Arts Initiative
Arts Initiative

Arts Initiative Workshops 2026 - 2027

The Arts Initiative is university-wide, and we believe the arts are for everyone. One of our goals is to make creative experiences accessible across all three University of Michigan campuses and beyond by connecting students, faculty, staff, and community members through meaningful artistic opportunities.

Throughout the year, we support hundreds of free or low-cost events, workshops, performances, exhibitions, artist talks, creative wellness programs, and public art experiences. Whether someone has been making art their entire life or is trying something creative for the very first time, there's a place for them here.

We believe that creativity helps us build community, explore new ideas, reduce stress, and connect with one another in meaningful ways. There's no expectation to be an artist when attending our workshops —just come as you are, stay curious, and enjoy the process.



Be Curious: Making Art with Stamps MFAs - Tactile Histories: Weaving our Archives

Available Seats 14
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Stamps Gallery, 201 S Division St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Celia Shaheen

“In research libraries and collections, we may capture the portrait of history in so-called insignificant visual and verbal textualities and textiles– in material details” writes Susan Howe. In this workshop, participants are invited to explore the tactile qualities of archives, both personal and public, through tapestry weaving. In dialogue with Cosmo Whyte: Under the Quiet, Beyond the Eye, participants will splice and reconfigure photographs from the Ann Arbor District Library Archives with yarns, fabrics, and elements of their own personal and/or familial archives to create a small woven collage. This workshop is best suited for ages 12 and up; no weaving experience necessary! Participants are highly encouraged to bring copies of photographs, letters, recipes, and/or other printed matter that speak to their lived experiences and histories. Note: we will be cutting these elements up before adding them to our weavings.

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