Explore the transformative power of the arts! Creative Currents, a podcast from the University of Michigan's Arts Initiative, tackles big and small questions at the intersection of art, culture, and society.
Rick Lowe: Art as a Catalyst of Creativity, Community and Change
Mark Clague welcomes a distinguished panel of guests at the intersection of art, social research, and community engagement: artist Rick Lowe, curator Abigail Winograd, professor Christian Davenport, and social scientist Kate Cagney.
Colorism—Art by professor Rogerio Pinto
Professor Rogério Meireles Pinto, artist, scholar, and social worker, discusses his powerful multimedia exhibit, Colorism.
Exploring Creative Careers: Meet the 2024–25 Residents | Pt.2
Creative Careers Residents Leah Crosby, Kara Roseborough, and sara faraj continue the discussion of their work, creative processes, and upcoming projects.
Exploring Creative Careers: Meet the 2024–25 Residents | Pt.1
Creative Careers Residents Leah Crosby, Kara Roseborough, and sara faraj discuss their work, creative processes, and upcoming projects.
Impossible Conversations with Pratāp Rughani | Pt.1
Award-winning documentary filmmaker, Pratāp Rughani, discusses his latest film installation and exhibition: Impossible Conversations.
Making It: $napshots from the Artist Pay Project with Makeda Easter
Makeda Easter discusses her project “Making It: $napshots from the Artist Pay Project,” an anonymous journalistic series that explores how artists navigate financial realities.
Discussing Disfluency with Anna Baumgarten & Danny Mooney
Dive into the inspiring journey of two talented University of Michigan graduates—Anna Baumgarten '15, writer and director, and Danny Mooney '08, producer.
Perpetual Sunshine & the Ghost Girls
ARIA grant recipients Lynne Shankel & Sara Cooper discuss Perpetual Sunshine & The Ghost Girls, a new musical theater work that tackles the exploitation of women workers in the early 20th century.
Hey, We Need to Talk
Philippa Hughes’ "Hey, We Need to Talk!" exhibition embodies the four pillars of flourishing outlined in U-M Professor Jenna Bednar's research—community, sustainability, dignity, and beauty.
Campus Voting Project
Mark Clague walks through the 2024 Election Hub onsite at UMMA with Professors Stephanie Rowden and Hannah Smotrich to discuss the nonpartisan Creative Campus Voting Project.
Political Satire Meets Musical History
Andrew Kohler and Jacob Kerzner from the Gershwin Initiative discuss the Gershwin brothers' musical masterpiece, Of Thee I Sing.
The Arts on Screen: How film shapes student life at U-M with Lauren Horne
As the co-president of the Black Film Society and a multifaceted artist, Lauren Horne shares her journey from small-town Georgia to becoming a leader in Michigan's campus arts community.
Leading UMS & innovating campus arts with Matthew VanBesien
Matthew VanBesien, president of the acclaimed University Musical Society (UMS), offers his unique perspective from leading one of the nation's oldest university-based performing arts presenters.
Illuminating the role of university art museums with Christina Olsen
Mark Clague sits down with Christina Olsen, Director of the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA).
Arts Impact at University of Michigan with President Santa J. Ono
The role of the arts at the University of Michigan and in student learning and research, with President Santa J. Ono.
Exploring the intersection of the arts and mental health with Sasha Gusikhin
Sasha Gusikhin, an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan discusses her fascinating and surprisingly common double major…
Pan African Creative Exchange with Nike Jonah & Erwin Maas
In our very first episode host Mark Clague speaks with Nike Jonah and Erwin Maas about their work through the Pan-African Creative Exchange.