ANN ARBOR, Mich. – In April, the University of Michigan Museum of Art will welcome three new exhibits, revitalize its Alumni Memorial Hall and engage audiences with a dialogue about art and human activity.
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Collection Ensemble
April 2 - ongoing
Forty-one artists will take over the UMMA’s Alumni Memorial Hall with a combination of themes, styles, media and backgrounds in Collection Ensemble. Starting April 2, the collective of European, African, Asian and American art will welcome audiences to take place in its reimagined identity as an active installation of artist talent welcoming discussion and debate. With pieces coming from the UMMA’s many different collections, artists displayed will include Charles Alston, Khaled al-Saa'i, Norio Azuma, Christo, Theaster Gates, Jenny Holzer, Roni Horn, Dinh Q. Lê and Kara Walker, among many others.
To celebrate the new installation, stop by April 2 between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m for UMMA After Hours, a reception with music from Detroit experimental R&B duo Cousin Mouth, vocalist Kesswa and jazz keyboardist Ian Fink.
Oshima Tsumugi Kimono
April 27 to June 23
Oshima Tsumugi silk, made in the Amami Islands of Japan, is known for its beauty, lightness and comfort, yet the silk itself takes almost a year to make. From pattern design to rounds and rounds of dyeing and weaving, the arduous process to create Oshima Tsumugi kimonos is notoriously difficult. This installation, due to the generous donations by Kazuko Miyake and Shizuko Iwata, will allow audiences to connect with these nonceremonial kimonos and explore how they were made and the values surrounding them.
On May 12, there will be a docent introduction to the exhibit, which will showcase one of the new Oshima Tsumugi kimonos.
The World to Come: Art in the Age of the Anthropocene
April 20 to July 28
Curated around the ecological issues faced by the world, this exhibition explores the Anthropocene, the geological epoch shaped by human activity. Through photography, video and sculpture 35 artists focus their work on responding to raw materials, loss, injustice, consumption and disaster. Artists included in the exhibit are Sammy Baloji, Liu Bolin, Dana Levy, Mary Mattingly, Pedro Neves Marques, Gabriel Orozco, Trevor Paglen and Thomas Struth.
There will various events related to this exhibit, including an artist residency with Mary Mattingly, a public collaborative art project during Top of the Park and artist talks.
Even though the UMMA is free and open to the public, please remember to make a donation so as to support the arts. While the building is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., visit the UMMA galleries between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday or noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.
The UMMA is located at 525 S. State St.
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