Upcoming exhibits offer range of cultural experiences

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

This week’s top features on Montage (www.montage.umich.edu) include:

• More than meets the eye: Curators take a novel approach in a new exhibit series that aims to provoke audiences to rethink expectations of art, history and the museum experience. The exhibit opens June 9 at the U-M Museum of Art.
• Like a rock: U-M Kelsey Museum of Archaeology’s exhibit "A Man of Many Parts: The Life and Legacy of Francis Willey Kelsey" pays homage to the museum’s namesake. The exhibit opens June 8.
• Dancin’ in the streets...and a few other places: An innovative and compelling statement about alternative uses for public spaces, the dance performances held June 7-9 will take place in four sites in downtown Ann Arbor. More than two dozen dancers perform along the route during the 90-minute concert.

Other stories:

• Greater accessibility to cultural records: Learn about the HathiTrust, a partnership of more than 60 major research institutions and libraries, including U-M, working to ensure that cultural records are preserved and widely accessible in the digital age. A newly named 12-member board of governors, including U-M’s Paul Courant, will lead the partnership.
• Searching for the right key: A recent summit U-M explored the changing role of American orchestras, and what must be done to reinvigorate a cultural landmark in many U.S. cities.
• Dramatic education: U-M students reflect on their dramatic lessons from working alongside the world’s preeminent actors and directors during the Royal Shakespeare Company’s recent residency.
• Art at the intersection: Meet Gunalan Nadarajan, new dean of U-M’s School of Art & Design. The current vice provost for research and dean of graduate studies at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore has led his institution in several interdisciplinary collaborations on research and community projects. Nadarajan is the first senior academic leader dedicated to research appointed to head an art school in the United States.
• Healing through art: A new interactive virtual online exhibit at the U-M Museum of Art seeks to promote healthy, respectful relationships. The exhibit, "Paths to Renewal: Teaching, Leading and Healing through Art," is presented by U-M’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center.