Events

Celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

lblouin — Mon, 08 Jan 2024 18:13:24 +0000

Celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. lblouin Mon, 01/08/2024 - 13:13

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. worked tirelessly toward creating a just and equitable society where people were valued and respected, regardless of skin color, abilities or social class. To do this, the civil rights leader and Nobel Prize winner advocated for peaceful approaches to some of society's biggest problems — problems that continue today, more than 55 years after his assassination.

“Dr. King challenged systemic oppression and the people in power were threatened by his words and peaceful actions. Dr. King practiced what he preached. He changed us for the better. And he was murdered for it,” says Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering Graduate Programs Coordinator Rebekah Awood, a 2000 ��-Dearborn alum who’s participated in MLK Day of Service events on campus for nearly 25 years. “Dr. King changed lives through acts of service — we still need to continue his work and do better. This time of year is a reminder to follow his lead and help where you can, however you can.”

To offer service opportunities in honor of King's legacy, ��-Dearborn is hosting the annual MLK Day of Service and Week of Events, which is a partnership with Henry Ford College, on Jan. 15. There are several volunteer opportunities available on campus, in the community or remotely at home. Times and locations vary, depending on the volunteer opportunity chosen. Opening remarks for the event will take place at 9:30 a.m. in Kochoff Hall in the Renick University Center.

During the MLK Day of Service’s 31-year history at ��-Dearborn, more than 8,500 people have volunteered 42,000 hours in Detroit and the surrounding areas, says Civic Engagement Coordinator JaNai’ James. James says she hopes students, faculty, staff and community members will sign up and add to these numbers and the community impact made.

“There are many ways to get involved. You have strengths that your community needs. If you are concerned that you don’t have the skills to build a house or something like that, I want to let you know that it’s OK. I don’t have that either. All you need to have is a willingness to help,” she says. “If you are open to helping, there is someone who will accept your help.”

James says there are new volunteer opportunities this year. Volunteers are needed to assemble play kits for hospitalized children, create chew toys for shelter animals and put together welcome bags for families entering homeless shelters. This is in addition to soup kitchen assistance, food pantry stocking and clean-up work. Partner organizations include Capuchin Soup Kitchen, Project Sunshine, Auntie Na’s House, Kids Against Hunger, Eternal Light, Wayne Metro Community Action Agency, World Medical Relief Detroit, Tuckerville Transitions House and more.

“Everyone has their own reasons for why they participate, but we all share that we got out of bed on a day off and are choosing to put good into the world,” James says. “The MLK Day of Service emphasizes Dr. King’s spirit of service while giving us time to reflect on our actions and our values. It’s hopefully the first step toward a much larger question: ‘How can we continue this work?’”

Awood says she and her daughter Abigail, 11, will participate again in this year’s day of service. The pair take part in the MLK Day of Service yarn group — they knit and crochet hats and scarves that are then donated to local organizations — that meets in Fairlane Center. Echoing James’ sentiments, Awood says she needs to remember that every act counts — even when it seems small.

Awood, who grew up in a church that preached white supremacy and gender divides, uses the homemaking skills she was required to learn as a way to give warmth to people in need. As Awood crochets, she’s performing her small act of peaceful resistance to honor King’s legacy.

As a child, Awood recalls hearing church leaders say hateful things about Dr. King. “In my childhood innocence, I didn’t understand why they vilified him so much. We were Baptist. He was a Baptist preacher, too. He was formally educated in religious studies. His message was biblically sound,” she says. “When I later connected the comments people made about him to who he was as a person, I finally understood that they vilified him because he was Black. It was disgusting. I consider that a point on my timeline where I realized I needed to educate myself, question the status quo and, finally, leave my church.”

Since the late 1990s, Awood has volunteered during ��-Dearborn’s MLK Day of Service and sought out other opportunities for service. She’s sung in choir performance tributes to MLK, driven students to service sites and attended expert-led conversation-based events that discussed systemic racism. She says she continues to participate and seek out knowledge because learning is continuous.

“Sometimes it feels like there is never enough we can do to undo the damage of things we were taught or experienced — and that these system injustices are too big to take on. But I remind myself that every bit, even if it feels tiny, helps,” Awood says. “The first step is showing up. Then you put in some work. What happens from there is up to us.”

Here are campus events taking place next week that highlight MLK and the importance of continued social justice work.

Civil Rights Anthems Display
ongoing, Mardigian Library
Discover the music that accompanied the movement. The Mardigian Library will have a display on Civil Rights anthems for MLK week. The display will feature a short history of each song, including the iconic "We Shall Overcome," and provide an opportunity to listen to each of the songs.

MLK Week of Events Keynote with ��-Flint Chief Diversity Officer David Luke
1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16, Zoom.

��-Flint’s Chief Diversity Officer David Luke reflects on MLK’s legacy through the context of the recent ban on affirmative action and attacks on its successor — diversity, equity and inclusion. While some argue that Dr. King would be opposed to DEI interventions, Luke argues that affirmative action and DEI are outgrowths of the Civil Rights Movement and are tools consistent with Dr. King's fight against racism and systemic oppression.

2024 MLK Peace Rally
11 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18. Meet at the Renick University Center.

Poster making begins at 11 a.m.; the rally starts at noon at the RUC's northeast entrance.

A peaceful march from ��-Dearborn to Henry Ford College recognizes the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and commemorates the role that protest has taken in shaping our society. Hear a keynote address from Henry Ford College African American Studies Professor Kalvin Harvell. The rally will end at Henry Ford College's Building L. Refreshments will be provided upon arrival at HFC.

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Article by Sarah Tuxbury

Campus Life

Events

Inclusion or Diversity

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Mon, 01/08/2024 - 18:10

��-Dearborn hosts the annual MLK Day of Service on Jan. 15, followed by a week of events that highlight Dr. King and the importance of continued social justice work.

Members of the ��-Dearborn community make blankets that were donated to local nonprofits during the MLK Day of Service in 2022.

College of Business and Crain's Detroit Business partner for sustainability discussion

sayedlk — Fri, 13 Jan 2023 21:11:07 +0000

College of Business and Crain's Detroit Business partner for sustainability discussion sayedlk Fri, 01/13/2023 - 16:11

The program is part of the College of Business' Betty F. Elliott Lecture Series on Business and the Future.

Panelists will include:

Trevor Lauer, vice president, Retail Marketing, DTE Energy
Paul Murray, director, Environmental Safety & Sustainability, Herman Miller
Jean Redfield, vice president, Public Policy Programs, NextEnergy
Ann Marie Sastry, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Mechanical, Biomedical and Materials Science and Engineering, U-M Ann Arbor and CEO and co-founder of Sakti3

This forum will explore how manufacturing companies are adapting to the impact of various dimensions of sustainability in the product-life-cycle and the entire supply chain while remaining competitive and maintaining operational excellence. The forum will shed light on best practices, standards and initiatives launched by the industry to achieve sustainability. Also discussed will be pitfalls and practical difficulties that the industry may face in the implementation of sustainability-related issues in their businesses.

The event will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 6 at Fairlane Center North, Quad E. Breakfast and networking begins at 7:30 a.m. with the panel discussion beginning promptly at 8:30 a.m. Audience questions will be encouraged.

Additional panel discussions on sustainability are scheduled for February and March 2011.

This informative lecture series was made possible through a generous gift by ��-Dearborn alum Edward W. Elliott, Jr. (B.B.A. ’67) in memory of his late wife Betty F. Elliott (also B.B. A. ’67). The Betty F. Elliott Initiative for Academic Excellence was launched early this year by the College of Business as a campus-wide exploration of critical business issues which will connect business leaders, alumni, faculty and students throughout the next decade and beyond. The theme for the year 2010-11 is “The Business of Sustainability.”

Events

College of Business

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Fri, 09/10/2010 - 20:10

The College of Business and Crain’s Detroit Business have secured a dynamic panel of sustainability experts to come to campus to discuss this important sector of manufacturing.

Issues in Diversity and Social Change lecture series continues; Education first topic discussed

sayedlk — Fri, 13 Jan 2023 20:52:37 +0000

Issues in Diversity and Social Change lecture series continues; Education first topic discussed sayedlk Fri, 01/13/2023 - 15:52

The series is a collaboration with Bankole Thompson, senior editor of the Michigan Chronicle, and brings local leaders to campus to share their views on matters of importance to southeast Michigan.

Audience members are encouraged to ask questions and exchange ideas with the panel.

The first forum, "Michigan’s Education Crisis: Issues Facing the Next Governor," will take place on Thursday, Sept. 30. The panel includes:

Carol Goss, president and CEO, Skillman Foundation
Curtis Ivery, chancellor, Wayne County Community School District
Daniel Little, chancellor, ��-Dearborn
Reginald Turner, attorney and member of the State Board of Education
Tom Watkins, former Michigan superintendent of public instruction

The lecture will be held at Fairlane Center North, Quad E, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Registration is required. Admission is free.

Future topics include lectures and discussion on the 2010 Census and public transportation.

Events

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Fri, 09/10/2010 - 19:51

The campus will once again sponsor the lecture series titled "Issues in Diversity and Social Change."

Chancellor's Staff Recognition Award recipients

sayedlk — Fri, 13 Jan 2023 20:42:41 +0000

Chancellor's Staff Recognition Award recipients sayedlk Fri, 01/13/2023 - 15:42

Winners of the awards were nominated by faculty, staff, and students, and selected by the staff recognition committee.

Judy McDonald, student career counselor in the Humanities/History Internship Office, received the Exceptional Service Award for helping to grow the internship program and the operation of the office while providing a willing and welcoming atmosphere that makes students want to come there, according to nominations.

"No matter how hard it is to find an internship for all of our students, Judy never gives up on finding the students' dream placements. Whether it means staying later than her shift or working from home, Judy is always going the extra mile to help students realize their dreams," said one nominator.

The staff recognition committee voted Janet Pecora, administrative specialist in the Office of the Provost, the winner of the Long-Term Achievement Award. Pecora received the award for her more than 20 years of service to the University.

"Janet has been a wonderful catalyst for academic affairs, enabling each individual department and school/college to achieve the best at their objectives,” one nominator said.

A cross section of faculty, staff alumni and students who coordinated the campus's Alumni Day received the Exemplary Team Award for successfully relocating the facility to its new site on Rotunda Drive, according to nominations. The team includes Jason Davis ('09 CASL), Javon Hindo ('10 CASL), Kristin McDonough ('10 COB), Cecile Aitchison, Amy Skehan ('99 CASL), Diane Sigler, Patricia Schlaff, Kristine Day, Amy Karaban, Caryn Reed-Hendon, Rachel Forringer, Kathy Herr, Rand Kazanjim ('09 COB), Jim Shearer and Farhan Latif ('05 COB).

According to nominations, the Alumni Day team met for more than a year to plan the event, which created multiple long-lasting engagement opportunities for alumni. “The team went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure this event, which is of great institutional importance,was as successful as possible,” said a nominator.

Rima Berry-Hung ('97 CASL), human resources consultant, received the Exceptional Performance Award. Among her many accomplishments within the last year, Berry-Hung finalized two dean searches for the CASL and the School of Education and also took on the role of representing the campus in LEO bargaining, according to nominations.

"The projects that Rima has successfully taken on this past year are phenomenal. She has demonstrated exceptional performance in her job role 10 times over," said one nominator.

Events

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Fri, 09/10/2010 - 18:16

Eighteen staff members were honored for exemplary service at the 2009-2010 Chancellor’s Staff Recognition Awards ceremony, held over the spring/summer semester.

U-M to celebrate the creation of the Peace Corps next month

sayedlk — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 20:18:37 +0000

U-M to celebrate the creation of the Peace Corps next month sayedlk Wed, 01/11/2023 - 15:18

President John F. Kennedy announced the creation of the Peace Corps in a speech on the Ann Arbor campus. All ��-Dearborn and ��-Flint faculty, staff and students are invited to attend various events scheduled to take place in Ann Arbor beginning next month. For additional information visit Peace Corps at U-M.

Events

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Fri, 09/10/2010 - 18:45

The University of Michigan will host a special 50th anniversary Peace Corps celebration in October.

General Election rules and regulations reminder

sayedlk — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 19:38:24 +0000

General Election rules and regulations reminder sayedlk Wed, 01/11/2023 - 14:38

The University of Michigan has assembled the necessary information all faculty and staff should familiarize themselves with prior to engaging in any campus-related election activities. This information is intended to help you understand the many activities in which you may engage in as members of our campus community, as well as those that are restricted by law.

U-M will e-mail all faculty and staff information regarding General Election rules and regulations in the coming weeks. A preview of this information can be found by visiting http://www.vpcomm.umich.edu/guidelines/overview/.

Students were informed of election guidelines in a student e-mail sent last week.

Events

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Fri, 09/10/2010 - 18:38

As we near the General Election in November, it is expected that members of the campus community will have questions about their rights and responsibilities regarding campus election activities.

Metro Detroit Youth Day

sayedlk — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 18:46:17 +0000

Metro Detroit Youth Day sayedlk Mon, 01/09/2023 - 13:46

In the photo above, a young student (left photo) gets an up-close look at an insect thanks to ��-Dearborn’s Natural Sciences Department, and Nicolas Woodby (right photo, second from right) receives a ��-Dearborn opportunity scholarship during the event from Denae Malinowski (second from left), assistant director of admissions and orientation; Ed Deeb (far right), co-founder of Metro Youth Day and president of Michigan Food and Beverage Association; and Raynona Patrick (far left), scholarship coordinator liaison for Metro Detroit Youth Day.

Events

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Sat, 07/31/2010 - 02:42

Volunteers from the Student Activities Office, Institutional Advancement, Admissions and Orientation, Mardigian Library, CASL, the International Office, Financial Aid, Registrar's Office, the WILL program and the College of Business represented ��-Dearborn once again at Metro Detroit Youth Day, an annual youth-focused event on Belle Isle Park in Detroit that attracts more than 25,000 people, including dozens of children, more than 200 community organizations, 900 volunteers and dozens of corporate sponsors for a day filled with youth guidance, educational awareness programs, mentors, anti-substance abuse activity, motivational speakers, entertainment, awards of 30 or more scholarships, and honoring outstanding students for academic excellence and community service.

Annual event highlights partnerships between U-M and Detroit

rudmehta — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 18:35:49 +0000

Annual event highlights partnerships between U-M and Detroit rudmehta Wed, 11/30/2022 - 13:35

At um3detroit, Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-14) said Detroit has a reputation of strength; a fighting spirit that will only get stronger with education, investment and commitment.

Tonya Allen, Skillman Foundation president and CEO, said it’s important for an “Our Detroit” framework to be adopted for the city to succeed as an equitable, just and prosperous place.

And Barbara McQuade, former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, said Detroit has turned a corner and she feels the positive momentum.

“I don’t like to use the phrase ‘Detroit’s coming back’ because it suggests this backward looking thing of nostalgia and the good old days. And, frankly, the good old days weren’t so good for everyone,” McQuade said. “Instead, think of it as a future Detroit. A Detroit that’s creating something new—an inclusive place for everybody [that] has opportunities for everybody.”

The three speakers addressed more than 300 campus and community leaders who attended um3detroit Thursday, May 3. The event—now in its second year and held at ��-Dearborn for the first time—was designed to encourage discussion on how all three University of Michigan campuses can strengthen research, learning and collaboration opportunities with Detroit neighborhoods, businesses and organizations. Participants have the opportunity to share their research and ideas, network and make connections for future work.

“There are so many who have an interest, both an academic interest and a practical interest, in being part of the progress of metropolitan Detroit,” said Chancellor Daniel Little. “To bring this group of activists, researchers and engaged scholars to the ��-Dearborn campus for this event—this catalyst for change—is an honor and a privilege."

The event included poster presentations, panel discussions about topics like supporting Detroit community-based organizations and the higher education challenges of first-generation and non-traditional students, and lightening talks—which were seven-minute faculty research presentations.

The lighting talks included topics like flooding as a public health and social justice issue, teaching math to students at underperforming schools, the importance of partnerships for early childhood education, finding funding for collaborative projects and more.

��-Dearborn faculty members Lara Rusch and Francine Banner presented, “Holistic Justice: Detroit’s Street Outreach Court.” Banner said the specialty court—which organizes within the 36th District Court and is run by pro bono work—began more than five years ago to help marginalized people resolve minor violations, like not mowing the lawn, before fines build up. The volunteers hold court in soup kitchens.

"We are looking at this as a model not just within Detroit, but as a model for holistic justice perhaps more broadly,” said Banner, associate professor of sociology. “Unlike other court-ordered problem-solving courts, these are run on a stand-down model where clients—many homeless—are self-motivated to relieve fines and engage with the community. In exchange, clients must make a good faith effort to help themselves, like seek employment, enroll in a 12-step program, obtain a state ID card. In one case, a client needed to seek dental care.”

In closing the daylong event, U-M President Mark Schlissel said he noticed a common thread among the many ways in which U-M engages in and with Detroit.

“There is consistency on what I’ve heard today: The idea of partnership,” Schlissel said. “The key idea that keeps coming up again and again is partnership. Faculty and students working alongside community leaders and community members, recognizing and respecting that each of us has something unique and indispensible to contribute. Partnership is key when trying to work on a common set of goals for the city of Detroit.”

Events

Metropolitan Impact

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Mon, 05/07/2018 - 05:00

More than 300 campus and community partners strengthen connections at um3detroit.

Gear up for a community-building event

stuxbury — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 01:44:44 +0000

Gear up for a community-building event stuxbury Wed, 09/21/2022 - 21:44

The best things in life are often the little things. Bike riding on a sunny fall day. Seeing the people in your community. Enjoying nature.

Chancellor Domenico Grasso and Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud are putting these three activities together and inviting everyone to join them next week as they ride through campus and around the west Dearborn downtown area from 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 29. Bring your bike or your walking shoes to join the Town and Gown Bike Ride; participants will meet in campus’ Lot F, located behind the Fieldhouse. There’s a 10K (6.2 mile) loop for bikers or a 5K (3.1 mile) walking loop for those who prefer to travel on foot.

“I hope this ride illustrates how we are all part of one fantastic community. We want the public to visit and use the resources on our campus and we want our students to know just how easy it is to explore Dearborn,” said Grasso, who often rides his blue (obviously) bike to campus. “��-Dearborn and the City of Dearborn have a great relationship and we're working together to build an even stronger future.

Chatting with Grasso about the ride recently, he shared his love of cycling, campus and the city. Here’s what he had to say.

The Reporter: Before we get started, do you have any great cycling experiences that you’d share?

Domenico Grasso: “I’ve done a lot of cycling and often commute by bike to campus. There’s a lot of beauty to see with the seasonal changes. But if I had to pick a favorite experience, I’d have to say cycling through Puglia, Italy, with my wife Susan and our children. We rode our bikes into the hometown of my mother (Vieste). That was a very powerful moment for me.”

R: Seeing the leaves change color is definitely a perk of fall bike riding. Other than the scenery, why should people come?

DG: “This is a great opportunity for our campus community to interact with those who live and work in Dearborn. We are going to explore some of the beautiful riding trails around campus and show everyone how easy it is to travel between ��-Dearborn and West Downtown. It's a perfect way for our students and faculty to learn more about the city and will give city residents a chance to see and learn about what's happening at our university.”

R: Why did you and Mayor Hammoud want to host this event together?

DG: “We are showing how integrated ��-Dearborn is to the city we call home. We want to demonstrate that ��-Dearborn and the city are partners who enhance each other. Mayor Hammoud is one of our outstanding alumni. He was recently named to Crain's 40 under 40 and epitomizes our deep connection with the City of Dearborn.

The City of Dearborn and ��-Dearborn have a symbiotic relationship. As Mayor Hammoud mentioned in last spring's commencement address, we can be rooted in something larger than ourselves and still make a difference locally. That's how our university operates. We not only see this whenever we meet alumni throughout town, but also when students, faculty and staff participate in some of our great campus traditions like the MLK Day of Service. Having an even stronger relationship between our campus and the greater Dearborn community benefits everyone.”

R: For people who are interested, but can’t make it to the event, what else can they do on campus?

DG: “One of the best kept secrets in Dearborn is the beauty of our campus and we have several resources that are free and open to the public to enjoy, including the Environmental Interpretive Center , the ��-Dearborn Observatory, Mardigian Library and Stamelos Gallery. You can spend the morning shopping and dining at our city's great stores and restaurants and then come to visit campus to hike, see art or explore the universe.

The next ��-Dearborn Observatory public night is tomorrow (Sept. 23). Guided by faculty and staff, you will use telescopes and see what’s happening in the night sky. The EIC, which is open from sunrise to sunset, offers some of the best hiking trails in metropolitan Detroit and anyone can use them. Our campus’ Stamelos Gallery can be found on the first floor of the library and recently opened a new exhibit of works by Detroit artist David Rubello, who has had a six-decade long career and had a mural up for more than 40 years on Detroit’s Julian C. Madison Building. He and his colorful works are remarkable.

When you get a chance, we invite you to explore campus. We are here for the community’s benefit and want you to enjoy what ��-Dearborn has to offer.”

Thanks to everyone who helped organize the event, including the Office of the Chancellor, Susan Grasso, Dean of Students, Office of Student Life, External Relations, Institutional Advancement, University Unions and Events, Business Affairs, Athletics and community partner Bike Dearborn.

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Thu, 09/22/2022 - 01:43

Chancellor Domenico Grasso and Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud invite you to join them on Sept. 29 to enjoy a bike ride and walk around campus and West Dearborn.

Photo of Chancellor Domenico Grasso riding his bike around campus.

Breaking down walls through art and expression

stuxbury — Thu, 08 Sep 2022 01:17:52 +0000

Breaking down walls through art and expression stuxbury Wed, 09/07/2022 - 21:17

Bryan Jones composes music. An accomplished piano player, he works for the Chamber Music Society of Detroit. Steven Hibbler draws and paints. Harper’s magazine and a ��-Dearborn exhibit have featured his work. Graduate student Penny Kane writes. She won a prestigious U-M Hopwood Award for her non-fiction collection.

Through artistic expression, all three found a sense of freedom while serving prison sentences. They also found — perhaps, more importantly — human connection.

“Artistic expression helped me become more than a number when I was inside (the prison). It’s also helped me create connections in the outside world, too,” said Jones, who guest lectures in the university’s Inside Out program. Jones served time for a robbery he committed as a teen. “Art opens doors and, for me, created a lifeline.” Inside Out, which began on campus 15 years ago, is a project-based learning class that encourages ��-Dearborn students to think about crime and punishment mechanisms in human terms.

Bryan Jones, left, talks to Associate Professor Anna Müller during the Winter '22 Inside Out course.

Sociology Professor Paul Draus and History Associate Professor Anna Müller are both long-time faculty in the program and have also developed courses, research and study abroad experiences around the power of artistic expression in challenging situations. From their work, they know the importance art plays in human connection when it comes to confinement. Beyond prison, this includes internment camps, medical-related isolation, substance abuse, poverty, and more.

“We all have walls. Some are imposed on us by others and others are the prisons we create for ourselves. Art is freeing and can help us express ourselves, learn about others and find connections where we didn’t see them before,” Draus said. “Art is a tool. It’s powerful.”

Now, they’ve created a new way for the public — students, faculty and staff from ��-Dearborn and surrounding schools; community members, formerly incarcerated citizens and others — to engage in dialogue that is focused around creative expression. The program is made possible through a U-M Arts + the Curriculum grant.

Professor Paul Draus

“Art and Agency from the Inside Out” consists of free arts-centered workshops and discussions where people can openly share their experiences under the direction of facilitators trained in areas like writing, dance and metal arts. The program will take place throughout the academic year and will have a different artistic focus each month.

There will be two sessions per month, which will take place at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays in the Mardigian Library. Refreshments will be served.

The program is drop-in, but it’s encouraged that participants attend both workshops in a given month, as the material is spread across the two dates. The first session will typically be introductions, icebreakers and creative activities. The second continues with the activity and allows for in-depth dialogue and discussion. Formerly incarcerated individuals will serve as facilitators and guest lecturers along with Draus, Müller and the artists.

The first workshop, which takes place Sept. 13, is titled “Connection” and will be led by Kristin Palm. A journalist, essayist and poet, Palm co-facilitates Writer’s Block, a weekly poetry workshop at Macomb Correctional Facility. In part inspired by her experiences with the Inside-Out program, she recently joined the ��-Dearborn staff as assistant director of Communications. October’s session will feature either visual or performing arts. More details will be shared soon.

Müller said participants can share their experiences and listen to others in an educational space that serves as a platform for social commentary and utopian imagining. “Caring about others is the essence of friendship and citizenship. And, as humans, we are wired to imagine and dream and see beyond the situation we are in,” she said.

Students in the university’s popular Inside Out course — in which Jones, Hibbler and Kane have all been active guest lecturers or contributors — served as inspiration for the program, Müller said. Facilitators also include Jemal Tipton and Lynn McNeal.

The Winter 2022 Inside Out class planned several outreach events that included an art exhibit and a community conversation BBQ with police and formerly incarcerated individuals. At the end of the semester, students wanted to continue finding ways to engage with the greater community when it comes to learning about stigmas, resources, social justice efforts and the power that expression has when it comes to tearing down walls. Typically, students would go into the prison for the class, but COVID restrictions have created on-going challenges and the Inside-Out faculty team looked for other ways to create these important human connections.

“Our students saw how creative practice helped them reframe their own circumstances and also break down us versus them distinctions,” Müller said. “That helped them understand themselves better, and recognize the similarities they have to people they once saw as very different.”

Draus said “Art and Agency from the Inside Out” is designed to encourage people to think critically, learn from perspectives outside of our own and find the common ground necessary to create lasting change.

“Lack of connection with the world is harmful to both individual and collective life. So we wanted to provide a space that allows people to connect to each other in healthy ways, confront the injustices and limitations they experience, and come out of the experience having created something beautiful, something meaningful.”

Interested in attending the free “Art and Agency from the Inside Out” sessions? Choose the dates that work best for you and register. Registration is not required, but it’s strongly encouraged.

“Art and Agency from the Inside Out” program was made possible by a U-M Arts + the Curriculum grant. Draus and Müller received one of the nine inaugural awards, which promotes the connection between teaching and the arts. Proposals for the program’s second round of funding are due Sept. 26. Grants are available up to $10,000 for individual projects from U-M faculty and staff, and up to $20,000 for teams.

Article by Sarah Tuxbury.

Arts

Awards

Events

Experiential Learning

University-wide

College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters

Social Sciences

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Thu, 09/08/2022 - 01:16

A new program inspired by the Inside Out Program and funded by a U-M Arts + the Curriculum grant offers art-focused workshops and discussions that are free and open to the public.

Drawing of Yusef “Q” Qualls by Sociology Professor Paul Draus. Q was a juvenile offender who is currently serving time at the Cooper Street Correctional Facility in Jackson.“If thoughts are things ° Words are the hammer ° That I swing”