Leading Artistic Innovation
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.
Leading Real Change
Our work at UMMA is centered on one question: How do we lead real change in museums so that the communities we care about can thrive in the 21st century?
Ongoing Projects
Chinese Object Study Workshops
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.
Campus Museums 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.
Vote at UMMA
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.
Past Projects
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.