In collaboration with community partners, Kalamazoo Valley Community College's Center for New Media is hosting an exhibition of works by local Black artists.

"We are confident that this event will continue to build on the success of the past Black Artists Exhibits," said Center for New Media Director Tom Hamann. "The community's great response to this event has proven that there is a large and enthusiastic regional audience for this type of programming and exhibition."

The exhibition is part of the college's celebration of Black History Month. Artwork will be exhibited in the Center for New Media and its Arcus Gallery throughout the months of February and March. The artwork can also be viewed on the Center for New Media's Facebook and Instagram accounts. A total of 13 artists have submitted 35 works of art for display in the show.

The Center for New Media is located on Kalamazoo Valley's Arcadia Commons Campus in downtown Kalamazoo.

The student-run Havirmill Cafe and 418 Restaurant in the Marilyn J. Schlack Culinary and Allied Health Building are now open.

HAVIRMILL CAFE
Monday through Thursday
Open through Thurs., Feb. 16
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Lunch service only. Reservations not needed.

418 RESTAURANT
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday by reservation only.
Through Thurs., Feb. 16
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for fine dining lunch service. Call 269.548.3200 for reservations.

Please follow the Havirmill Cafe Facebook page at and the 418 Restaurant Facebook page for up-to-date information.

2023 Fretboard Festival March 3 and 4

The 18th Annual Fretboard Festival will take place both in person and virtually March 3 - 4 at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum and Kalamazoo Valley Community College's Anna Whitten Hall. The Fretboard Festival is a celebration of Kalamazoo's stringed-instrument legacy and musical heritage. This free event invites visitors to meet instrument designers and learn about their trade, attend workshops for a variety of stringed instruments and hear live performances from area musicians.

The Fretboard Festival Kickoff Event on Friday, March 3, from 5:30 to 9 p.m., will feature a musical performance from Bahar Ensemble and The History of the Oud with Beau Bothwell. The festival continues on Saturday, March 4, from 9:30 a.m. until 7 p.m. with workshops, vendors and performances from Joel Mabus, Dave Johnson, Crossroads Blues Band and many more. For more details go to the Fretboard Festival website.


Photo: Adam Main, Celeste Allison, and Anders Dahlberg of the Celeste Allison Trio perform during the 2020 Fretboard Festival.

April is Community College Month

Together with the nearly 1,000 other community colleges across the country, Kalamazoo Valley will celebrate Community College Month in April. This month-long campaign is designed to improve awareness of the economic, academic and equity advantages of attending community colleges and to break the stigma associated with public two-year colleges.

"Community College Month is an opportunity to demonstrate not only that community colleges, like Kalamazoo Valley, should be the first choice of many college-bound students, but why community colleges are first-class institutions that are vital to our local and state economies," said Kalamazoo Valley Community College President L. Marshall Washington, Ph.D.

Community colleges are a uniquely American educational model that was designed to guarantee access to affordable, high-quality higher education for all. They serve as an on-ramp to bachelor's, master's and higher-level degrees for many students, and particularly for the most demographically and socioeconomically diverse students.

"Without community colleges, many people would not be able to access higher education at all," Washington said.

A number of events are being planned to help the community celebrate. Additional details coming soon!