Momentum builds for inaugural Michigan Arts Festival
With just four weeks, excitement for the Michigan Arts Festival is mounting across the University of Michigan campus and beyond.
Running Sept. 25, 2025 through Oct. 26, 2025, the month-long celebration promises to mobilize the community to “Follow Your Art,” experiencing the university campus as a vibrant stage for creativity, personal exploration, and social connection.
Since the festival was first announced in May, more than 100 events have been added to the calendar, with new collaborations, major performances, and immersive experiences showcasing the depth and diversity of the arts at U-M.
The University Musical Society performs Verdi’s “Requiem.”
What’s new:
Festival Kickoff at Michigan Theater: Grammy Award-winner and U-M Artist-in-Residence Rhiannon Giddens launches the festival at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 25, 2025 with a Penny Stamps Speaker Series talk titled “Music of the American Underclass – What Really Made America Great.”
The opening weekend continues with the University Musical Society on Sept. 26, 2025 at Hill Auditorium with Verdi’s powerful “Requiem.” UMS follows with “Nigamon/Tunai,” a sumptuous, nature-inspired immersive theater experience, on Oct. 2-8, 2025 at the Power Center.
Stamps Gallery will debut two powerful exhibitions this fall: “Untold Stories, Part II,” a faculty art showcase, with an opening reception Sept. 18, 2025, followed by an exhibition opening performance: “The Bureau of Personal Belonging” from Witt Artist-in-Residence Stacy Kirby on Sept. 27, 2025.
SMTD’s Theater & Drama opens with the play “Gloria” on Sept. 25 with performances through Oct. 5, 2025 at U-M’s Arthur Miller Theatre. Their production of “Cabaret,” directed by Broadway’s André Garner, opens Oct. 2, 2025 at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre.
The LSA Zell Visiting Writers Series hosts acclaimed poet and essayist Roger Reeves at UMMA’s Stern Auditorium for a Reading and Q&A at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 16, 2025. Celebrated for his lyrical brilliance and critical depth, Reeves is the author of “Dark Days: Fugitive Essays and Best Barbarian,” a finalist for the National Book Award and winner of the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award.
UMMA hosts its fifth annual queer night Oct. 24, 2025, part of its Feel Good Fridays event series. Open late and full of surprises, this lively evening invites audiences to explore art, music, and culture in a welcoming, high-energy atmosphere.
Leading up to the festival, the U-M Creative Currents Podcast is premiering a special series spotlighting the people and projects behind the upcoming Michigan Arts Festival. Tune in for interviews with Stamps Gallery’s Srimoyee Mitra, UMS’ Cayenne Harris and Mark Jacobson, UMMA’s Jim Leija, SMTD’s Paul Feeny, Penny Stamps Speakers Series Director Chrisstina Hamilton, and more.
The festival is coordinated by the Arts Initiative in partnership with U-M programs, units and other community partners.
“This is more than a showcase or campaign — it’s a month-long invitation to expand your engagement with the creative world,” said Mark Clague, executive director of the Arts Initiative. “We want every member of our campus and local community to discover something new and fun that resonates with their interests, to explore the arts in new ways, and to feel inspired to make creativity part of their life.”
From large-scale performances filling Michigan Stadium to hands-on workshops and intimate artist talks, the Michigan Arts Festival is poised to be a powerful demonstration of the university’s belief that the arts are for everyone.
