Art Outta Town trips—six free annual excursions offered by the University of Michigan’s Arts Initiative—give students access to unique off-campus arts experiences they might not otherwise have.

We all had a favorite board game growing up. The University of Michigan’s Clements Library is highlighting familiar and unique toys and board games from throughout American history in their new exhibit, “For All Ages.”

Student organizations focused on a variety of art forms tabled at the Student Arts Org Fair held on The Diag near the School of Kinesiology and Chemistry Buildings. Hosted by the University of Michigan Arts Initiative, the fair brought about a hundred students to explore the clubs. 

The University of Michigan’s campuses are now immersed in the Michigan Arts Festival, a celebration through Oct. 26, 2025 to increase exposure, attendance and participation in the arts.

"Between Voice and Silence" Opens at Duderstadt Gallery. Featuring a faculty-led project from Irina Bondarenko, supported through the Winter 2025 Arts Initiative Project Support (AIPS) grants.

The University of Michigan’s inaugural Michigan Arts Festival will shine a spotlight on the vibrant arts scene at the university and invites students, faculty, staff and the public to engage with the arts through over 100 events, many of which are free.

Thousands of students descended on Ingalls Mall on Central Campus on Aug. 27, 2025 for the annual Festifall, featuring a multitude of student organizations and vendors.

A broad coalition of University of Michigan arts and health units is launching Michigan ArtsRx, a new campus-wide program designed to support mental health and well-being through active engagement with the arts.

With just four weeks, excitement for the Michigan Arts Festival is mounting across the University of Michigan campus and beyond.

The University of Michigan will celebrate the beauty, wonder and delight of the arts across the entire university this fall during the inaugural Michigan Arts Festival.

The University of Michigan's Symphony Band is hitting the road for the first time in decades. 

The University of Michigan Arts Initiative has announced its winter 2025 recipients for the Arts Initiative Project Support grants, awarding funding to 11 faculty-led projects across the university.

University of Michigan student Allison Wei didn’t come to Michigan intending to study the arts. That all changed when she took a class her freshman year with poet, author, and professor Carlina Duan.

The University of Michigan’s Symphony Band will embark on a 2025 State of the Arts: Symphony Band Tour, bringing the transformative power of music to communities across Michigan.

The University of Michigan’s Arts Initiative has announced the 2025 cohort of its Creative Careers Residency — a pioneering transitional program designed to support emerging creatives as they move from academic study into full-time, professional creative practice.

President Santa J. Ono has committed $5 million from central University of Michigan funding to further develop U-M’s public art collection over the next five years, in support of the university’s Vision 2034 goals.

Rhiannon Giddens, the Grammy-, Pulitzer Prize- and MacArthur “genius” grant-winning musical artist and composer, has been appointed as the inaugural University of Michigan Artist-in-Residence.

The Arts Research: Incubation & Acceleration grant program has awarded a new round of funding to seven faculty-led research projects that range from the role of artists in disability culture to art generated by AI models trained on bird nests.

The University of Michigan’s Arts Initiative wrapped up 2024 with yet another transformative year of programming, engaging the U-M community in new and meaningful ways, illuminating the human experience, sparking joy through shared wonder, and creating space for critical conversations. Here's a look back at some of the highlights from this past year

The Concussion Center at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology is using visual art to capture the experiences of concussion patients.