The Latest
News & Stories from the
University of michigan
Arts Initiative
Knight-Wallace Arts Journalism Fellowship Welcomes Brittany Moseley for Second Year of Program
Now in its second year, the Knight-Wallace Arts Journalism Fellowship—a collaboration between the University of Michigan’s Wallace House and the Arts Initiative—continues to elevate arts reporting at a time when coverage is diminishing in U.S. newsrooms
Michigan’s leading creative reentry network, Linkage Community, becomes independent
After more than two decades of fostering creativity, connection and opportunity for artists who are formerly incarcerated, the Linkage Community will officially transition into an independent initiative.
Carmen Herrera and Leon Polk Smith, trailblazers of geometric abstraction, exhibited together for first time
The University of Michigan Museum of Art will bring “Both Sides of the Line: Carmen Herrera & Leon Polk Smith,” an exhibition uniting two of the 20th century’s most visionary abstract artists, to Ann Arbor next month.
There Is Joy in the Woods
Students transform the Arb into an art exhibit, guiding visitors with poetry and connection, and reminding us that “the earth is a living thing.”
The Last Darkroom
In LSA’s Residential College photography program, students develop new perspectives, different approaches to academic inquiry, problem-solving skills—and, of course, powerful images.
'The postcard craze' of historic Michigan: More than 60K postcards digitized at U-M Clements Library
The William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan has recently made available a digital database of real photo postcards from the David V. Tinder Collection of Michigan Photography.
Michigan Arts magazine
We're proud to unveil the inaugural issue of the Michigan Arts magazine, a print publication dedicated to illuminating the vibrant and diverse arts landscape across our University of Michigan campuses.
Capturing Campus: Four Years
Erin Knape wraps up four years at Michigan—and four years of writing for arts, ink.—with her final post.
Michigan Arts Festival announced for fall
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.
(U-M Symphony) Band on the run; first tour since 1990s
The University of Michigan's Symphony Band is hitting the road for the first time in decades.
Eleven faculty projects receive U-M Arts Initiative support
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.
Finding Her Voice: How One Student Found the Arts at U-M
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.
Symphony Band takes show on the road in statewide tour
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.
Arts Initiative announces 2025 Creative Careers Residents
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.
Spotlight on recovery: U-M alum pioneers concussion protocol for performing artists
As a doctoral student at the University of Michigan’s School of Kinesiology and its Concussion Center, Allyssa Memmini identified a critical need in concussion management.
Creativity and connection across prison walls: 29th annual exhibition features Michigan artists
One of the world’s largest and longest-running exhibitions of incarcerated artists is back with new programming designed to foster connection and deepen public understanding of incarceration in Michigan.
President Ono commits $5M for U-M public art over five years
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 appointed inaugural U-M Artist-in-Residence
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.
Arts Initiative grants awarded to seven research teams
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.
End-of-Year Recap: A Year of Creative Growth & Community Connection at the Arts Initiative
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