Contemporary art at its best surprises you. It offers you something you haven’t seen before and often alters your perspective. Wired & Wrapped: Sculpture by Seungmo Park, opening Dec. 20 at Kalamazoo Institute of Arts (KIA), promises to do just that.

ignoring most venues and social graces for two straight days, my trusty photographer and I excitedly combined our favorite annual art contest with our favorite not-so-annual contest of drinking too much. We accomplished very little of our original intents, but saw anything worth seeing — according to us.

Artful Exploration of the Practical MindA cultural study of the Midwest reveals an interesting trajectory. InThe Middle West: Its Meaning in American Culture, geographer James R. Shortridge notes around the turn of the last century, the Midwest enjoyed a prosperous time and was revered in the national consciousness as the most “American” part of the nation. The self-reliance of the inhabitants secured the region’s identity as the ideal America. There was a strong commitment to progressivism, with an emphasis on education, women’s rights and temperance.

Artists often take inspiration from their environment. Georgia O’Keeffe moved to New Mexico for the light and landscape. Andy Warhol thrived on the constant buzz of New York’s social scene. Many a muse was found at the ballet for Edgar Degas.