Art Hop WSG Bee Joyful, The Incantations, Stephanie Clark, Valarie Birch & Sara Rio

Kalamazoo State Theatre  

Event: 5:00 PM

Join us for Art Hop at the Kalamazoo State Theatre Friday, April 1 as we celebrate Mother Earth!  We are proudly partnering with Bee Joyful and we’ll be featuring 4 artists as we highlight sustainability and the beauty of our amazing planet.

Stop in our lobby starting at 5pm where artists Stephanie Clark, Valarie Birch and Sara Rio will be showcasing their amazing art, and musical duo the Incantations will entertain you with their unique blend of blues, rock and folk music.  Our bar will be open and you can also sign up to take our Historic Backstage and Beyond Tour!

About The Incantations: The Kalamazoo-based band, the Incantations, weave a delicate tapestry of dark and light, twisting together the elements of blues, rock, and folk music that define Americana. The duo of Lisa Mackie and Ryan Gladding conjures up evocative lyrics that etch an indelible mark in your memory and melodies that resonate long after the last note has been played. The music that they summon is a powerful reflection from the roads they have traveled.

About Stephanie Clark: Stephanie Clark is a self-taught artist that was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan but has lived near Kalamazoo for the past few years. Her art is heavily influenced by her life-long intrigue of the natural world, and formal education as an ecologist. Stephanie graduated with a B.S. in Biology from Aquinas College in 2018 and is currently pursuing a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Michigan State University.

Growing up, Stephanie was inspired by artists such as M.C. Escher, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Salvador Dali. Though she continues to study and gain inspiration from these artists, she currently enjoys the artistry of field guides and children’s nature books.

Stephanie’s artwork visualizes interactions between species in a unique and colorful fashion. With so many insect, plant, and animal species succumbing to the effects of climate change, Stephanie hopes that viewers can experience how fascinating these creatures are through her work. In a constantly changing world, Stephanie would like to bring nature to her viewers no matter where they may be.

About Valarie Birch: Other Curiosities is owned by Kalamazoo local Valarie Birch. Dabbling in the more obscure things in life Val creates one of a kind skull, bone and nature works as well as many other curiosities such as pins, stickers, keychains and more!

“Valarie Birch’s art is something of a smorgasbord – with some unusual source material. The full-time artist and owner of Other Curiosities paints, photographs, and creates everything from stickers, jewelry, and sun-catchers, to tiny vials holding treasures from nature. But the most eye-catching pieces often begin as roadkill.” – Zinta Aistars, WMUK Art Beat

About Sara Rio: Born in Michigan, Sara Rio is a ceramic artist located in Kalamazoo. She graduated from WMU with a bachelors degree in fine arts. Her work can be categorized as functional pottery with an emphasis on traditional kitchen tools from a modern perspective. Bright colors work together with natural earthy tones in collaboration with stamp work and hand carving to decorate the surfaces of her pottery.

About Bee Joyful: Bee Joyful Shop is Michigan’s first Zero Waste Shop and Refillery, featuring locally-made and sustainably sourced zero waste products for your home, kitchen, bath, and beauty routine.  Located in the heart of Downtown Kalamazoo and Downtown Dexter, Bee Joyful Shop specializes in doing the heavy lifting for you when it comes to sustainable swaps and is 100% devoted to the craft of providing single-use alternatives that are good for you and our planet.

Bee Joyful Shop is committed to “bee” -ing joyful in our circumstances while creating an inclusive space for individuals to feel accepted and welcomed as they explore, learn, and develop sustainable habits.

About our Backstage and Beyond Tours: Take a walk through our Vaudeville Theatre’s history in our extended tour and go backstage in your home with the stars. You will learn about our atmospheric sky, architecture, organ and pipes, lightboard, marquee, renovation history, and more. You will see the dressing rooms, the green room, statues, staircases, the fountain, and the theatre house from different viewpoints. You will go on stage and view the theatre as a performing artist would, you will see the marquee room and learn how those State on the Street artists got up there to perform!

Historic Backstage and Beyond Tour Information:

• $35/person
• Includes 1 drink ticket, a commemorative poster and a KST pint koozie.
• Historic venue tours are available for purchase on the hour at 5PM, 6PM, 7PM and 8PM. Tours last approximately 45 minutes.

• Booking ahead of time highly encouraged
• Tours can be booked by calling the box office or emailing us to reserve a slot and pay at our lobby “check in” table

SCHEDULE YOUR HISTORIC TOUR – (269) 345-6500 or info@kazoostate.com

RSVP On Facebook – www.facebook.com/pg/kazoostate/events/

Artist Information – https://www.facebook.com/TheIncantations/ | https://www.facebook.com/stephclarksart/ | https://www.facebook.com/vbbruzer | https://www.instagram.com/sarario_ceramics/

Bee Joyful – https://beejoyfulshop.com/