Take advantage of global engagement opportunities in April

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Western Michigan University and the extended Kalamazoo community are offering numerous global engagement opportunities in April. Among the activities yet to take place are informative talks and art shows.

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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APril 2019

Wednesday, April 10

• CELCIS conversation circle—2 to 3 p.m. in the fourth-floor reception area of Ellsworth hall, WMU; hosted by the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students. Join students learning English in relaxed conversation about local and social topics. Free.

Thursday, April 11

• "Is the trade war between US and China over?" talk—4:30 p.m. in 2028 Brown Hall, WMU; hosted by Kalamazoo Valley Community College and several WMU units: the Haenicke Institute for Global Education, Timothy Light Center for Chinese Studies, Department of Economics, Department of Political Science and Confucius Institute at WMU. The talk will be given by Dr. Christina Liu, managing director of Bellwether International Group in Hong Kong and member of the Global Council of Asia Society (USA). Free

Monday, April 15

• "What We Carried: Fragments and Memories from Iraq and Syria" exhibition closing—9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, 230 N. Rose St., Kalamazoo; hosted by the Arab American National Museum and photographer Jim Lommasson. Lommasson created a project that showcases the significant personal items that Iraqi and Syrian refugees brought with them when they immigrated to the United States. Free.

• CELCIS conversation circle, women only—2 to 3 p.m. in the Bernhard Center Global Lounge, WMU: hosted by the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students. Join students learning English in relaxed conversation about local and social topics. Free.

Tuesday, April 16

• "Sky Ladder" ARTbreak video, part 1—noon in the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, 435 W. South St., Kalamazoo; hosted by the KIA. Trace the rise of contemporary artist Cai Guo-Quiang from childhood in Mao's China to global art world superstar, and join his quest to realize his lifelong obsession: Sky Ladder. Free.
• CELCIS conversation circle—2 to 3 p.m. in the Bernhard Center Global Lounge, WMU; hosted by the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students. Join students learning English in relaxed conversation about local and social topics. Free.

Wednesday, April 17

• CELCIS conversation circle—2 to 3 p.m. in the fourth-floor reception area of Ellsworth hall, WMU; hosted by the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students. Join students learning English in relaxed conversation about local and social topics. Free.

Friday, April 19

• Introduction to Tibetan Buddhist Meditation class—7 to 8:30 p.m. in Room 9, People's Church, 1758 N. 10th St., Kalamazoo; hosted by Jewel Heart. An eight-week course in the practical application of concentration, mindfulness, analysis and visualization techniques specifically geared toward enhancing our experience of compassion. Free.

• "Sensory Experience and Chinese Painting circa 1800" talk—5 p.m. in the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, 435 W. South St., Kalamazoo; hosted by the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, the Kalamazoo Art League and WMU's Haenicke Institute for Global Education, Timothy Light Center for Chinese Studies, University Center for the Humanities, Confucius Institute at WMU and Richmond Center for Visual Arts. The talk will be given by Dr. Michael Hatch, assistant professor of East Asian art at Miami University. Free.

Sunday, April 28

• From undercover to outfront, the story of Kalamazoo's LGBTQ community—1:30 p.m. in the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, 230 N. Rose St.; hosted by OutFront Kalamazoo. For more than 30 years, the Kalamazoo Gay Lesbian Resource Center—a nonprofit, charitable organization now called OutFront Kalamazoo—has sought to serve the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and allied community of southwest Michigan. Director Denise Miller will discuss the organization's past and future. Free; registration required.

Tuesday, April 30

• "Sky Ladder" ARTbreak video, part 2—noon at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, 435 W. South St., Kalamazoo; hosted by the KIA. Trace the rise of contemporary artist Cai Guo-Quiang from childhood in Mao's China to global art world superstar, and join his quest to realize his lifelong obsession: Sky Ladder. Free.

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit WMU News online.