Student Creative Work
The Arts Initiative is dedicated to providing a platform for University of Michigan students to share their artistic voice and creativity!
These programs showcase a wide range of student creative work.
Want to read more?
Our arts, ink. blog features weekly columns from student writers and artists, illuminating their thoughts and experiences with the arts!
black girl diaries (4): emergency
i’m not the one to sound alarmswhen there’s not an emergency,when nothing ’round me would cause harm or initiate urgency. a crash, a boom, a slam, a bang,the explosion of someone’s voicecan leave me grasping for somebodyto give me another choice. it’s all at once, it’s always been,and i know it always will be,but every […]
Read Moreblack girl diaries (3): marriage
“to have and to hold,”but what is left in my arms if not empty platitudesif i forget to take action with my love. i’m made of the dignity i was born with,of the earth beneath me, the sky above me,the insects and mammals and fish around me,of the people around me. i am tied to […]
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Time for some summer reading!
Welcome to arts, ink., where our student artists and writers are given a forum to illuminate the U-M student experience through art. Take a few minutes this summer to sit back, relax, and look back on some of our favorite posts from the last year by perusing the Summer 2025 Reading List tag! If you’re […]
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Student Competitions & Exhibitions
Arts Initiative believes there is an artist inside each of us. These competitions are your opportunity to share your artistic genius, exhibit your work for the University community and win some prizes! Competitions will be held periodically throughout the year, with calls for art using different themes and mediums. Submissions are narrowed down by staff, and then the finalists are voted on by the public in the Unions and by the U-M Community online. Winners get great prizes, so be sure you’re signed up for Arts Info, our weekly email, so you’ll hear about our future contests and opportunities.
Student Arts Org Highlights
Spectrum Center Programming Board
Special Recognition Award for a Student Organization Demonstrating the Power of the Arts
The Spectrum Center Programming Board is a student organization with around 10 active members committed to creating meaningful and engaging programming for students and faculty on campus. They aim to uphold the pillars of the Spectrum Center with each event they host, focusing on community building and engagement, education and awareness, mental health and wellbeing, as well as tackling issues of equity within the LGBTQIA2S+ community. They organize around 4-5 unique events that are open to all each semester, with their recurring signature events being Pride Prom, Crafting Community, and since last year, the Queer Art Showcase. The organization successfully held their second Queer Art Showcase, a student-led initiative focused on increasing the visibility of LGBTQIA2S+ artists on campus. They aim to foster community-building and engagement with the arts through this event, while spotlighting queer narratives in art. They are also mindful of including unique intersectional experiences when reviewing artist submissions, such as those of QTBIPOC and disabled queer folk. This time, they added a discussion and Q&A session with a panel of student artists, as well as a 2-week exhibit of all the artwork in the Union post-showcase.
Events
Welcome to [art]seen!
Our [art]seen writers cohort is comprised of U-M students who review arts events on and near their campuses, sharing their thoughts and experiences on live music, film screenings, dance performances, theatre productions and art exhibitions.
REVIEW: For the Love of (Or, the Roller Derby Play)
As I settled into my seat at the Arthur Miller Theatre, little did I know that I was about to be whisked away into the adrenaline-pumping world of roller derby, a world I had never explored before. Enter the Rude Mechanicals and their electrifying production of For the Love of (or, the Roller Derby Play), […]
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REVIEW: Our Oz
When whispers of a new, boldly reimagined Our Oz started swirling around campus, I braced myself for the worst. Yet, much to my surprise, the production served up an experience that settled comfortably into the realm of average. Not horrible, not good, just a mixed bag of theatrical intrigue and hasty storytelling, leaving me more […]
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REVIEW: Disney’s Snow White
In this 2025 live adaptation of Disney’s 1937 film Snow White, Rachel Zegler plays the part of Princess Snow White, a young woman who is mistreated by her evil stepmother, known as the Evil Queen. The Evil Queen is jealous of Snow White for her beauty and kind heart, and thus sends her outside the […]
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Arts Info
Arts Info is your weekly guide for arts events around Ann Arbor, student arts opportunities, information about and resources for student arts organizations, and student creative work!
Art Around Town
Ann Arbor and U-M have a vibrant art scene with a constant array of arts events. Find weekly recommendations and resources on how to find and attend events.
Arts Initiative
The U-M Arts Initiative seeks to illuminate and expand human connections, inspire collaborative creativity, and build a more just and equitable world through the arts.
