U-M’s close ties to historic MLK Jr. Memorial

Oct. 17, 2011

U-M’s close ties to historic MLK Jr. Memorial

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—The University of Michigan’s website, Montage, features the latest news and features about the arts, creative endeavors, collaborative projects and upcoming events.

To visit the site, go to www.montage.umich.edu. This week’s top features on Montage include:

o U-M professor plays key role in Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial: Jim Chaffers, professor emeritus at U-M’s A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, is one of several people from around the country chosen to oversee the design and construction of the memorial to Martin Luther King Jr., located along the outdoor mall in Washington, D.C. A U-M alum and professor also served on the MLK memorial committee. Watch at www.montage.umich.edu/2011/10/a-living-memorial.

o UMMA receives Mellon Foundation grant: A four-year grant will fund an expansion of exhibitions and programming at the U-M Museum of Art. The grant will fund cross-disciplinary scholarship and teaching, using the museum collection as a means to understand subjects in various academic disciplines through the visual arts.

o ArtPrize Award: U-M’s School of Art & Design received best venue award at the third annual ArtPrize, held over three weeks in downtown Grand Rapids through the first week in October. The venue was a joint project between the school and Grand Rapids-based SiTE:LAB.

o Culture of Economic Development: U-M Professor Frederick Wherry explains how the arts foster a sense of community and can be a key component in reviving a neighborhood. Watch at www.montage.umich.edu/2011/10/culture-of-economic-development.

o Priceless Inspiration: The thought-provoking and entertaining Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series features a lineup of compelling creative thinkers, designers and performers. The highly popular lecture series is a hallmark of the U-M School of Art & Design’s fall outreach. Upcoming lectures: perfumer Sissel Tolaas on Oct. 20 and designer Emily Pilloton on Oct. 27.

o University Musical Society’s season: Highlights include a remounting of Phillip Glass’ "Einstein on the Beach" in late January. The renowned American composer will be in Ann Arbor during rehearsals of the four-act opera. Editors: Please submit requests for s.

This week’s spotlight performance is Cloud Gate Theatre of Taiwan Oct. 21-22 at the Power Center. : www.ums.org.

o Mapping natural heritage: The University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum has received a grant of $127,000 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The grant enables a two-year project to locate and assess at-risk plant communities growing on the four properties managed by Matthaei-Nichols. The project runs through May 2013.

o Must-see exhibits: "Multiple Impressions: Contemporary Chinese Woodblock Prints," works by 41 leading printmakers from contemporary China at the U-M Museum of Art through Oct. 23. The exhibit showcases the extraordinary innovations in both technique and conception that have transformed this long-established art form in recent years.

Also on exhibit at UMMA is "Mark di Suvero: Tabletops," a smaller-scale work of pre-eminent American sculptor open through Feb. 26.