Many of the museums, galleries, and performance venues at the University of Michigan remain closed due to COVID-19 restrictions; however, there are still plenty of online events, exhibitions, performances, and films that you can experience from home. Even with the school year behind us, enjoy the following selection of events and exhibitions in a safe and socially distant manner:

“A CELEBRATION OF BLACK MUSIC I” CONCERT

I am America too. With these powerful words, Afro-American poet Langston Hughes expressed the “right of coloured people to be an equal part of American culture and society.” This concert program Langston Hughes: Singing Harlem in Europe, features musical settings of his texts by composers like Wilhelm Grosz, Florence Price and Leonard Bernstein, showing that humanity and truthfulness know no bounds – neither then, nor now. The performance, which is part of the Hamburg International Music Festival, features U-M SMTD voice professor Louise Toppin. All Hamburg International Music Festival 2021 concerts are available to stream free of charge.

When: Available to stream starting Wednesday, June 2

CENTER FOR JAPANESE STUDIES: JAPANESE STUDIES AND ANTIRACIST PEDAGOGY

Teaching about race and ethnicity through premodern Japanese literature poses a formidable challenge. This presentation is therefore a call to getting started, to think creatively about how we can incorporate existing scholarship on social marginality, precarity, and otherness to help students make broader connections. The virtual talk will feature Vyjayanthi Selinger, associate professor of Asian Studies at Bowdoin College. Her research examines literary representations of conflict in medieval Japan, war memory, legal and ritual constraints of war, Buddhist mythmaking, and women in war.

When: Thursday, June 3, 12 p.m. EDT 

STAMPS SCHOOL OF ART & DESIGN: GALLERY TALK MUSLIM FEMINIST FUTURES

This ​virtual gallery talk will explore the work of Mus­lim women at the fore of feminism’s future. Arts & Cul­ture Orga­nizer Piper Carter, U.S. Attor­ney for the East­ern Dis­trict of Michi­gan Saima Mohsin, and Con­gress­woman Rashida Tlaib will sit down for a con­ver­sa­tion, mod­er­ated by Halal Metrop­o­lis cura­tor Sally How­ell, on emerg­ing lead­er­ship in the Mus­lim com­mu­nity of South­east Michigan. The event is part of programming related to the recently opened  Halal Metrop­o­lis exhi­bi­tion at the Stamps Gallery. Created by artist Osman Khan, pho­tog­ra­pher Razi Jafri, and his­to­rian Sally How­ell, it explores the facts, fic­tions, and imag­i­nar­ies of the Mus­lim population(s) in Detroit and South­east Michi­gan as viewed through his­tor­i­cal research, doc­u­men­ta­tion of cur­rent con­di­tions, and explo­rations of future desires. It is currently only open to valid MCard holders. 

When: Thursday, June 3, 7 p.m. EDT

KELSEY MUSEUM FLASH TALK: WHAT IS KAWARA AND WHY WAS IT IMPORTANT IN HUMAN SUBSISTENCE IN ANCIENT EGYPT?

In science and archaeology, we often make some assumptions to help us begin to interpret the scattered evidence of the past. But re-examining these assumptions can often reveal something new. In this talk, Richard Redding discusses how, in re-examining his own assumptions, he uncovered new insights into the diet of laborers at Giza in ancient Egypt. Kelsey Museum Flash Talks are 15-minute Zoom lectures by Kelsey curators, staff members, researchers and graduate students talking about their recent research or current projects. Each presentation is followed by 15 minutes of Q&A. 

When: Friday, June 4, 12 p.m. EDT

“A CELEBRATION OF BLACK MUSIC II” CONCERT

»I know why the caged bird sings« – it sings of freedom in order not to lose hope. It sings in order to feel the life beyond the bars of its cage. To encourage itself and others. And this is how American composers and authors with African roots sing and write to this day: their subject matter is discrimination and injustice, pride and dignity – but love and separation as well, mourning and joy, belief and hope. In the second part of the Celebration of Black Music, several generations of these artists have their say: from Florence Price and William Grant Still to Tyshawn Sorey and B. E. Boykin. The performance, which is part of the Hamburg International Music Festival, features U-M SMTD voice professor Louise Toppin.

When: Available to stream starting Thursday, June 4

CRUCIAL CONVERSATIONS FOR SOCIETAL CHANGE: REFLECTION, RESEARCH & RESOLVE

U-M leadership, faculty, graduate and undergraduate students will gather on June 4 to explore and reflect on the progress that has been made and the many problems that still plague the world today related to racism, violence, and inequality, since the original Conversation for Societal Change dialogue nearly one year ago. Join this constructive and crucial conversation about race, law enforcement, protest and reform moderated by Katrina Wade-Golden, deputy chief diversity officer. 

When: Friday, June 4, 1 p.m. EDT 

 

If you would like your event to be included in next week’s “Attend at Home” series, email arts-culture@umich.edu.