The University of Michigan Arts Initiative is energizing, supporting, and amplifying the creative ecosystem on campus. We're transforming the student experience, working across campus to spark ideas, innovate, and foster a more vibrant, joyful, friendly and just world through the arts.

Arts

Initiative

“A primary goal of the University of Michigan’s Arts Initiative is to make the word ‘art’ at the center of the university’s mission statement ring true.

“We aim to inspire wonder and catalyze possibility in each and every Michigan student. Wonder can be found in many places and in many ways. It is a sense of awe when confronted by beauty. It is a sense of connection with an artist, maybe one from a different place across the globe or a different perspective close at hand. It is a sense of surprise or satisfaction when one’s own art making has led to insight or delight. Wonder inspires a sense of possibility. Possibility propels learning, research, and creativity to solve problems big and small. Wonder and possibility are deeply connected to the service mission of the University.

“To be the leaders and best, we need wonder and possibility.”

—Mark Clague, Executive Director

“We can be sure that through this initiative, we will be increasing imagination, which is fundamental to learning and discovery. Creativity and openness of the arts, coupled with the rigor of the sciences, can provide the inspiration and insights needed to find solutions for the world’s greatest challenges.”
—President Santa J. Ono

  • 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 U-M Arts Initiative will make the arts central to the University’s identity and mission.

    To achieve this, we will expand access to the arts on campus and beyond, activate them in student learning, and integrate the arts into research across disciplines. We will strengthen the arts ecosystem of southeast Michigan while also shaping national and global understandings of how the arts can lead social change.

  • Underscoring U-M’s role in the arts ecosystem of the region, the initiative’s core goals include:

    • Strengthening the student experience by expanding and integrating the arts in teaching and learning

    • Activating interdisciplinary discovery and arts research

    • Broadening and deepening partnerships with communities and the public

    • Building capacity and sustainability for the arts

Arts Initiative Staff

  • Mark Clague

    Mark Clague

    Executive Director

    Bio
  • Alison Rivett

    Alison Rivett

    Associate Director

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In the News

Looking for our office?

The Arts Initiative is located on the first floor of the Ruthven Building. Please note, however, that Arts Initiative staff work a hybrid schedule and are not always in the office.

Ruthven Building, Suite 1000
1109 Geddes Ave,
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1079

Looking for our logos?

Arts Initiative logo downloads.