Skip to main content

Subject Matters

Make new connections. Explore art and ideas. Surprise yourself.

Subject Matters is like an internet rabbit hole happening live, at an art museum.

This popular event series invites you to have the same kind of fun exploration of ideas and connections in person that you love scrolling through online.

If you’d watch a video with any of these titles, Subject Matters is an event you don’t want to miss:

  • The Disturbing and Dangerous Ways Art Helped Build European Empires
  • The Metaphysical Questions ‘Weird Art’ Is Helping Us Answer
  • This Art Is Too Big (And Too Small) To Be Made By Humans

For each session, you’ll join a guest U-M professor or curator and UMMA curator Dave Choberka for an evening of intriguing exploration, sparks of curiosity, and a new kind of social learning with art. For 90 minutes, you’ll dive deep into a topic you had no idea could be so interesting, and leave thinking “who knew I loved learning about [insert subject matter here]!”

Fall 2025 Subjects

Subject Matters: The Butterfly Effect of Curatorial Decisions
Eleanor Noyes Crumpacker Gallery
Tue, Oct 28, 2025 6:00pm–7:30pm
Subject Matters: Buying Art? In this Economy??!
Eleanor Noyes Crumpacker Gallery
Tue, Sep 23, 2025 6:00pm–7:30pm

Past Subjects

Subject Matters: Art’s Role in Religion is Beyond Belief!
Eleanor Noyes Crumpacker Gallery
Tue, Apr 2, 2024 6:00pm–7:30pm
Subject Matters: The Art of Telling Stories With Art
A. Alfred Taubman Gallery II
Tue, Mar 19, 2024 6:00pm–7:30pm
Subject Matters: A Galaxy Not So Far Away
Eleanor Noyes Crumpacker Gallery
Tue, Mar 5, 2024 6:00pm–8:00pm
Two individuals viewing various artworks in a gallery room, including framed pieces on the wall and a sculpture displayed on a pedestal.
Photo by Neil Kagerer

Related Exhibition

Curriculum / Collection 

New installation August 2, 2025

SUPPORT

UMMA’s Subject Matter events are generously supported by Sol Bermann & Laurel Draudt.

Collection
Highlights

Feel ready to dive in? It’s right here — your next source of inspiration.
Search the Collection