Take advantage of global engagement opportunities in June

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Western Michigan University and the Kalamazoo community will offer a number of global engagement opportunities during the month of June. Highlights include opportunities to help teach international students about local culture and attend globally focused art exhibits.

Opportunities to get globally engaged are published weekly at wmich.edu/global/events by WMU's Haenicke Institute for Global Education.

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June 2017 Opportunities

Thursday, June 1

• Volunteering with international students—12:15 to 1:30 p.m. at the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency West Campus, 4606 Croyden Ave., Kalamazoo, hosted by International Student Activities. Join international students in reading stories from different cultures to local school children. Registration required by visiting 3516, 3521 or 3530 Ellsworth Hall or emailing intl-outreach@wmich.edu. Free and open to the public. 
• "Impressions: Modern Printmaking in Japan" exhibit—April 1 to July 23 at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, 314 S. Park St., Kalamazoo, hosted by the Kalamazoo Institute of the Arts. The exhibit features traditional Japanese woodblock prints that fascinated Western artists in the 19th century. Admission is $5; open to the public.
• "Pressed for Time: History of Printmaking" exhibit—March 13 to July 2 at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, 314 S. Park St., Kalamazoo, hosted by the Kalamazoo Institute of the Arts. The exhibit features a historical survey of the four major processes of printmaking in the Western world and includes works by artists such as Rembrandt van Rijn, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Pablo Picasso. Admission is $5; open to the public.
• "And Still We Rise: Race, Culture and Visual Conversations" exhibit—Jan. 21 to June 4 at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, 230 N. Rose St., Kalamaoo, hosted by the Kalamazoo Valley Museum. The exhibit features quilts from more than 50 contemporary artists that reflect on moments in history that have contributed to transformations of social justice in the United States and across the globe. Free and open to the public.
• "Journey Through the Pacific" exhibit—During the month of June at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, 272 Pearl St. NW, Grand Rapids, hosted by the citizens of Kent County. The exhibit features the islands and cultures of the Pacific Ocean. General museum admission for adults is $10, $5 for students with a valid ID; open to the public.

Friday, June 2

• International Night with the Kalamazoo Growlers—6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Homer Stryker Field, 251 Mills St., Kalamazoo, hosted by International Student Activities. Join international students at the fourth annual International Night with the Kalamazoo Growlers. Tickets are $5 and include bus transportation, entrance and all you can eat food and soft drinks; open to the public. 

Tuesday, June 6

• "1,000 Years of Karakami Art" ARTbreak documentary—noon in the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Auditorium, 314 S. Park St., Kalamazoo, hosted by the Fountains at Bronson Place. The documentary explores Karakami, a decorative Japanese paper art, and the work of a family in Kyoto that has preserved this traditional art form for nearly 400 years. Free and open to the public; coffee provided. 

Wednesday, June 7

• International Ladies' Sports Club—1:15 to 2:15 p.m. at the Student Recreation Center, hosted by International Student Activities. Bond with women from all over the world through sports and exercise. Free and open to all women in the community. 
• Cultivate Community Through Cooking series—5 to 7 p.m. at the Arcus Center for Social Justice, 205 Monroe St., Kalamazoo, hosted by the Thrive Refugee Support Center and Refugee Outreach Kalamazoo. Each class will be taught by an individual who has recently resettled in the Kalamazoo community as a refugee. Registration is $15; open to the public.

Sunday, June 11

• "Impressions: Modern Printmaking in Japan" Sunday tour—2 to 3 p.m. at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, 314 S. Park St., Kalamazoo, hosted by the Kalamazoo Institute of the Arts. The museum offers a docent-guided tour of the "Impressions: Modern Printmaking in Japan" exhibit. Included in museum admission; open to the public.

Thursday, June 15

• Garba dancing night—7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Rootead Dance Studio, 1501 Fulford Ave., Kalamazoo, hosted by the Kalamazoo Garba Club. Join the Kalamazoo Garba Club for a pop-up dance night to learn and practice the traditional folk dance from India. Entrance is $3; open to the public.

Monday, June 19 

• BINGO night with CELCIS students—6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at The Fountains at Bronson Place, 1700 Bronson Way, Kalamazoo, hosted by the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students. Join CELCIS in teaching international students how to play the popular U.S. game of luck, BINGO. Free and open to the public.

Tuesday, June 20

• "Lasansky: Inside the Image" ARTbreak talk—noon at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Auditorium, 314 S. Park St., Kalamazoo, hosted by The Fountains at Bronson Place. The talk discuses the work of Mauricio Lasansky, an Argentine artist and educator known for his advanced techniques in printmaking. Free and open to the public; coffee provided.

Wednesday, June 21

• International Ladies' Sports Club—1:15 to 2:15 p.m. at the Student Recreation Center, hosted by International Student Activities. Bond with women from all over the world through sports and exercise. Free and open to all women in the community. 

Saturday, June 24

• Kal-Haven biking with CELCIS students—9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Kal-Haven Trail State Park, 4143 10th St. N., Kalamazoo, hosted by the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students. Join CELCIS in showing international students local culture by riding the famous Kal-Haven bike trail. Free and open to the public; bike rental is $10.