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Sept. 21.

Cadillac-LaSalle Club Museum & Research Center Fall Festival — 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Sept. 27, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Sept. 28.

SEPTEMBER AT THE KIA Where We Stand: Black Artists in Southwest Michigan September 14-December 8, 2019

Spotlighting emerging artists and veterans in their field working in ceramics, sculpture, painting, photography, and printmaking, Where We Stand explores subjects including the environment, the criminal justice system, the human body, and concepts of beauty. Top row, from left: Darien Burress, Al Harris, Jr., Brent Harris; middle row: Chakila Hoskins, Audrey Mills, James C. Palmore; bottom row: Maria Scott, Tanisha Pyron, and James Watkins.

Meet the artists: September 14 & November 14 at the KIA, and in residence at Kalamazoo Public Library branches throughout the autumn. See kpl.gov for more.

Also opening September 14

Black Refractions: Highlights from The Studio Museum in Harlem Resilience: African American Artists as Agents of Change

KIRK NEWMAN ART SCHOOL

FALL CLASSES START SEPTEMBER 4-14 Learn something new or get back to something you love!

Daytime and evening classes for beginners and continuing students in all mediums, including Saturday classes for youth, and 1-2 day workshops.

Register online at kiarts.org or phone 269/349-7775.

Fall students may sell their work at the holiday art sale.

KALAMAZOO INSTITUTE OF ARTS 435 W. South Street

269/349-7775

kiarts.org

w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 39

EVENTS ENCORE Kalamazoo Valley Museum 230 N. Rose St., 373-7990

Amusement Park Science with Team Up! — Explore how favorite amusement park rides work and test your skills in sports while learning math and physics, through Sept. 8.

The Secrets of Bees — An interactive exhibit about the threatened bee population, through Sept. 30. (See related art exhibit, The Honeycomb Scriptures, under VISUAL ARTS.) Mindbenders Mansion 2 — Puzzles, brainteasers and interactive challenges to test the brain, Sept. 21–Jan. 5.

NATURE Kalamazoo Nature Center 7000 N. Westnedge Ave., 381-1574 Fall Bird Banding — Visit the bird banders with the first birds of the day, 8 a.m. Tues., Thurs. & Sat.; meet at the KNC Banding Barn, near the Camp Barn; see naturecenter.org for schedule.

Free Summer Sunday — Enjoy free admission, Sept. 1.

Monarch Tagging — Join biologists from the Michigan Butterfly Network on a butterfly walk, 2–4 p.m. Sept. 3, 10, 17 & 24.

Hummingbird Banding — Watch KNC researchers band ruby-throated hummingbirds, 8–10 a.m. Sept. 6, 13, & 20; meet at the KNC Banding Barn.

Kalamazoo Zugunruhe — Celebrate the migratory instincts of Michigan birds, bats and butterflies, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Sept. 7.

DeLano Open House — Tour the historic DeLano house, 2 p.m. Sept. 8, DeLano Homestead, 555 West E Ave. Golf Cart Tours — Butterflies, 4–5 p.m. Sept. 9; Willard Rose Prairie, 4-5 p.m. Sept. 23.

DeLano Farms Visiting Chef Series — Judy Sarkozy, of Sarkozy Bakery, demonstrates simple recipes with fresh herbs and veggies, 5:30 p.m. Sept. 11, DeLano Farms, 555 West E Ave. Birding Basics — Learn fundamentals of birding, 2 p.m. Sept. 22.

Boomers & Beyond: GPS & Geocaching — Sara Rutgers leads a high-tech treasure hunt, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Sept. 24.

Green Film Series — Screening of Carbon Nation, documentary about climate change solutions, 6:30–8 p.m. Sept. 25.

WMUK

102.1

Green Living Series: Composting Worm Bins — Tips and tricks to start composting at home, 2–4 p.m. Sept. 29; registration required.

Kellogg Bird Sanctuary 12685 East C Ave., Augusta, 671-2510 Birds and Coffee Walk — A morning bird walk and discussion over coffee, 9–10:30 a.m.

Sept. 11.

Wild Edibles Hike — Danielle Zoellner and sanctuary staff lead a hike to explore the Lake Loop trail for edible plants, 9 a.m.–noon Sept. 21.

MISCELLANEOUS Kalamazoo Farmers Market — 8 a.m.–1 p.m.

Tuesdays, 2–6 p.m. Thursdays, through October; 7 a.m.–2 p.m. Saturdays, through November; night market, 5–10 p.m. Sept. 19, 1204 Bank St., 359-6727.

Portage Farmers Market — 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Sundays, through Oct. 13, City Hall, 7900 S. Westnedge Ave., 329-4522.

Past Times in Paw Paw: A History of Baseball in Our Hometown — Through the stories of hometown athletes, this exhibit tells how and why baseball became known as the national

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40 | ENCORE SEPTEMBER 2019

pastime, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. weekdays, through Sept. 8, Carnegie Community Center, 129 S. Kalamazoo St., Paw Paw, 657-5674.

Paw Paw Wine & Harvest Festival — Wine tastings, tours, 5K race, grape stomping, kayak race, music, carnival rides, fireworks and parade, Sept. 6–8, Village of Paw Paw, 655-1111; see wineandharvestfestival.com for schedule.

Vintage in the Zoo Hop-up Block Party — Local vendors, artists, music and community art project, 4–8 p.m. Sept. 6, Bates Alley, downtown Kalamazoo, 344-0795.

Late-Night Food Truck Rally — Food trucks, artisans, booths, music and networking, 9 p.m.–midnight Sept. 6, 201–299 W. Water St., 388-2830.

Walking Tour of Downtown Kalamazoo Breweries — Learn about the local beer culture, noon–4:15 p.m. Sept. 7, starting at Kalamazoo Beer Exchange, 211 E. Water St.; Sept. 14 & 28, starting at Central City Tap House, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall; Sept. 21, starting at Shakespeare's Pub, 241 E. Kalamazoo Ave.; 350-4598.

Heritage Festival — Dance, crafts, traditions and food representing various ethnic groups in Portage, 2–5 p.m. Sept. 7, Celery Flats, 7335 Garden Lane, Portage, 329-4522.

Stop the Clock

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Kalamazoo | Grand Rapids | Paw Paw | (888) 461- 7744 | www.willis.law

Haunted History of Kalamazoo Tour — Kalamazoo history mixed with the paranormal world, 8–10 p.m. Sept. 7, starting in Bronson Park, 220-9496.

Vineyard Classic Bicycle Tour — Ride past lush vineyards at the peak of harvest season, 8 a.m. Sept. 8, starting at Van Buren County Human Services Building, 801 Hazen St., Paw Paw, 388-2830.

NSRA Street Rod Nationals North — Street rods, muscle cars and custom vehicles, 8 a.m.– 5 p.m. Sept. 13 & 14, 8 a.m.–1 p.m. Sept. 15, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, 2900 Lake St., 864-663-7353.

Peacock Strut Walk/Run — A 10K and 5K walk/run through the trails of Portage Creek Bicentennial Park, 7 a.m. Sept. 14, starting at Grain Elevator, Celery Flats Historical Area, 7336 Garden Lane, Portage, 329-4522.

SPCA 5K Doggie Dash — Walk or run the park trails to raise money for the SPCA, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Sept. 14, Spring Valley Park, 2605 Mount Olivet Road, 344-1474.

Zoo Moto Show: Vintage Bikes on Bates — Vintage and custom European, Japanese and American bikes, vendors and food, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Sept. 15, Bates Alley, 388-2830.

w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 41

EVENTS ENCORE Downton Abbey Tea — An English tea with crumpets and surprises, 2–4 p.m. Sept. 15, Ladies' Library Association, 333 S. Park St., 344-3710.

Kalamazoo's 5th Annual Wellness & Recovery Fair — Local resources, businesses and organizations that provide support to the recovery community, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Sept. 19, Arcadia Creek Festival Place, 145 E. Water St., facebook.com/KalamazooRecoveryFair.

Fall Bike Celebration — Bike Friendly Kalamazoo hosts this celebration, featuring a ride through the Southwest Michigan countryside and various activities, Sept. 20–22; see fallbikecelebration.org for schedule of events.

Fall into Magic — Local magician Brian Penny performs, 6 p.m. Sept. 20, Hayloft Theatre, 7334 Garden Lane, Portage, 329-4522.

Fall Craft Show — Local crafters, artists and vendors, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Sept. 21, Kalamazoo County Expo Center South, 903-5820.

Kalamazoo's Vintage Mini-Market — Antiques, salvage, retro and shabby-chic items, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Sept. 21, Kalamazoo County Expo Center North, 903-5820.

Licensed Memory Care Assisted Living

Kalamazoo Dance — Monthly ballroom dancing at 8 p.m., with foxtrot lesson at 7 p.m., Sept. 21, The Point Community Center, 2595 N. 10th St., kalamazoodance.org.

Suicide Prevention Walk — Join Gryphon Place for a 5K walk through downtown Kalamazoo, 9 a.m. Sept. 28, starting at Arcadia Creek Festival Place, 145 E. Water St., gryphon. org/events; registration required.

KCAN Super Hero 5K Run/Walk — A run/walk to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect prevention in Kalamazoo County, 9 a.m.–noon Sept. 28, Celery Flats Historical Area, runsignup.com/Race/MI/ Portage/KCANSuperHero5KRunWalk.

Point 1K Spoof Run & Duck Derby Raffle — A 329-foot flat course plus family activities, live music and Duck Derby raffle to benefit Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan, with activities at 10 a.m. and race at noon Sept. 28, Kalamazoo Mall, point1k.com.

Kalamazoo Reptile & Exotic Pet Expo — Buy, sell or trade reptiles, amphibians and exotic pets, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Sept. 28, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, Room A, 779-9851.

Fall Stamp & Cover Show — Buy and sell stamps, covers, postcards and supplies, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Sept. 28, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Sept.

29, Kalamazoo County Expo Center North, 375-6188.

Oktobeerfest — Hot glass show, beer, German food and festive music, 7–10 p.m. Sept. 28, Glass Art Kalamazoo, 326 W. Kalamazoo Ave., 552-9802.

Apple Cider Century — A one-day bicycle tour of the orchards, forests and wine country around Three Oaks, Michigan, 7:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m. Sept. 29; see facebook.com/ events/694367897595350 for details.

Bronson Children's Hospital Walk & 5K Run — A 5K or 1-mile run and walk supporting the children's hospital, 9 a.m.–noon Sept. 29, starting at Bronson Methodist Hospital parking lot at John and Lovell streets, 341-8100.

Kalamazoo Walk to End Alzheimer's — A walk for Alzheimer's support, care and research, 1 p.m. Sept. 29, starting at Kalamazoo College Athletic Fields, 1600 W. Michigan Ave., 487-9746.

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Call to schedule an appointment for a hearing evaluation.

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www.cbrown.org

ENCORE POETRY

I should dust Dust clots on the chair’s elaborate legs drapes across picture frames.

Dusting just moves it from the end table to the lampshade, from the lampshade to the cobwebs

then down to the baseboards where it’s held in place by cat hair and August humidity.

Recipe for dust:

fragments of meteorites, skin cells, dander, and house decaying.

Rearranging dust doesn’t make it

disappear.

A dusting of snow is preferable to a dusting of dust.

Eyelashes and lint. Crumbs and exoskeletons

rain down invisibly on our furniture, our lives.

If only there were something we could do with it other than dust or feed dust mites.

And there will always be more.

Ashes and pine needles years old, fugitive dust from

the solar system. It’s amazing we can breathe at all,

the air so full of what we no longer need, dandruff and book slough,

pollen and storm breath.

Dust so rich in volcanic history, it seems wrong to disturb it.

I don’t.

— Elizabeth Kerlikowske Kerlikowske is a retired English professor who taught at Kellogg Community College, in Battle Creek, and she’s the president of Friends of Poetry, which runs the annual Poems That Ate Our Ears contest and reading for young writers and hosts other local readings. She clearly has better things to do than to dust.

Register for Courses and Trips Lifelong Learning for adults 50-plus. wmich.edu/olli or (269) 387-4200. w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 43

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44 | ENCORE SEPTEMBER 2019

BACK STORY (continued from page 46)

who work directly with children do their jobs better. That’s why the 46-year-old Devers, who graduated from the first class at the Kalamazoo Area Math and Science Center in 1990, returned to his hometown in 2018 to work as the senior director of site services for Communities In Schools.

In that position, Devers oversaw CIS sites at 20 Kalamazoo Public Schools buildings. Communities In Schools provides supplemental services in the schools to help students overcome barriers to their success in school and life. It connects students with myriad resources, from tutoring and food assistance to health services and clothing.

On July 1, Devers began a new role as executive director at CIS, taking the reins from Pam Kingery, who retired after leading the organization for 20 years. He now oversees more than 100 full- and part-time staff members.

“I love working with children directly, but I've also found that the adults that work with kids also need a lot of support,” Devers says.

“And oftentimes that's lost in our work. We want to create this nurturing environment for children, but the only way you can do that is to have a nurturing environment for adults.”

What inspired you to work in education?

As a child I experienced a lot of life and a lot of challenges. I moved a lot and

attended four different elementary schools.

Even in schools where I was consistently, like Kalamazoo Central High School, there was typically a move during my time there. I understood what it meant to be the new kid all the time, the challenges with that.

My family also had a lot of financial challenges. My mother married as a teenager, and neither she nor my father finished high school. My grandmother dropped out of school in third grade. So our family didn't get very far — it was more common to not graduate high school than it was to graduate high school.

I’m finding that a lot of the experiences the children we serve through Communities In Schools have had, my family experienced, and despite all of that, I was able to get into KAMSC and graduate from there. I’ve learned how important education is to the trajectory of a family. Just because a child comes from a family that has certain characteristics doesn't mean that they don't have the potential to do certain things.

I just believe in the potential of children and in the potential of people, regardless of their demographics.

What do you see as your biggest challenge in this job?

We can help change the trajectory of people's lives, so we need to become more refined in matching the need to the service.

We can meet basic needs like food, clothing, shelter and things of that nature, but the

reality is that not having certain things is not necessarily a barrier to success in school and life. The art and the science of the work we do is figuring out, once basic needs are met, what service can I connect the kid to that's going to help them overcome something that's been preventing them from being successful?

It's important to know the kids individually, and it's important to know their families. For a child we can look at their data in terms of the different metrics of academics, attendance and behavior, but there's also time spent getting to know the student as a person and ideally their family and their teachers. We learn what their specific barriers are so we can connect them to resources to overcome those.

What do you look forward to in your new role?

Putting the staff in a position to be successful and supporting them so that they, as the direct service providers, can impact the kids. It's like playing pool. You don't hit the ball in the hole directly, right? You hit the cue ball to hit the ball into the hole.

I'm not really a positionally ambitious person. I just want to be in a place to make a difference. So I know there's certain, I guess, honor attached to certain roles, but really it's just about the opportunity to make a difference. That's what's important to me.

— Interviewed by Encore Editor Marie Lee and edited for length and clarity

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BACK STORY ENCORE

James Devers

Executive Director, Communities In Schools T

wo decades ago, when James Devers was attending Western Michigan University, his goal was to work in the juvenile justice system. But education called him instead, and he spent the next 19 years working in Ohio in various educational capacities, from school principal to a state-level job with the Ohio Department of Education. He also volunteered as a tutor and mentor to kids and established summer camps for kids.

Through his experiences Devers discovered his greatest strengths were not in one-to-one contact with students, but in helping those (continued on page 45)

46 | ENCORE SEPTEMBER 2019

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