In partnership with Wolverine Wellness, as well as other campus partnes, Take Care programming consists of exhibitions, lectures, performances, workshops, and more. Find more Take Care events on the Happening@Michigan calendar.

Open Calls

Photo Competition: Connection

The Arts Initiative is seeking student photos inspired by the theme “Connection.” Finalist photos will be displayed in various locations across campus as well as online. The U-M community is encouraged to vote for their favorites. Winners will receive cash prizes up to $200. 

Call opens August 22 and closes on September 19, 2024. Selected photos will be displayed in the Michigan Union, Michigan League, and Pierpont Commons from September 23-October 18. Submit photos here.

Take Care: Call for Student Artwork!

The Arts Initiative is seeking student artwork for a juried art exhibition on the theme Take Care. Students from all U-M campuses of all majors are encouraged to apply! Accepted mediums include visual art of all forms, 2D and 3D art, video, performance, and literary arts. Artwork should engage with the Take Care AY 2024-25 focus.

Call opens August 26 and closes on November 18, 2024. Submit work here.

Events

September 2024

Community Sing: Take Care

Friday, September 13 | 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Ingalls Mall
RSVP here
Community Sing: Take Care is a participatory community experience. Join in to share in music’s power to heal, bring people together, and cope in challenging times. Songs chosen for this year’s second annual Community Sing will be inspired by this concept.

Workshop with Nick Azzaro:
Dialoguing with Yesterday, or Un-doctrinating

Monday, September 16 | 5–7 p.m.
Shapiro Library, Clark Commons Gallery, third floor
RSVP here
In partnership with Shapiro Library, local artist and educator Nick Azzaro will lead participants to create layered statement pieces using the pages of out-of-use school library books.

Kelly Church & Cherish Parrish: In Our Words, An Intergenerational Dialogue

Opening Reception: Thursday, September 19
Exhibition Dates: September 13–December 7, 2024
Stamps Gallery, 201 South Division Street
More info
Kelly Church & Cherish Parrish: In Our Words, An Intergenerational Dialogue is a major exhibition that centers the subjectivities of two contemporary Indigenous artists whose practices have sustained and bolstered the relevance of the age-old Anishinaabe practice of black ash basket-making in the 21st century. The exhibition highlights the significance of community-based conversations between mother and daughter, and their ongoing conversations with elders (ancestors), young folx, and future generations as vital aspects of their methodology. Funded in part by the U-M Arts Initiative.

Workshops with Sajeev Viswewaran:
Botanical Illustrations with Watercolor Monotypes

September 20 & 27 | 10 a.m.–noon
Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Room 139 and Conservatory
RSVP here
Visual artist Sajeev Viswewaran will teach participants to develop their own botanical illustration on watercolor monotype while exploring the collections at U-M’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens. Attendees are expected to attend both sessions.

UMS Presents: Fight Night Ontroerend Goed

September 25-29
Power Center
Learn more
On the brink of a presidential election that people on both sides have called the most consequential in history, Belgium’s extraordinary Ontroerend Goed offers a fun and thought-provoking, examination of free will and politics that puts electronic voting devices — and the candidates’ fates — directly into the hands of audience members. Funded in part by the U-M Arts Initiative.

Feel Good Friday at UMMA

Friday, September 27 | 7–10 p.m.
UMMA
More info here
It's finally Friday and you deserve to FEEL GOOD. UMMA will be open late with something to discover around every corner—join your neighbors at Feel Good Friday and experience the restorative power of a fun Friday night surrounded by art, music, and culture.

Workshop with Leah Crosby:
Soundwalks: deep listening

Sunday, September 29 | noon–3 p.m.
Nichols Arboretum entrance, 1610 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor
RSVP here
During this workshop, Leah will lead participants in a soundwalk through U-M’s Nichols Arboretum. A soundwalk is a walk where the focus is to listen to the environment. This practice emerged from the members of the World Soundscape Project under R. Murray Schafer and the World Forum of Acoustic Ecology, founded by Hildegard Westerkamp, and has informed the work of Pauline Oliveros, Janet Cardiff, and other sound artists.

October 2024

Workshop with Caroline New:
Nature Poetry Walk

Sunday, October 6 | 3–5 p.m.
Nichols Arboretum
RSVP here
On this nature poetry walk, writer, visual artist, and Anthropology graduate student Caroline Harper New will lead participants on a walk through U-M’s Nichols Arboretum to connect with nature through poetry. This writing workshop will involve meditative writing exercises inspired by nature poetry of the past, botanical knowledge of the present, and mindfulness practices. We'll meet at Peony Gardens entrance, 1601 Washington Heights Ave. Wear walking shoes. Optional: bug spray, sunscreen

Workshop with Leah Crosby:
Freaky Fibers & Crochet Spider Webs

Tuesday, October 8 | 5–7 p.m.
Stamps Gallery, 201 S Division St
RSVP here
In this 2-hour workshop, participants will be introduced to the fundamentals of crocheting by learning to make glow-in-the-dark, larger-than-life crocheted spider webs. During this workshop, participants will also be introduced to the work of several queer fiber artists participating in the series Gender Euphoria. Finished webs will be featured in the Gender Euphoria pop-up dialogue space at the Stamps Gallery.

TAKE CARE x RUNWAY RUMBLE | Little Mx. Live Laugh Love: A Compassionate Competition feat. Latrice Royale

Sunday, October 13 | 4–7 p.m.
Necto NightClub
Free with MCard; $15 general public
Join Runway Rumble, a U-M Student Organization that uplifts and highlights queer spaces in Ann Arbor and neighboring communities, for the semi-finals of the Runway Rumble 7-part series spanning the Fall 2024 semester and presented in partnership with the U-M Arts Initiative. This event will be in the style of a drag pageant with competitors presenting to a panel of fabulous judges. Categories will include creative wear, talent, and an interview in the spirit of the Arts Initiative’s Take Care AY 2024-25 focus.

Workshop with Avery Lawrence:
Intro to Screen Printing

Thursday, October 17 | 4–7 p.m.
NOW Studios, 715 N University Ave, basement
RSVP here
Stamps Lecturer and visual artist Avery Lawrence will lead participants in an easy introduction to screen printing where participants will have the opportunity to learn about text pieces in art and political activism and use vinyl stickers and an open screen to print text on poster paper and t-shirts.

U-Mix Late Night: Take Care 

Friday, October 18 | 7–11 p.m.
Pierpont Commons
UMix Late Night is the University of Michigan's premier late night tradition filled with fun activities and events for all U-M students! UMix is always free, and offers a variety of activities such as arts and crafts, inflatables, games, giveaways, and delicious food. The Arts Initiative will be partnering on this week’s installment to provide art activities related to the Take Care AY 2024-25 focus. No registration required.

Workshop with sara faraj:
Foundations of Photographing (Ethically)

Sunday, October 20 | 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Duderstadt Center, Room #1180
RSVP here
Workshop attendees will learn about the essential elements to consider when making photographs and developing narratives. Participants are welcome to bring personal cameras and cell phone cameras to explore the aspects of photography in action during the second part of the workshop.

Workshop with Leah Crosby:
Visible Mending

Friday, October 25 | 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Shapiro Library, Clark Commons Gallery, third floor 
RSVP here
This hands-on workshop will guide you through basic techniques of visible mending, an eco-conscious fashion movement that turns rips, tears, and wear into stylish and unique design elements. We will provide a limited supply of scrap fabrics for this workshop, but to minimize waste and to create something upcycled you will actually want to wear, please BYO-Clothes. Thread, needles, and embroidery hoops will all be provided.

Workshop with sara faraj:
Reading Photographs: A Process of Understanding

Sunday, October 27 | 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
Pierpont Commons Atrium
RSVP here
In collaboration with the Duderstadt Center, sara faraj will lead this workshop where participants will explore the process of understanding photographs while creating a cyanotype print. Through individual and collective reflection, participants will discuss their prints to identify collective themes through conversation and collaboration. Prints will be shared with the group for discussion and taken home with participants. Participants will need to submit a picture for their print prior to the workshop using the RSVP link here. 

November 2024

Workshop with Kara Roseborough:
Creative Writing and Choreography

Saturday, November 2 | 1:30–3 p.m.
Michigan League, Vandenberg Room
RSVP here
In this workshop, Kara Rosebourough will lead participants in exercises that integrate both creative writing and dance choreography. Participants will explore the interplay between movement and text. 

Exhibition: Ericka Lopez - touch

Opening Reception: Thursday, November 7 | 6:30–8 p.m.
Institute for the Humanities Gallery, 202 S. Thayer
More info
Ericka Lopez is a visual artist originally born in Mexico and now living in Los Angeles. Lopez lost her sight at an early age and is mostly non-verbal. This exhibition of exuberant assemblage works and gestural coiled pots are created by the artist through touch and texture, colored by memory. Viewers to this exhibition are also invited to touch the work.

Workshop with Kara Roseborough:
Bomba

Sunday, November 10 | 5–6 p.m.
Michigan League, Vandenberg Room
RSVP here
In this workshop, Kara Rosebourough will lead participants in an immersion into the energetic world of Bomba, an Afro-Puerto Rican dance form that emphasizes improvisation and individual expression. This 60-minute workshop, featuring live accompaniment, will guide you through the fundamentals of Bomba, focusing on rhythm, body movement, and personal storytelling.

Workshop with Dallas Mcghee-Henry: Pouring Yourself: An Exploration of Amplifying Collaborative Creativity

Monday, November 11 | 4–7 p.m.
Duderstadt Center Gallery
RSVP here
Come take a break with writer, photographer, painter, and filmmaker Dallas Mcghee-Henry to learn the art of pour painting, where participants will paint their feelings and leave stress at the door. During the workshop, participants will be exposed to the world of acrylic pour paintings, an abstract art form with an unexpected outcome.

Workshop with sara faraj:
Visioning: Laying the Foundation for the Future

Wednesday, November 13 | 6–8 p.m.
Matthaei Botanical Gardens, room 125
RSVP here
sara faraj will lead this workshop and guide participants in the process of setting intentions for the future through writing, painting, and planting. Participants will be given paper and writing utensils for the writing activity. Plants, pots, paint for pots, and soil will be provided for the planting activity.

Feel Good Friday at UMMA

Friday, November 15 | 7–10 p.m.
UMMA
More info here
It's finally Friday and you deserve to FEEL GOOD. UMMA will be open late with something to discover around every corner—join your neighbors at Feel Good Friday and experience the restorative power of a fun Friday night surrounded by art, music, and culture.

Workshop with Kara Roseborough:
Open Level Ballet

Saturday, November 16, 2024 | 1:30–3 p.m.
Michigan League, Vandenberg Room
RSVP here
Combining traditional Euro-classical music with piano pop remixes, this workshop prioritizes healthy dance practices, body awareness, and artistry. Participants will be guided by Kara Rose through a series of exercises to develop technique, strength, and expressive movement. Whether you're an experienced dancer or a beginner, this workshop offers a unique opportunity to deepen your ballet practice in a supportive setting.

Workshop with Caroline Harper New:
Fireside Poetry Workshop

Wednesday, November 20 | 6–7:30 p.m.
Michigan Union, Welker Room
RSVP here
Come together around the fireplace to share a poem you’ve written and gain feedback from other writers. Poet and U-M Anthropology graduate student Caroline Harper New will lead small groups in which each person will read their poem and have a conversation with other writers about their work. This will be a safe space to share, ask questions, and uplift fellow writers in our poetry community. New writers welcome!

December 2024

U-Mix Late Night: Take Care 

Friday, December 6 | 7–11 p.m.
Michigan Union
UMix Late Night is the University of Michigan's premier late night tradition filled with fun activities and events for all U-M students! UMix is always free, and offers a variety of activities such as arts and crafts, inflatables, games, giveaways, and delicious food. The Arts Initiative will be partnering on this week’s installment to provide art activities related to the Take Care AY 2024-25 focus. No registration required.