U-M Museum of Art

The U-M Museum of Art (UMMA) is one of the oldest and largest university art museums in the country. Built as a war memorial in 1909 for the university’s Civil War fallen, the building originally housed U-M’s alumni office along with the University’s growing art collection. UMMA’s collections represent more than 150 years of collecting at the university, with more than 21,000 works of art that span cultures, eras, and media. The Museum hosts nearly 20 special exhibitions per year, and displays works from their permanent collection that features world renowned artists like James McNeill Whistler, Helen Frankenthaler, Pablo Picasso, Joshua Reynolds, Claude Monet, and Andy Warhol, among many others.

In addition to visual art, UMMA hosts a variety of performing arts events. The Helmut Stern Auditorium, located on the lower level of the Museum, is a state-of-the-art, acoustically superb space that seats 185, which hosts lectures, film screenings, readings, and performing arts events. The Auditorium is home to the Zell Visiting Writers Series readings and the Mark Webster Reading series—ongoing events that are free and open to the public.

UMMA hosts a variety of programs and events for all ages. Admission is free and open to the public.