Students in ALA 350 - Predicting the Future, instructed by Cameron Gibelyou, took a class visit to UMMA this past month to connect classroom material to art in the gallery. The course, which has an installation on view as part of UMMA’s Curriculum / Collection exhibition, touches base on topics ranging from representations of the future in literature to the science of predicting complex systems, such as climate and technology.

Student Madelyn Burns recalled, “I enjoyed finding the parallels between class and the chosen art pieces. After a deeper look, you could find a whole new meaning or interpretation of the art.”

Students were prompted by Mellon Foundation Curator for University Learning and Programs Dave Choberka to consider how our predictions for the future are shaped by art and the relationship between humans, technology, and ideologies of progress. Images used as part of the discussion included cities, railroads, factories, and the repeated use of diagonals to represent stories of progress visually.

Burns explained, “I found it interesting to see how differently each piece could be interpreted when comparing my thoughts to my classmates. This visit reinforced the idea that everyone does have different perspectives of the future, yet everyone’s perspective is valid as their future is completely uncertain and unknown.”

This visit, and many more like it, is part of Curriculum / Collection, an ongoing exhibition at UMMA where faculty from across the University of Michigan develop installations of art in collaboration with Choberka. Each unique installation ties back to concepts being discussed in the classroom. Installations have ranged from Strategic Brand Management to US Citizenship: Race / Class / Gender, spanning majors, colleges, and areas of study. There have been 20 installations to date.

See more from Curriculum / Collection and explore what’s currently on view.