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UMMA

The University of Michigan Museum of Art believes that life is better when it is shared — shared with others, and shared with art.

Our Mission

The U-M Museum of Art puts art and ideas at the center of campus and public life. We create experiences that enrich our understanding of one another, foster joy, and build a more just future. Through exhibitions, programs, research, and community partnerships, we are redefining what a campus museum can be.

Our Core Values

How do we lead real change in museums, so that the communities we care about can thrive in the 21st century? This is the question that we strive to answer every day at UMMA.

Christina Olsen, Director
About the Director
Portrait of UMMA Director Christina Olsen wearing a black top with a scarf in shades of red.
A large red sculpture stands tall over a green lawn, people walk on the sidewalk beside it. In the background, two large stone buildings silhouette a blue sky.

Special Projects & Initiatives

To redefine what it means to be an art museum means doing new and unexpected things. More than just exhibitions and programs, UMMA is leading the charge to create new forms of artistic innovations. Explore some of our projects and initiatives:

An art handler manipulates a Chinese art object
Chinese Object Study Workshop
Hands-on, immersive experiences for graduate students in Chinese Art History. Supported by the Kingfisher Foundation, this global program is dedicated to preserving and advancing the tradition of direct object study.
A group of people standing in front of the UMMA entrance beneath a large white sculpture of a face being covered by hands called "Behind Our Walls" by Jaume Plensa.
Campus Museum Collaboration
As part of a nationwide coalition of campus art museums, UMMA is working to bring together leaders from coast to coast to experiment with bold, new collaborations.
Voters use the UMMA Campus Voting Hub to register, request an absentee ballot, and vote in the 2024 US Presidential Election.
UMICHVotes Coalition
In partnership with the Ann Arbor City Clerk’s Office, the Creative Campus Voting Project and the UMICH Votes Coalition UMMA hosts election hubs in a central Museum gallery to expand access to democracy and create new kinds of civic spaces.
Illustration of hand holding phone with art object on screen and other objects floating out of it and in the background.
myUMMA Groups
With myUMMA, online visitors have access to interactive creation tools powered by UMMA’s entire collection. myUMMA unlocks new ways to use UMMA’s art to react to and speak to the present moment. Users can curate their own collections, create lesson plans, save favorite works of art, and share curated collections with friends, family, classmates, students, or the world.
'Wish You Were Here: African Art and Restitution ' exhibition in UMMA's Art Gym gallery Aug 21 - Aug 22.
Wish You Were Here
An in-public investigation into 11 objects of African art in UMMA’s collection, proactively engaging with debates about restitution and the ethics of museums’ owning African heirlooms collected during the era of colonization. Research for this project is still available to explore online.

Leadership and Staff

Children and families excitedly meet a robot created by the University of Michigan Robotics department.
UMMA Staff
Meet the staff, learn more about those who make UMMA possible, and reach out using our directory.
Three people wearing darkly colored formalwear stand inside the bright white and green-walled exhibition space of 'Angkor Complex' during its opening reception at UMMA.
UMMA Leadership Board
The UMMA Leadership Board (ULB) is a volunteer advisory board created and supported by UMMA to provide strategic guidance on issues of advocacy and fundraising for the Museum.
UMMA student employees in the 'You're Welcome' Monument Lab classroom at UMMA.
Student Advisory Board
The Student Advisory Board (SAB) is dedicated to creating a culturally inclusive community through programmatic efforts, and amplifying student voices to shape the museum.