December

What would a muslim want with a portrait of Christ?
U-M art historian Christiane Gruber examines the record-breaking sale and unlikely buyer of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi” (Savior of the World) in this timely op-ed.
Read more: Newsweek

An artist accidentally discovers E. coli outbreak in Michigan waters
While pursuing one of her art projects, U-M Stamps School of Art & Design graduate student Bridget Quinn thwarted a potential public health crisis when she discovered large E. coli bacteria counts along the Red Run Drain in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Quinn made this discovery while conducting research for her creative practice, which focuses on the exploration of “marginal” spaces.
Read more: Hyperallergic

Songwriting duo Pasek and Paul say Disney was their ‘gateway drug’ to musical theater’
Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, songwriters and alumni from the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance, are back in the spotlight with “The Greatest Showman.” The film features original music composed and written by the duo, who excel at putting life’s everyday moments into song.
Read more: MTV

University of Michigan alums earn Grammy nominations
The 2018 GRAMMY nominations were announced on November 28, and several U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumni were nominated, including Benj Pasek, Justin Paul and Gavin Creel.
Read more: MLive

creative:impact-‘Gifts of Art’ At Michigan Medicine
Michigan Medicine is a renowned medical center, lauded for its research, teaching and quality of care.  It is also at the fore of recognizing the healing powers of art. Gifts of Art director Elaine Sims spoke about the program and the impact it’s having on patients, doctors, nurses and hospital staff.
Read more: WEMU 89.1

An Artist Takes Issue with a Brand’s Appropriation of Black Detroit
With “Rethink Shinola,” artist and Stamps School of Art & Design professor Rebekah Modrak has created a biting, minutely researched critique of an appropriative re-branding of Detroit.
Read more: Hyperallergic

November

When envisioning the future of TV, think of a shopping mall
Amanda Lotz, professor of communications studies, discussed the future of TV and internet-distributed video services.
Read more: The Conversation

Civil rights leader John Lewis calls for nonviolent revolution in UM talk
Congressman John Lewis spoke about his experiences as an activist in the south during the Penny Stamps Speaker Series on Monday Nov. 27 at Hill Auditorium. “I was inspired to get in trouble – good trouble, necessary trouble,” he said.
Read more: MLive

New York Philharmonic drops in Ann Arbor restaurants for pop-up performances
When the New York Philharmonic visited Ann Arbor for a University Musical Society residency, some members played alongside students for two “off the grid” performances.
Read more: MLive

Deans List: Jonathan Massey Discusses his new Position at University of Michigan’s Taubman College
Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning dean Jonathan Massey spoke with Archinect about his new appointment and his plans for the school.
Read more: Archinect

Meet The Armed, Anti-Racist, Self-Proclaimed ‘Rednecks’ Taking On White Supremacy
Nadine Hubbs, professor of women’s studies and music, was quoted in an article on the Redneck Revolt— an anti-racist, pro-gun community defense network .
Read more: The Establishment

UMMA installs Christina Olsen as new director
“I have a huge love and commitment to historic art. It would be hard for me to work in a museum that wasn’t encyclopedic in some form,” said Christina Olsen, the new director of the U-M Museum of Art, who also wants to increase contemporary works in UMMA’s African and Asian art collections, calling the latter “one of the best in the country in terms of depth and breadth.”
Read more: The Detroit News

Star-Spangled Banner: how the anthem became central to the story of American sports
“Professional sports needed to define themselves as patriotic in order to be seen as as part of the war on the home front and center for morale rather than as an expendable entertainment which is how they were initially,” says U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance professor Mark Clague, on how the anthem became associated with American sports.
Read more: The Guardian

Michigan MacArthur ‘genius’ grant winner uses artifacts to explore immigration policies
Anthropologist and U-M professor Jason de León is using artifacts to tell stories about immigration policies in a tangible way. “People… are captivated by individual objects — a pair of baby shoes, a baby bottle, a dog-eared Bible, love letters — things that are quite personal, intimate, that speak to an individual’s story of hardship or survival or optimism,” he says.
Read more: WDet

Detroit Institute of Arts launches gallery for Japanese art
The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) has opened a permanent gallery for Japanese arts that features both traditional and contemporary works. U-M curator of Asian Art Natsu Oyobe collaborated with the DIA on the opening of this gallery.
Read more: The New York Times

October

Detroit’s mayor seeks to continue urban renewal, relying on unique strategy
June Manning Thomas, professor of urban and regional planning, was quoted in a story about the urban renewal efforts of Detroit Mayor Michael Duggan.
Read more: The Washington Post

‘Word nerd’ Anne Curzan makes English fun
U-M english and linguistics professor Anne Curzan doesn’t think language shifts are a sign of coming intellectual collapse. “I’m trying to help people enjoy language variation — the slang and change they hear around them,” she said, “because this is human creativity at work.”
Read more: The Detroit News

New art piece pays tribute to 33,000 staff members at University of Michigan
A new public art piece on U-M’s campus was dedicated to its 33,000 staff members, and those who came before. The statue was created in 2007 by artist Dennis Oppenheim. It is made of stainless steel and acrylic that reflect a variety of colors, according to the time of day and the position of the sun in the sky.
Read more: MLive

For its members, Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings is a labor of love
“There aren’t very many organizations like this where there is so much input from the players about what music they want to do. It’s pretty special,” said saxophonist Timothy McAllister, associate professor of music, on playing small venues with the Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings.
Read more: Detroit Free Press

A bold venture to restore Gershwins’ music
“Their ability to see past boundaries of black and white, of Jewish and Christian, these social things that are dividing us today — they either broke through naturally or didn’t even pay attention to,” said Mark Clague, associate professor of music, commenting on the music of George and Ira Gershwin.
Read more: Chicago Tribune

“River in Our City, the River in Our Veins” celebrates the Huron
The River in Our City, the River in Our Veins, a processional performance honoring the Huron River, took place on Oct. 27 in celebration of U-M’s bicentennial. Students from the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance and the Stamps School of Art & Design created large puppets and props with the Huron River as a source of inspiration.
Read more: Pulp

After Purging Her Possessions, an Artist Paints What Remained
After purging her possessions, artist and U-M alum Jaye Schlesinger reified her relationship with her remaining objects by making each one the subject of a small-scale oil painting. The paintings, numbering 380 in total, were on display at the U-M Institute for the Humanities.
Read more: Hyperallergic

Smithsonian honors Detroit as ‘visionary design mind’
Respected Hip-Hop Architectural theorist and U-M Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning professor Dr. Craig Wilkins will be honored as a ‘visionary design mind’ by the Smithsonian Institution.
Read more: The Detroit News

More human than human: Class politics, country music and hillbilly humanism
U-M professor Nadine Hubbs examines generic assumptions about country music, and how they betray an underlying discomfort with the working class in America.
Listen here: WNYC

Is it time to scale college towns: Reimagining public engagement through agile design
James DeVaney, Associate Vice Provost for Academic Innovation at U-M, writes about the possibilities for two-way public engagement within college towns.
Read more: Inside Higher Education

MacArthur Foundation Fellows: Winners List
Two University of Michigan researchers and one alumna have been named 2017 MacArthur Fellows. Anthropologist Jason De León and historian Derek Peterson will each receive a $625,000 stipend to be used however they see fit over a period of five years. Both are in the U-M College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.
Read more: The New York Times

Mad Virtuosity: The Week’s 8 Best Classical Music Moments on YouTube
“The Star-Spangled Banner” is a national symbol like the Constitution and flag, and has long been a channel for protest, says Mark Clague, associate professor of musicology: “It’s the role of these symbols to help us live in in the present to deal with the challenges of our time. It’s a misuse of the anthem to treat it as inviolate. It was always political. It is always changing. Patriotic symbols can’t function if they can’t respond to the current social moment.”
Read more: The Washington Post

Eero Saarinen’s Michigan
Architect Eero Saarinen’s groundbreaking works gave him international prominence, but his earliest architectural laboratory was in Michigan. He served as a design consultant for U-M’s North Campus and designed the Earl V. Moore Building, which opened in 1964 and houses the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance.
Read more: The New York Times