Art lovers will once again fill the streets of Ann Arbor at the Ann Arbor Art Fair, which takes place July 19–22 this year. The University of Michigan welcomes visitors to its many museums, gallery exhibitions and tours on campus. All of the following activities and exhibitions are free and open to the public.

Museums

Museum of Art

The University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA), which will be open late for Fridays After 5 for Art Fair Visitors on July 20th, is one of the oldest and largest university art museums in the country. Their collection comprises more than 21,000 works of art that span cultures, eras, and media, with works on view by world renowned artists like James McNeill Whistler, Helen Frankenthaler, Pablo Picasso, Joshua Reynolds, Kara Walker, Claude Monet, Frank Lloyd Wright and Andy Warhol, among many others. In addition to their permanent collection, UMMA hosts nearly 20 special exhibitions and over 100 events each year.

On July 21st at 2 p.m., UMMA will be hosting pop-up music with Ed Dupas. Americana singer-songwriter Ed Dupas’ lived-in melodies unwind with reflective lyrics and speak to the current state of the human condition. Enjoy an hour of songs that are soothing where possible, agitating where necessary, and seeking change where appropriate.

Current exhibitions include:

• See Through: Windows and Mirrors in Twentieth-Century Photography  brings together a group of images that are doubly framed—once by the camera lens and again by the border of a mirror or window. Highlights from the exhibition include works by Eugène Atget, Robert Doisneau, Elliott Erwitt, Walker Evans, André Kertész, Joanne Leonard, Danny Lyon, and Joel Meyerowitz.
• Marcel Dzama: A Jester’s Dance presents the work of Marcel Dzama, a Canadian who is known for imaginative drawings, sculptures, dioramas, and films rooted in the traditions of Surrealism, Dada and outsider art.
• Exercising the Eye: The Gertrude Kasle Collection celebrates pioneering female gallerist Gertrude Kasle (1917–2016), a key figure in the formation of Detroit’s contemporary art community in the 1960s and 70s.
  

  A procession of vivid images is adhered to the glass walls of UMMA for Cosmogonic Tattoos.broadly, have shaped perceptions of Africa outside of the continent.

• Unrecorded: Reimagining Artist Identities in Africa includes artworks from both named and unrecorded, contemporary and historic artists to tell an alternative story. It explores how the changing attributes of an ‘African’ artist’s identity, and constructions of African identity more
• Cosmogonic Tattoos is composed of a series of public window installations by U-M art professor Jim Cogswell, created in celebration of the U-M Bicentennial. The installation features a procession of vivid images that are based on the holdings of UMMA and the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology.

Location: UMMA is free and open to the public at 525 S. State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. Hours: Tues.–Sat. 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sun. 12-5 p.m.; Closed Mondays & University holidays.

Kelsey Museum of Archaeology

The Kelsey Museum houses a collection of more than 100,000 ancient and medieval objects from the civilizations of the Mediterranean and the Near East. Among the objects on view is a colorfully painted Egyptian mummy coffin, magical amulets from the ancient Near East, an array of glass vessels, Greek pottery, a unique large-scale watercolor representation of the famous Villa of the Mysteries murals from ancient Pompeii, and more.

Kelsey Museum will be at the Townie Street Party on July 16th, where visitors can create their own colorful amulet out of polymer clay using hieroglyph stamps and ancient Egyptian designs.

Location: The Kelsey Museum is free and open to the public at 434 S. State St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109. Hours: Tues.–Fri. 9 a.m.–4 p.m.; Sat.–Sun. 1–4 p.m.; Closed Mondays & University holidays.

Museum of Natural History

The Museum of Natural History is closed while it moves 4 billion years of natural history to its new home right next door in the Biological Sciences Building, opening in 2019. Watch a short video that commemorates the time in the Ruthven Museums Building and offers a sneak peek at what is in store for the future of the Museum in its new home.

Matthaei Botanical Gardens

The Matthaei Botanical Gardens is a 350-acre site that offers an indoor plant conservatory and greenhouse, and outdoor sites for research, display gardens, native plant gardens, natural areas, the campus farm and ongoing ecological restoration.

The Straw Bale House at the the campus farm in the gardens was built this year by students in U-M Stamps professor Joe Trumpey’s Green Building class. It is the first “off-the-grid” building on campus—and it’s made out of straw bales. The building will eventually serve as a meeting place for farm-to-table dinners, among other activities.

Location: Matthaei is free and open to the public at 1800 N. Dixboro Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48105. Hours: Conservatory is open daily, 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Trails open sunrise to sunset. Holiday Hours: Closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve, open New Year’s Day, 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Nichols Arboretum

The Nichols Arboretum—also referred to as “The Arb”—is a 123–acre site near Central Campus that provides a unique opportunity to explore the ongoing interaction of humans and the natural world. The Arb contains specialty gardens, historic and culturally significant collections, areas of native Michigan ecosystems, active areas of ecological restoration and access to the Huron River. Visitors can celebrate the U-M Bicentennial by going on The Grandmother Tree Walk—a self-guided tour of 12 historic trees in The Arb. Maps are available at the Arboretum visitor center, Matthaei Botanical Gardens and online.

Location: The Nichols Arboretum is free and open to the public at 1610 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48104. Hours: The Arboretum is open 7 days a week, sunrise to sunset.

Galleries

With over 20 galleries on campus, various U-M departments and libraries are committed to exploring artistic expression through many different subjects outside of traditional museum spaces. From Humanities to Women’s Studies, and the School of Natural Resources—stop in to view the many exhibitions on view this month.

Stamps Gallery

Each year, the U-M Stamps School of Art & Design hosts a Juried Alumni exhibition that features work from across the country and internationally. The 2018 exhibition, Materials On Hand: The Art of Ellen Wilt, will be on view at the new Stamps Gallery through September 9, 2018.

These special events will be happening during art fair as part of the exhibition:

• Artist Talk: Robin Wilt / Saturday, July 21, 2018, 2:00pm – 2:30pm
• Workshop: The Art of Rubbings / Saturday, July 21, 2018, 2:30pm – 4:00pm

Location: The Stamps Gallery is free and open to the public at 201 S. Division St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104. Hours: Tues.–Wed., 12–5 p.m. Thurs-Fri., 12-7pm. Sat-Sun., 12-5pm. Closed Mon.

U-M Health System ‘Gifts of Art’ Galleries

Gifts of Art curates nine galleries of changing art exhibition throughout the U-M hospital, and organizes a weekly, public concert series in music, theatre and dance. This program was created to enhance the hospitals’ commitment to providing
an enriching and comforting environment to assist the healing process.

Location: Gifts of Art galleries and performances are free and open to the public at 1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109. Hours: Events and performance time varies, galleries are open during hospital visiting hours.

Art & Environment Gallery

The Art & Environment Gallery is sponsored by the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) and

is located on the first floor of the Dana Building in the Ford Commons. Exhibits rotate regularly and are presented in five showcases.The gallery opened in February 2012 to underscore the influence of art in shaping our understanding of science and nature. It features local and national artists whose work speaks to how people interact and understand the environment.

Current exhibition:

• Ann Rosenthal received her MFA from Carnegie Mellon University in 1999 and brings to communities over 30 years’ experience as an artist, educator, and writer. Her work in this exhibition examines the intersections of nature and culture through timely environmental issues.

Libraries

The U-M Library system consists of 30 libraries that house a variety of collections and exhibitions—visit the libraries for a unique experience.

Hatcher Graduate Library

Exhibitions at the Hatcher Library are meant to be a gathering place for the enrichment of the intellectual, educational and cultural life of the U-M campus and the larger community.

Exhibitions on display at the library during this time:

• Mr. Vignaud’s Maps: Unraveling a Cartographic Mystery from the Golden Age of Dutch Cartography, through July 27th. Clark Library, 2nd Floor.
• Nothing Makes Sense, Except Love: The Cinematic Musings of Director Alan Rudolph, through August 19th. Gallery, Room 100.
• Seven Fantasy Classics for Children, through July 31st. Audubon Room.
• Quaker Oats Makes a Movie: A Scrumdiddlyumptious Wonka Adventure, through July 20th. Special Collections, 6th Floor.

Location: The Gallery is located on the first floor of the Hatcher Graduate Library at 913 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109. Hours: Mon.–Thu., 8–12 a.m.; Fri., 8 a.m–7 p.m; Sat., 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.–12 a.m.

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library

While not affiliated with the University of Michigan, the Ford Library is located in Ann Arbor, on our North Campus. The Library offers exhibits, special events, education partnerships and research assistance services. The current exhibit, In Step with Betty Ford – A Celebration of Her Centennial,chronicles the life of First Lady Betty Ford.

Location: Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library is free and open to the public at 1000 Beal Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109. Hours: Mon.–Fri., 8:45 a.m.–4:45 p.m.; closed all Federal holidays.

William L. Clements Library, Avenir Reading Room

The William L. Clements Library houses original resources for the study of American history and culture from the 15th through the 19th century. Both the library itself and the Avenir Reading Room house temporary and semi-permanent exhibitions including:

• Alcove Exhibit: The D. N. Diedrich Collection of Manuscript Americana, 17th–20th Century explores the breadth and depth of the D. N. Diedrich Collection of manuscript Americana.
• Collecting the Clements Library, 1903–2016 tells the story of collecting at the Clements Library from Mr. Clements’ original efforts to the current day.

Clements Library will be hosting two public tours on Friday, July 20. The first tour is at 11 a.m. and the second is at 2 p.m. that day. For tour registration, click here.

Location: Access to the Avenir Reading Room is through the south entrance of the Clements Library,

located at 909 S University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. Hours: Fridays from 10 a.m.–4 p.m., and by special arrangement.

The Michigan Wings

Created by Kelsey Montague, an artist known internationally for her murals that invite audience participation and irresistible Instagram photo opportunities, a set of larger-than-life wings containing well-known Ann Arbor and U-M landmarks was completed in April 2018 at Tower Plaza. The work was commissioned by the University of Michigan, the Ann Arbor DDA, and Destination Ann Arbor.

Location: Corner of Williams St and Maynard St in Downtown Ann Arbor.

The BioArtography Project Art Fair Booth

Faculty, staff and student volunteers from the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology will be selling artistic images of microscopic tissue. The images come from research laboratories throughout U-M, and include several examples of Regenerative Medicine in action (regeneration of optic nerves, programming of human embryonic stem cells). Proceeds support travel to national and international scientific meetings for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the biological sciences.

Location: East University Booth EU640 Hours: Thurs.–Sat., 10 a.m.–9 p.m.; Sun., 12–6 p.m.