Arts, Culture & Humanities

Parchment’s Kindleberger Summer Festival of the Performing Arts has a history that is as captivating as the many plays staged in the park over the past 43 years. Events gather neighbors, friends, family and visitors, strengthening community while cultivating an appreciation for music and theatre, and underscoring the importance of local Parchment culture and the arts.

Performances for both youth and general audiences are enjoyed by families who bring lawn chairs, blankets and picnics to Kindleberger Park’s sprawling and manicured 40-acre space.

Saturday events bring people together to enjoy a beloved parade, an arts-and-crafts fair featuring the work of artisans throughout Michigan, a challenging 5k run/walk, family fun such as bounce houses and a dunk tank, and a variety of the area’s favorite food trucks. The library’s book sale and garden club’s plant sale round out the celebration and help strengthen these local organizations.

Community gatherings continue with live music in beautiful Kindleberger Park each Sunday afternoon throughout the summer. The Summer Concert Series is known for its diverse musical genres and family-friendly atmosphere.

The best part? All of this is brought to the Parchment community and its many visitors completely free of charge. The events are produced by the all-volunteer Kindleberger Arts Commission and generously supported by individuals and community partners including the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation.

For more information, visit kindlebergerarts.org.

In 2025, Vicksburg Arts celebrated its 10th anniversary, marking a decade of bringing creativity, connection and cultural experiences to rural South Kalamazoo County. What began as an art and placemaking initiative has grown into an independent regional organization dedicated to enriching quality of life through accessible arts experiences that inspire and connect the community.

Through its “art without walls” model, Vicksburg Arts brings programming directly to community spaces where people gather. It reduces barriers through pay-what-you-can access and inclusive opportunities for people of all ages and abilities. In 2025, the organization reached more than 10,500 participants through programs, events and partnerships.

Vicksburg Arts also creates a pipeline of arts engagement across generations. Youth explore creativity through summer camps and the Tournament of Writers, which brings together writers of all ages and publishes an annual anthology. Teen camp counselors build leadership and creative skills while pipelining into the Youth Advisory Committee, creating a clear path for deeper engagement and civic involvement. Adults participate in workshops, skill-building classes, and public art experiences, while seniors engage in arts and music programming through a partnership with the South County Senior Center.

Vicksburg Arts also strengthens the regional creative economy by providing paid opportunities for artists to teach and lead projects.

With strong community support and a clear vision, the organization is well positioned to expand access, deepen connection and strengthen the role of the arts across the region.

For more information, visit vicksburgarts.org.

The Kalamazoo Artistic Development Initiative (KADI) grant has had a transformative impact on individual artists within the community, serving as a vital source of support and empowerment. It enables artists to focus more fully on their creative practices without the constant pressure of securing income through unrelated jobs. This freedom fosters deeper artistic exploration, experimentation and production, elevating the quality and originality of local art.

Over the past three years, the need for this program has doubled due to dwindling access to other sources of grant income and support. As traditional funding streams have decreased or disappeared, the KADI grant has become increasingly crucial for sustaining artistic careers. It is now one of the only grants available specifically to individual artists in the county, making its presence even more essential.

In the most recent cycle, the program supported 45 individual artists and their projects or professional development opportunities. This allowed recipients to purchase materials, upgrade equipment, rent studio space or invest in training. Such support enhanced their creative work and expanded their reach within the community.

The KADI grant also strengthens the local cultural landscape. By uplifting diverse artistic voices – especially those from underrepresented backgrounds – it enriches the community’s collective narrative. Supported artists often give back through workshops, public art and mentorship, further amplifying the program’s impact.

The ripple effect is clear: when artists thrive, communities grow stronger, more connected and more inspired. The KADI grant remains a crucial investment in the creative future of the region.

To learn more, visit https://kalamazooarts.org/grants/kadi

In 2024/25, Kalamazoo RESA–Education for the Arts (EFA) celebrates 30 years of creating and sustaining innovative arts education programming and partnerships in Kalamazoo County with nine public K-12 school districts, special ed programs and alternative ed schools, higher education and community arts organizations. In October 2024, the Arts Schools Network awarded EFA the 2024 Arts Innovation Award.

EFA’s innovative structure of community and educational partnerships, fueled by a unique fiscal model of public, philanthropic and endowment funding, enables flexibility and a mind-set of experimentation.

EFA’s arts programming is equitably accessible for all 25,000 K-8, special ed program and alternative students in Kalamazoo County. Additionally, approximately 700 Kalamazoo County high school students annually attend EFA classes in every artform.

Nationally, KRESA-EFA staff have served in board and committee leadership roles with the Lincoln Center Institute of Aesthetic Education, the Association of Aesthetic Ed Institutes and Americans for the Arts – State Arts Education Public Policy Program. Michigan leadership has included the Council of Michigan Foundations, Creative Many Michigan and Michigan Youth Arts Association. Locally, staff have helped lead the Kalamazoo Cultural Center and Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.

KRESA-EFA has received a statewide arts organization Guvvy Award from ArtServe Michigan and three EFA instructors have won Michigan Arts Teacher of the Year awards.

For more information, visit www.kresa.org/page/265

The mission of the Stulberg International String Competition is to promote excellence in string instrument performance by gifted artists under the age of twenty. The Stulberg’s vision is to deepen community engagement while offering a premier string competition.

The Stulberg International String Competition was founded in 1975 in memory of Julius Stulberg, longtime violin teacher and conductor of the Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo Junior Symphony orchestras. The Stulberg provides performance and educational opportunities for young string instrument (violin, viola, cello, double bass) musicians to develop essential skills and prepare for their professional performance careers.

The Stulberg uses a blind screening process every year to select twelve string instrument semifinalists from applicants from around the world. Each semifinalist travels to Kalamazoo in May to compete for three medal prizes before a jury of distinguished judges. All Stulberg competition events are open to the Kalamazoo public.

The 2024/25 Stulberg is the fiftieth anniversary of the competition, and the Stulberg is celebrating its first fifty years with special performances, print and media events, a new commission of a solo string work and a gala.

Over 2,500 young string musicians have participated in the first half-century of the Stulberg International String Competition. The list of past medalists is a veritable international Who’s-Who of string musical artists and teachers. Notable Stulberg alumni include Joshua Bell, Anthony Ross, Rachel Barton Pine, Wendy Warner, Nicholas Schwartz, Lucia Lin, Catherine Basrak.

To learn more, visit www.stulberg.org

All Ears Theatre debuted in January 2002 as a collaboration of local artists organized by the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo. We specialize in creating audio-style theatre performances using local sound effects artists, musicians, actors and recording artists, just like in the Golden Age of radio.

All Ears Theatre offers free, live performances and is one of the few theatre groups where people can participate even if they have little time for rehearsal, have a hard time memorizing lines or just don’t “look the part.”

We believe in making performance art accessible regardless of financial position. Performances are recorded and re-broadcast, primarily on SoundCloud. We have also begun adding ASL interpretation to live performances to share our stories with all present. Public Media Network has also been video recording live performances to be shared with those who cannot attend in person.

All Ears Theatre is led by Laura Henderson-Whiteford and our fiscal sponsor is Public Media Network.

For more information, visit: www.allearstheatre.org

It’s hard to believe that New Year’s Fest has been happening in Kalamazoo since 1985! Not a year has been missed, even during COVID. We have survived ice storms, Y2K and sub-zero temperatures living out our purpose to entertain through the celebration of the performing arts.

Uniquely, this performing arts festival has become a tradition where toddlers that grew upon New Year’s Fest are now bringing their kids to celebrate the experience that performing arts unveil. With short repeating performances throughout the night, New Year’s Fest’s formula of “a taste of the arts” allows families to negotiate an evening that supports something for everyone.

As the fireworks light up the sky and the ball drops at midnight, the community can feel the allure of Times Square right in the heart of Downtown Kalamazoo. People of all walks of life come together to start a new year.

Behind the scenes, New Year’s Fest tells a story of supporting our artists, enabling performances from both emerging and experienced artists. This is what makes the event “artist-unique” as well as empowering. New Year’s Fest is working to be relevant in an ever-changing performing arts landscape. To present a more inclusive festival, our Board of Directors has pledged to hire 20 percent BIPOC performers with a commitment to supporting emerging artist groups.

For more information, visit: www.newyearsfest.com

The mission of the Helen L. Fox Gospel Music Center is to provide music education to urban and under-resourced youth as a pathway to success and excellence in all areas of life. Our namesake, Helen Fox, taught music lessons in the community for many years, accepting only what students could afford to pay.

Jasmine “Dryw” Starkey-Williams is one of our many success stories, having joined our program as a 13-year-old 7th grader at Hillside Middle School. Due to the generosity of donors, HLFGMC was able to offer Jasmine a full scholarship to cover the cost of her lessons and instrument rental. Over time, she developed as a cellist and as a person. She gained confidence in her ability and performed at recitals and community events with the ensemble and as a soloist.

Now, Jasmine is a graduate of Kalamazoo Central High School. She is currently enrolled in Kalamazoo Valley Community College and plans to further her education. In an essay she wrote while in high school, this is some of what she said about the Music Center program.

“. . .I have been playing cello for six years. My family has been struggling financially for a longtime, so music lessons . . . were something we often simply could not afford. The Helen L. Fox Gospel Music Program changed my life in many ways. I have been studying under Jordan Hamilton for almost three years. He is a brilliant musician and an amazing instructor. His words of wisdom have at times kept me going. My ensemble teacher is Alexis Terrain. She is also an extraordinary musician and incredibly patient. I enjoy many genres of music but some of the classical composers that I am very fond of include Mozart, Beethoven, Bizet and Tchaikovsky.…”

For more information, visit: www.hlfgmc.org

Center Stage Theatre began in 1974 as Comstock Community Theatre. Since then, the mission has always been to create a safe environment where families and individuals of all lifestyles can enjoy the world of theater together. Center Stage Theatre is unique because we do not make cuts during the audition process. No matter what the level of experience or differing ability, everyone who auditions and commits to the rehearsal schedule is given a place on our stage. This inclusiveness does not diminish but adds to the quality of our productions. Extending the inclusiveness to our audiences, Center Stage Theatre produces both a sensory friendly and an ASL interpreted performance of each show.

Our season begins with a fall youth show for 6–18-year-olds. We celebrate the holidays with an all-age cabaret. An adult show for those 16 and older is staged in February. Our largest show is our summer family musical in July. The multi-generational cast for this show often tops 125 members.

After being given the opportunity to shine on our local stage, Center Stage Theatre
graduates have gone on to shine on and off Broadway, star in traveling shows, light up
the field of technical theatre, produce, direct, and manage other community theatres.
Center Stage Theatre is thankful for the volunteers, on and off the stage, who give their
time, effort, and passion to the production of each show. Without them, we would not
have been putting the “community” in community theatre for almost 50 years.

For more information, visit www.kzoocst.com.