The Latest
Stories from the Arts Initiative
Visual History of the Unions
Fourteen Stamps artists, graduating between 1982 and 2026, created new work about the history of the Michigan Union and League, as centers of university life.
Digital interactive map showcases public art on U-M’s campus
On a warm summer afternoon, Adi Behar, a junior in the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design, sat contemplating the Rampant Unicorn statue outside the Michigan League.
Art Outta Town: How Shared Arts Experiences Help U-M Students Connect Beyond Campus
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.
Historic board games = interactive pieces of art
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.”
UMich students explore the arts at Student Arts Org Fair
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.
Building creative community: Why U-M’s month-long Arts Festival matters now
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
"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.
U-M launches fall Michigan Arts Festival
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.
PHOTO GALLERY — Scenes from Festifall on Central Campus
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.
Arts Initiative launches ArtsRx to improve health, wellbeing
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.
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.
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.