Museums, galleries, and performance venues remained closed at the University of Michigan this week due to COVID-19 restrictions, however, there are plenty of online events, exhibitions, performances, and films that you can experience from home in the meantime. Here are recommended ways to virtually engage with U-M’s cultural community this week.

Town Hall: Constructive Conversations for Societal Change

Combating racism through daily activities, relationships and challenging conversations will be the focus of a virtual town hall meeting hosted by Robert Sellers, the University of Michigan’s chief diversity officer. The town hall, set for noon June 5, is designed as a show of solidarity and an effort to provide a platform for the U-M community to discuss race, protest and law enforcement through the lens of education and scholarship. In addition to Robert Sellers, the panel will include:

• President Mark Schlissel
• Eddie L Washington, executive director of the Division of Public Safety and Security
• Riana Anderson, assistant professor of health behavior and health education, School of Public Health
• Eugene Rogers, co-creator of “Seven Last Words of the Unarmed,” director of Choral Activities and conductor of the U-M Chamber Choir, School of Music, Theatre and Dance
• Darlena York, undergraduate student in political science and Afro-American and African studies, parliamentarian for the National Pan-Hellenic Council, president of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc., Iota Psi Chapter, and secretary of the U-M NAACP chapter

When: Friday, June 5, 12 p.m.

Where: U-M’s official YouTube channel

UMMA Student exhibition: Faces of the Civil Rights Movement

For a final project in his “Modern Jewish Photography” course (HIST 379), U-M student Tuhin Chakraborty curated images of Danny Lyon’s work during the Civil Rights Movement era into an online exhibition. You can explore his work, and more of Lyon’s photographs, on the U-M Museum of Art’s Exchange website.

When: Anytime

Where: myumi.ch/VPj4n

PCAP’s 25th Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners

The Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners held by the Prison Creative Arts Project is one of the largest exhibitions of art by incarcerated artists in the country. Each year, faculty, staff, and students from the University of Michigan travel to correctional facilities across Michigan and select work for the exhibition while providing feedback and critique that strengthens artist’s work and builds community around art-making inside prisons. They now have an online preview, which includes an audio tour, catalog of many of the pieces selected for the exhibition, and a digital guest book, which will be distributed to every artist in the exhibition. 

When: Anytime 

Where: myumi.ch/dO0Nj

SMTD EXCEL’S VIRTUAL VISIONARIES SERIES: RYAN MUNCY & TANYA KALMANOVITCH

Virtual Visionaries, held by the School of Music, Theatre & Dance’s Excel program, is a 10-week series through early August, which brings together professionals across the performing arts for weekly virtual discussions on Zoom. They have selected a diverse group of leaders at various stages of their careers to engage in open conversations related to an art career. This week’s conversational session features two dynamic figures from the NYC music scene. Ryan Muncy is a long-time member of the International Contemporary Ensemble, where he also serves as Grants Director and Co-Director of their OpenICE initiative. Tanya Kalmanovitch is a Canadian violist, ethnomusicologist, and author, notably named to the 2018 Grist 50 Fixers, a group of diverse innovators with bold solutions to humanity’s biggest challenges. This series is made possible by the transformative support of the Meta Weiser EXCEL Fund.

When: Each week until August 6th, this week Wednesday, June 3rd from 2:00-3:00 PM EDT

Where: myumi.ch/pdz2v

Up next: Akropolis Reed Quintet and Julie Nakagawa

The Ark Family Room Series presents Willy Porter 

In-person events at The Ark are currently canceled, but you can stay connected with them by tuning into the Ark Family Room Series, which presents artists via live-streaming. This week, spend an evening with Willy Porter to experience a rare communion between artist and audience. Porter’s acoustic guitar skills have drawn comparisons with those of Leo Kottke, who drew the young Willy Porter into music the first time he heard the 6 & 12 String Guitar album. You may know Willy as the MC of the 2020 Ann Arbor Folk Festival. In addition to benefiting both Willy and The Ark, a portion of donations for the show will be given to support the work of Food Gatherers.

When: Wednesday, June 3, 8-9:30 p.m.

Where: The Ark’s Facebook page