The Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities (a2ru) is a partnership of colleges and universities committed to transforming higher education to ensure the greatest possible institutional support for arts-integrative research, curricula, programs and creative practice between the arts, sciences, and other disciplines. It is committed to supporting the growing body of high-quality scholarly and creative production most attainable when disciplines are free to experiment within and across their boundaries.
ArtsEngine is an interdisciplinary initiative of the North Campus schools and colleges: A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning; Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design; School of Music, Theatre & Dance; College of Engineering; and School of Information.
ArtsEngine’s mission is to deepen and enrich the Michigan experience by providing a framework in which curiosity, creativity, collaboration, and passion are engaged through interdisciplinary teaching, learning, research, and community. We do this by promoting, expanding, and enhancing programs and initiatives through which students and faculty develop as interdisciplinary thinkers, outcome-driven makers, and collaborative practitioners across the arts, design, engineering, information sciences and technology.
The U-M Arts Initiative seeks to illuminate and expand human connections, inspire collaborative creativity, and build a more just and equitable world through the arts.
The Bentley Historical Library collects the materials for and promotes the study of the histories of two great, intertwined institutions, the State of Michigan and the University of Michigan. The Library is open without fee to the public, and we welcome researchers regardless of academic or professional affiliation.
The William L. Clements Library collects, preserves, and makes available historical resources about the Americas, with particular strengths in 18th and 19th century American history. The Clements Library is now open for research by appointment.
Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum
Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum is a transformative force for social and ecological resilience through the waters and lands we steward. We turn this commitment into action by: positioning humans as active participants within the natural world, advancing partnerships, emerging as University of Michigan’s premier partner for research and biocultural diversity, and promoting healthier communities and ecosystems.
We are a culture and place of sustained and supported innovation. We are indispensable partners in the world-changing work of the university, as we continually reinvent the library as the platform that enables discovery, teaching, learning, health, invention, and creative expression. Our mission is to support, enhance, and collaborate in the instructional, research, and service activities of faculty, students, and staff, and contribute to the common good by collecting, organizing, preserving, communicating, sharing, and creating the record of human knowledge.
The U-M Museum of Art puts art and ideas at the center of campus and public life. UMMA creates experiences that enrich our understanding of one another, foster joy, and build a more just future. Through exhibitions, programs, research, and community partnerships UMMA is redefining what a campus museum can be.
UMS contributes to a vibrant cultural community in Southeast Michigan by presenting approximately 60-75 music, dance, and theater performances and over 100 free educational activities each season. UMS also commissions and produces new work, sponsors artist residencies, and organizes collaborative projects with local, national, and international partners.
Housed on the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, UMS is one of the oldest performing arts presenters in the country, committed to connecting audiences with performing artists from around the world in uncommon and engaging experiences.
In 2014, UMS was selected as a recipient of the National Medal of Arts, the nation’s highest public artistic honor, awarded annually by the president of the United States at the White House.