Museum Hosts Comic Book Day Events May 4 Celebrating the Arts

Free activities, cartooning workshops and costumed characters expected

Celebrate pop culture and the arts as Kalamazoo Valley Community College marks National Free Comic Book Day with a full day of activities in downtown Kalamazoo on Saturday, May 4!

Children and adults alike are invited to come draw, animate, sing and dance at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum and next door at Anna Whitten Hall, on the college's Arcadia Commons Campus in the heart of the city. The fun starts at 10 a.m. at the museum and 10:30 a.m. at Anna Whitten Hall, running until 3 p.m. at both sites. The event is free, and registration is not required.

It's part of the "Art and Animation Symposium" done in partnership with Kalamazoo Valley Community College, the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, Kalamazoo Valley's Center for New Media Applied Arts and Media Technologies program, Crescendo Academy of Music, and Olivia Grace & Company.

Enjoy activity stations in the hallways of the museum and Anna Whitten Hall, plus workshops, an animation showcase and an artist talk. Guests will get to interact with loads of costumed characters throughout the day, including Black Panther, Tinker Bell and Captain America! Guests are welcome to come dressed in their favorite Star Wars, science-fiction and princess outfits.

Attendees will be able to gain cartooning skills at two workshops offered in Anna Whitten Hall by professional illustrator Aubrey Jewel Rodgers from Kalamazoo Valley's Center for New Media. "How to Draw Yourself like a Superhero" will be at 10:45 a.m., and "How to Draw a Mermaid" at 11:15 a.m.

"This is a great program for families, their children, animation and science-fiction lovers, and those who love dressing up as princesses," said Stephanie Willoughby, the museum's program coordinator. "It provides an opportunity to explore these areas through artistic expression." It is also a chance for middle- and-high-school students to learn about classes and camps in Kalamazoo Valley's Applied Arts and Media Technologies program.

Free comic books will be available at Anna Whitten Hall, while supplies last.

Admission is free to the animation event and to the museum, which is located at 230 N. Rose St. in downtown Kalamazoo. Visit kalamazoomuseum.org for the complete schedule and more details. The museum and the Center for New Media are operated by Kalamazoo Valley Community College and governed by its Board of Trustees.

Below is a partial schedule. Activities are suitable for all ages unless specified otherwise:

10 a.m. - 3 p.m.: "THE ART OF THE GALAXY" STUDENT ACTIVITY TABLES
Location: Kalamazoo Valley Museum | Outside MJS Theater & Planetarium
Learn to draw yourself as a Jedi, create a paper "Star Wars" Wookiee, make a stop-motion LEGO-style and more.

10:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.: "THE ART OF THE FANTASTICAL" STUDENT ACTIVITY TABLES
Location: Anna Whitten Hall Lobby
Make a stop-motion video LEGO-style, and draw Captain America and Black Panther, Merida Kay, Ariel, a dragon, and more.

Noon: FACE PAINTING
Location: Anna Whitten Hall | Room 128

Noon - 1 p.m.: ARTIST TALK WITH MADELINE BRENNAN
Location: Kalamazoo Valley Museum | Mary Jane Stryker Theater
Come listen to artist and Kalamazoo Valley Community College alumna Madeline Brennan talk about her animation journey.

1:30 - 2 p.m.: ANIMATION SHOWCASE
Location: Kalamazoo Valley Museum | Mary Jane Stryker Theater
Come see animated work by students from Kalamazoo Valley Community College's Center for New Media Applied Arts and Media Technologies program.