The Arts Initiative believes in the power of artists to imagine new ways of learning and connecting. Beginning in Fall 2024 and biennially thereafter, the U-M Arts Initiative will award one distinguished artist an academic year-long residency with strong public components. The selected artist will have access to the many resources that U-M has to offer, and will create new work or further develop in-progress work that advances the mission of the Arts Initiative and the University.

U-M faculty may work in a joint appointment with the Arts Initiative to design classes and collaborate on research areas. An individual faculty member or team will have the opportunity to teach classes related to the artist, collaborate with the artist on research, and expand their own research through creative partnership. Symposia, panel discussions, mini-conferences, teach-ins, and other educational platforms are also encouraged to engage students, scholars, the campus, and broader field.

• Provide a uniquely valuable experience for an artist to create, grow, and impact the world

• Grow the artist’s interests, which may include, but are not limited to: artistic research, skill development, interdisciplinary collaboration, capacity building, institutional critique, activism, and/or education

• Engage the University and region in matters related to artmaking, the impact of art on culture, justice, community building, or contemporary issues facing society

• Influence the University of Michigan’s approach to supporting artists, students, and faculty in the future

• Create new work or further develop existing work while creating pathways for students to learn from a professional artist

• Illuminate opportunities that artistic works-in-progress present as strong mediums for campus and community learning

• Build relationships across academic disciplines and create campus-wide demonstrations that illuminate the power of the arts

• Bring to bear the University of Michigan’s vast resources in support of the creativity of artists

Biennially, the Arts Initiative will open nominations for an artist who:

• Is well-known. Artists nominated should be easily researched online by name and artistic medium.

• Has demonstrated interest and strength in engaging with communities

• Is open to sharing their artistic process/works-in-progress

• Will work closely with students, faculty, and the overall university community

• Includes interdisciplinary components in their work

• Uses their work to address a contemporary challenge facing society

• Can creatively leverage the University’s resources for experimentation and artistic development
  

Selection Process

• Any University of Michigan Faculty or Staff Member can make a nomination. Self-nominations will not be accepted.

• A review panel will select three potential awardees ranked by preference. The Arts Initiative will formally invite nominees in order of preference (if #1 is not interested/available, #2 is approached, etc.)

• Prior to inviting an artist, The Arts Initiative team will work with appropriate units related to the artist's discipline and interests to confirm each unit’s level of partnership and participation. (i.e. Stamps, Taubman, UMMA, IH, UMS, SMTD, LSA, SSW, Ford, etc)

• One artist will be selected biennially for the award.

Expectations

Placing focus on research, experimentation, and campus/community engagement, the U-M Artist-in-Residence Award provides the selected artist opportunities for learning, research, and exchange, by offering access to people, space, and tools across the UM campus. While the selected artist is not expected to reside in Ann Arbor for the duration of AY 2024-25, a minimum of four in-person visits are expected. These contributions will be diffused across the academic year. The U-M Arts Initiative and campus partners will work with the visiting artist to finalize a schedule that sponsors productive and reciprocal connections with faculty, staff, students and the general public.