Category Archives: Community Engagement

Meet Janet Haley, Associate Professor of Theatre!

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Janet Haley at the Flint Farmer’s Market during work on 9x Nourished

Name: Janet Haley
Title: Associate Professor of Theatre
Department: Theatre & Dance

Classes I teach: Directing, Acting 1, Improvisation, Voice and Movement, Dramatic Literature, Senior Seminar; Advisor for Acting and Directing Capstone projects, Coordinator of BFA in Performance degree program.

Activities, Publications or Productions:
• Director/co-creator of place-based, collaboratively created, original productions (public scholarship): 2010’s “Glen-wood” The Glenwood Cemetery Site-specific Theatre Project (Flint); 2014’s “9xNourished” at the Flint Farmers’ Market, with Flint Youth Theatre. Note: This type of civically engaged art making is theatre made with and for community.
• Actor: Michigan Shakespeare Festival, including: Portia in Merchant of Venice, Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, Gertrude in Hamlet, Titania in Midsummer Night’s Dream, Paulina in The Winter’s Tale, Constance in King John, Portia in Julius Caesar.
• Performance Network in Ann Arbor, 2014: Queen Elizabeth in Richard III
• Director: University of Michigan-Flint Department of Theatre, Main season productions of Metamorphoses, The Cherry Orchard, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Women of Lockerbie, Moliere’s The Learned Ladies, The Ash Girl, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, and Master Harold and the Boys by Athol Fugard.
• Director: Flint Youth Theatre, A Year With Frog and Toad, 9xNourished
• Upcoming:
Will perform in Flint Youth Theatre’s production of Diary of Anne Frank in Spring 2015; Will perform with Michigan Shakespeare Festival, summer 2015, in THE RIVALS, HENRY IV Parts 1 and 2, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Directing Eurydice at UM-Flint, Jan/Feb 2015.

Research or Specific Areas of Interest:
Twelve years of ongoing training and research in physical approaches to actor training (Suzuki, Viewpoints, Slow Tempo of Shogo Ota). SITI Company, Pacific Performance Project/east, Peter Kyle
Collaborative/ensemble-created performance projects, using interdisciplinary methods, as well as improvisation and collective dialogue.
Site-specific / place-based performance for the purpose of engaging people with places and each other in a community.
Advocate/contributor to the developing alliance between UM-Flint Department of Theatre & Dance and Flint Youth Theatre.

Awards: Faculty Fellow, Arts of Citizenship, UM-Ann Arbor 2010; Boyer Fellow in Public Scholarship, UM-Flint; 2011 Heritage Award, given by Genesee County Historical Society for the Glenwood Cemetery Site-specific Theatre Project; numerous nominations for performance from Michigan professional theatre’s Wilde Awards, including Best Actress in a Comedy (Tartuffe), Best Actor in Shakespeare (The Winter’s Tale). I directed Master Harold and the Boys by Athol Fugard in 2002, and it was invited to perform (and did perform), at the Kennedy Center’s American College Theatre Festival, Region III’s 2003 Festival in Indiana. This was one of 5 productions picked to perform at the region festival from the 5-state region.

Degree(s)/Education:
• MFA in Acting, The University of Texas at Austin, 1996.
• BA (double major) in Theatre, English, University of Michigan-Flint 1991.
• Alumna of Cornerstone Theater, Los Angeles, Summer Institute in Community-Engaged Theatre 2010.
• Public Conversations Project training (2011)

Memberships:
Michigan Shakespeare Festival Artistic Associate/Resident Actor; Member of Actors’ Equity Association (the national union for professional actors), member of Theatre Communications Group, member of Imagining America: the consortium for artists and scholars in public life. (IA’s primary focus lies in the recognition that humanities, arts, and design are indispensable to realizing the democratic, public, and civic purposes of American higher education.)

How I fell in love with my field:
I never wanted to be famous. I just wanted to make Theatre that was full of beautiful things, exciting things, fun things, important things, WITH PEOPLE and for people. I grew up in Flint public schools, and was involved in the “Magnet Programs” for the arts and humanities in grades K-12. I was a student at Flint Youth Theatre. I danced for 8 years. I played the piano for 8 years. In school, I was always making things with my peers – plays, concerts, poetry. Indoors and outdoors – nature was very important to me – places in nature and the outdoors. I liked making things that told stories and made us feel and think. At home my father and mother liked to have conversations with us; talking about our world, the news, our dreams, our thoughts and feelings about our experiences. My grandmother was a great storyteller, and all my elders were patrons of the arts. Conversation, learning for learning sake, the arts, places, and making and sharing things with people were primary values in my growing up years…and still are today. My senior year of high school at Flint Central, my drama teacher insisted I audition for a theatre scholarship at UM-Flint…I was planning on going into nursing; I never thought I could actually make a living making theatre. I was awarded a 4-year scholarship in Theatre…and my life’s course was changed. Carolyn Gillespie, UM-Flint Professor Emerita of Theatre, was my Theatre professor at UM-Flint, and my mentor. I wanted to make powerful experiences in Theatre with students and for our Flint community. As I proceeded to my MFA professional actor training at UT-Austin, and had a career as an employed actor in Theatre, I had it in my heart I wanted to return to UM-Flint, to make Theatre with and for Flint.

What I hope for my time at UM-Flint:
I hope to continue to work in the realm of engaging the arts and humanities programs of UM-Flint with the community beyond the campus boundaries. I hope to work toward developing civically engaged courses, deepening civically engaged curriculum elements that are inclusive of physical places within reach of our campus landscape, as well as students and community members from a multiple disciplines and perspectives. Celebrating diversity is a primary value in my creative activity endeavors – engaging diverse perspectives, experiences, backgrounds, ages, genders, cultures, etc., in making Theatre experiences with and for the communities UM-Flint serves.

What I hope for students in my field:
I hope the students I work with hold on to the values of collaboration, willingness, positivity, and imagination by doing and sharing with others. I hope their experiences with the wide variety of narratives that Theatre provides inspires them to live their lives mindfully, empathically, creatively, and with kindness to others. I hope that students gain from the process of making live performance can ignite their wellness and capacity for communication and compassion; it can deepen their value of real time exchanges; it can cultivate a value and need for 3-D experiences in physical places (on stage and in their communities), balancing the pull of the solitary “digital life” of the internet, social media, and “the screens on our laps and in our hands.” I hope live performance experiences help people feel well, empowered, and connected to the pulse in their lives in the 3-D world.

Three things you should know about me:
• I am ignited by finding the opportunities in the obstacles.
• I believe that finding solutions and choices together is far superior to the plan in any one person’s head.
• I embrace the creatively constructive potential in the chaos of YES.


See Ms. Haley’s work at the upcoming production of Eurydice opening January 30th at the UM-Flint Theatre! Visit the Theatre & Dance website for more info!

Eurydice

AFRICA WEEK: February 1-7, 2015

AfricaWeek_CalendarOfEvents_2015As part of African American History & Heritage Month, the department of Africana Studies at UM-Flint, along with the Office of Educational Opportunity Initiatives and with generous support from the College of Arts & Sciences, presents AFRICA WEEK.

From February 1st through 7th, there will be a series of celebrations and activities which explore the vibrant ties that exist between Africa and its Diaspora. By showcasing artists, experts, and works from across the city, state, country, and world, they hope to give individuals from the campus and community an opportunity to come together and share in the learning of culture, history, and experience. All of the events are free and open to the public.

Following are details on each of the AFRICA WEEK events:

Sunday, February 1st:
Unity March: leaving from the UM-Flint Theatre at 11am, join students, faculty, staff, and community members as they walk to Hand of God Ministries for their AFRICA WEEK service.
Special Service & Kick Off Event: Hand of God Ministries, 1600 S. Saginaw Street, Flint, will hold a special service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Civil Rights Movement. The service starts at noon.

Monday, February 2nd:
Presentation, Conversation & Lunch: Professor Nwando Achebe of MSU’s Department of History will present “Women’s History in the African Tradition.” Dr. Achebe’s research involves the use of oral history in the study of women, gender, and sexuality in Nigeria. Lunch will be provided. Held in the Northbank Center’s Grand Ballroom, noon-2pm. Please RSVP.

Tuesday, February 3rd:
Nollywood Night: Join us for a film and refreshments! The film shown will be from Nigeria’s Nollywood genre as part of African cultural awareness. Held in the UCEN’s Michigan Rooms A & B, 6-8pm.

Wednesday, February 4th: 
Evolution of African Dance: A program that traces the patterns and forms of African dance and its connections to the Diaspora. Lunch will be provided. Held in the Northbank Center’s Grand Ballroom, noon-2pm.

Thursday, February 5th:
Film Screening & Discussion: Join us for a film screening that focuses on the African American and Diasporan experience. The award winning film Fruitvale Station will be shown. This movie is based on events leading to the death of Oscar Grant, a young man who was killed by BART police at the Fruitvale Bay Area Rapid Transit Station in Oakland, California. A panel discussion with campus and community experts will follow. Refreshments provided. Held in the UCEN KIVA, 12:30-2:30pm.

Friday, February 6th:
The Marie Plays, Part 1: When Marie Took the Power. An original play written by UM-Flint CAS faculty member Carolyn Nur Wistrand, this play tells the story of a young free woman of color, Marie Catherine, as she discovers how to awake spiritual and emotional power within herself using African cultural practices in antebellum New Orleans. The show is produced in conjunction with Players by the Sea, Savannah State University’s Theatre Department. More information can be found on the production website. This free performance will take place in the UCEN KIVA at 7:30pm.
High School Poetry Contest: Writing on the theme of “What Africa Means to Me,”students are invited to submit original works of poetry for cash prizes. Students must be enrolled in a public or alternative high school, grades 9-12; all poems must be at least 20 lines. The deadline for submissions is January 30th. Poems should be emailed as a PDF or Word document to [email protected]. Please email for full submission guidelines. The poems will be performed as part of AFRICA WEEK on Friday evening.

Saturday, February 7th:
Fashion Fare & African Drum/Dance: A presentation of African and African American cultural diversity through fashion, dance, and spoken word, including Kuungana African drum and dance. Held in the UCEN Michigan Rooms C & D, noon-4pm.

For more information on each of these events, or AFRICA WEEK as a whole, please visit umflint.edu/africana or call 810.762.3353.

COM 399 Students Present “The Passion of the City” on December 8th

Students of Dr. Danielle De La Mare’s COM 399 class have been exploring the topic of Communication, Culture, & Place this semester. As a culminating event, on December 8th, 2014, from 5:30-8:15pm, the students will present “Passion of the City” in UM-Flint’s KIVA.

PassionoftheCity

Throughout their semester, the class mission has been to explore “how place is central to our lives, from our hometowns to the places we live, work, and play. In this writing intensive course, students will explore what it means to be from a place: how it shapes identities, experiences, and habits of communication. They will also learn the ways contemporary culture prevents us from fully connecting to place, the various consequences this disconnect has for communities and individuals, and communication strategies one may use to connect to place in meaningful ways.”

The course carries a Civic Engagement designation and students worked with a chosen organization for at least 10 hours over the fall semester. Towards the end of class, they took a bus tour of Flint which included stops at each of the students’ chosen organizations and a discussion by those students about the organization, its mission, the people served by it–and how they are all situated within Flint.

These experiences will all come together in presentations on December 8th. All members of the campus and community are welcome to attend Passion of the City to hear about what students have learned throughout their time in COM 399. Audience participation is encouraged!

To learn more, contact the Department of Communication and Visual Arts at 810.766.6679 or emailing [email protected].

 

WEC Critical Difference Grant Makes a Real Impact on Students’ Lives

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We could all use a little help sometimes.

The Women’s Education Center at the University of Michigan-Flint uses the Critical Difference Grant to help at risk students stay in school by solving small problems that could otherwise have a huge impact. Their intervention often helps deter students from dropping out of school.

On the University of Michigan-Flint’s GIVING BLUEDAY, Tuesday, December 2nd, the WEC is joining with the Women’s & Gender Studies program to ask donors to give to the Critical Difference Fund so they can continue to help those in need at UM-Flint.

To give, visit: www.giving.umich.edu/give/flint-critical

Following are some testimonies to the true impact of the Critical Difference Grant:

Testimony 1: My rent had just increased by $150. I had just used all of the remainder of my previous paychecks to pay my tuition. I had nothing left over to pay for my living expenses. I had no money left to pay to keep a roof over my head, nor did I have money to put food on my table. I also had no way of safely getting around to find a new job because of the same health complications that had caused me to lose my previous job. I needed a car. I was heading toward homelessness. I needed the assistance from the Critical Difference Grant to hold me over until I could get my next check. Because of that assistance, I could pay my rent and it held me over until my next check. I got exactly what I needed from the Critical Difference Grant. I am sincerely grateful.

Testimony 2: I am a senior here at the University of Michigan-Flint. I have recently been experiencing some hardships within my life and I didn’t know who to turn to for help. I usually keep things to myself and try to get through them. Walking through the French Hall one day I spotted a poster for the Critical Difference Grant. I decided to call and ask more questions about it and I went to apply for it. I can honestly say this grant was very crucial for me because I didn’t have any money for anything at the time and it provided a way for me to do so many things that I needed to do. I believe this grant is important because everyone needs help sometimes and even the littlest thing can save a life. I had driven to school on an empty tank of gas just so that I wouldn’t miss class. I was going to just pray that I made it back home. This grant allowed to put gas in my car to last me for the next two weeks. I was able to purchase the rest of my books and put food in my house to feed my two children. This grant is important because it helps people out in their time of need. I am extremely grateful for this grant and I hope it continues to be a blessing to others as it was to me.

Testimony 3: Coming from a background were ones most immediate concern is basic survival of course comes with its own unique kind of stress. Being a low income African American female that ended up divorced and raising my children alone in a high crime community only complicated matters. When basic survival and safety is your primary concern, the mere thought of contemplating higher education seems to be a luxurious dream you have no right having. Without the Critical Difference Grant, when an unexpected event happened in my life, I found myself accepting that I had no choice but to give up the fairy tale of college only to seek out further employment to make sure that my children and I would have an immediate safe place to sleep. That was until the Women’s Educational Center told me that there may be a way for them to help me. Truthfully, I wasn’t even looking for help, I was just looking for someone to talk to, someone to listen to me and hear my story.  There are so many different individuals each with their own stories, but women are usually carrying someone such as a child or family member during their survival journey. Making the journey alone without help is close to impossible and this is why I feel that funds that are available such as the Critical Difference Grant allows people not only to feel as if they have the right to dream but to actually be able to pursue and continue with them despite any stumbling blocks they may encounter along the way. With the help of the Women’s Educational Center and the Critical Difference Grant I was able to stay in college.

Testimony 4: Due to the help I have received in the past from the Women’s Educational Center I was able to obtain a B.A degree from the University of Michigan-Flint, I now live in a safer environment in the college district, I presently have a full time employment position, and I am now also a graduate student in the Health Education program here at the University of Michigan-Flint. I believe that the small grant was well worth it. I have confidence that my success has not only broadened my life opportunities but has increased the odds of my children’s future success. The Critical Difference Grant was a sort of “pebble in the pond,” a positive investment that I feel will span generations putting a greater gap between my present and future progeny and poverty.

Testimony 5: The Critical difference Grant allowed me to pay my utility bill and also make some needed repairs to my vehicle. Without it I probably would have been dealing with having no power or resources and I am a single mother. I cannot do homework with no lights on! Also, my broken car and shut off notice both would have directly impacted my ability to perform and make it to class.  As a student it was wonderful to see that the Women’s Educational Center is aware that there is such a need in the student body. I know many people that are working, single parents attempting to do an internship and finish a degree and they just are barely surviving.  The Critical Difference Grant saved me from a hardship that otherwise could have been much worse.

Testimony 6: In a time where I wanted to drop out of school and just give up on everything the Critical Difference Grant program literally saved my life. My mother had been critically ill in the hospital in Ann Arbor for months. My son was acting out in school. I was only working nine hours a week or less because of Federal Work Study policies, my bills were all behind, my car was broken down, my children were stressing and so was I. I am the strong person in my family. I did not want everyone to know that I was literally losing it. My grades were all below passing, I could not concentrate or focus on anything for that matter. I was completely in a place that I thought there was no hope for me.  I went to the Women’s Educational Center to seek Christmas help for my children because I knew I would not be able to give them anything, not even their basic needs. My immediate concern was that I did not have appropriate transportation to even make things like coming to my classes or my work study job happen. After filling out the application, the center was able to get the funds to me the same day. I was able to get the repairs needed to my car and put gas in it too. This helped me tremendously because it allowed me to have transportation to seek other opportunities. The Critical Difference Grant also helped me to partially fix other parts of my situation as well. I think this grant is important because there is not another place on campus with anything as readily available for students who are going through rough and unexpected hard times. The grant gives students an opportunity to remove barriers and focus more on their education. Combining the Women’s Educational Center and the Critical Difference Grant as a whole, I would have to say that it was one of the best things that happened to me during my time as a student on this campus. I could never thank nor repay the center for the blessing that is has been in my life.

Testimony 7: The critical difference grant that was awarded to me through the Women’s Educational Center was a blessing. As a non-traditional student returning to finish my degree, I had exhausted my Pell grant allocation. All my savings were also exhausted. I wasn’t awarded work-study, so the only other alternative was to find an off campus job to substitute any lack of additional financial aid needed to cover all of my expenses. I couldn’t find an off campus job because there are so few jobs available that would also give me the flexibility I need to take care of my family as a single mom and go to school so I can make a better life for my children. After searching for a long time I found something, and the grant assisted me in paying rent for a month, before I was able to start employment. I truly appreciate any donors that would be considering and/or continuing to donate to this grant funded program, because it can make a difference in a mother’s life. One would be surprised at how little can both assist and uplift someone or break their spirit. This grant assists in financial support, but the emotional support from the Women’s Educational Center is also phenomenal.

Giving BlueDay – Tuesday, December 2nd

BLUEDAY_smallOn Tuesday, December 2nd, 2014, the University of Michigan is asking you to turn Giving Tuesday into Giving BlueDay – a day of online giving to the funds of U of M, including UM-Flint. The College of Arts & Sciences is encouraging donors to pick a specific fund and the amount that is right for them – even $5 donations mean a lot to our departments!

Following are links to our department and program funds, some of them discuss the specific needs your gifts will go to fill. For those that do not have a specific purpose listed, donations will go into their general gift fund and can be used as the department chooses. We hope you can help us make this a successful day of giving, and make a difference for our students!

AFRICANA STUDIES: Funds received will help establish a scholarship that supports Africana Studies Majors and Minors and honors former Chancellor Charlie Nelms who “intensified the university’s emphasis on student success, setting ambitious goals for increasing student retention and graduation rates.”

ANTHROPOLOGY & SOCIOLOGY

BIOLOGY: We have an ongoing need for undergraduate/graduate research support as well as scholarship support. Donations to the following funds will make a positive impact on the academic and career success of Biology students: William R. Murchie Science Fund, Eugene Studier Memorial Research Scholarship Fund, and the Holly Sucic Memorial Scholarship Fund.

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY: The Chemistry & Biochemistry Department would like to put funds towards the purchase of equipment that will enhance and expand students’ learning opportunities. We hope to both enrich their time at UM-Flint and better prepare them for real-world experiences!

COMMUNICATION

COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEMS/COMPUTER SCIENCE

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

EARTH & RESOURCE SCIENCE

ECONOMICS: Funds given will be used to fund the Economics Club Scholarship that is given every semester to an Economics major to pay towards any aspect of their schooling, including tuition, books, and fees. Help us continue to provide this support to our club and students!

ENGINEERING (GENERAL & MECHANICAL)

ENGLISH: We want to reinstate the English Department’s Visiting Writer Series, which was a victim of budget cuts. The series will bring nationally and internationally renowned authors to UM-Flint to meet with classes and the community. Help us bring back this meaningful tradition!

FOREIGN LANGUAGES & LITERATURES: We ask that gifts be made to the Monica Karnes Memorial Scholarship Fund. This fund was established in 1985 by students in the UM-Flint Chapter of the Phi Sigma Iota Int’l Foreign Language Honors Society to “benefit students who share Monica’s hopes, her dreams, and her spirit.”

HISTORY

MATHEMATICS

MUSIC: Funds donated to the Music Department during GivingBlue Day will be used towards the purchase of a concert grand piano. This instrument will benefit solo performers, as well as vocal and instrumental performances of many musical genres–and the audiences who listen to them!

PHILOSOPHY DEPT.’s CANDACE BOLTER SCHOLARSHIP FUND: We are just $3,000 away from having our Candace Bolter Scholarship reach endowment status. Once endowed, the scholarship will always be available to help fund future Philosophy students. Help us to help others study Philosophy!

PHYSICS

POLITICAL SCIENCE

PSYCHOLOGY

SOCIOLOGY

THEATRE & DANCE: Students of the Theatre and Dance Department have a variety of high impact travel opportunities available, but often need help in funding their trips. Donations made to the Theatre & Dance Department will be used to diversify the avenues of support available to their students.

VISUAL ARTS: Funds will go to print-making equipment for our new concentration, funding student travel to museums and architectural tours, a vent for the wood shop, and torches to teach flame-working. Help us expand our students’ learning experience by giving to Visual Arts!

WOMEN’S & GENDER STUDIES: The WGS would like donations intended for them to be made to the Women’s Education Center Critical Difference Fund. This small grant is intended to help students who are facing emergency situations stay in school. The grant assists some of our most at risk students, many of whom are returning women and first-generation college students. DONATIONS MADE TO THIS FUND ON GIVING BLUEDAY WILL BE MATCHED UP TO $200!

If you do not see a fund you’d like to give to on the above list, browse all the options, including Research, Scholarships, and more, within the College of Arts and Sciences.

Whether you give or not, please share this blog’s link on your social media feeds to spread the word about Giving BlueDay!

Biology Department to Host Cell-ebration, December 5th

CELL-ebration logo copyOn December 5, 2014, nearly 200 Biology students from a variety of courses will meet and present their works to one another at the department’s Cell-ebration.

More experienced students from the BIO 326, 467, and 477 courses will be creating conference-type research posters and giving oral presentations, while DEEP program students from the Utica, Lapeer, and Livingston sites will be creating learning activities to highlight a cellular process. The event will be held in the White Building’s Atrium and Tuscola Room.

There will be two sessions:

A morning session from 9-11am and an afternoon session from noon-2pm. An additional 35 high school students from New Lothrup will attend the afternoon session.

The experience at the Cell-ebration will benefit the undergraduate students by giving them experience in preparing and presenting in a conference environment. While the DEEP students will learn a little about academic and campus life at UM-Flint while enriching their knowledge through creating presentations.

For more information, visit the Biology Department website or contact Jill Slater at [email protected].

Archway Project Blog Launched

PrintFrom Donna Ullrich, faculty member of the Communications Department of UM-Flint:

“Everybody has a story to tell…
…are you ready to tell yours?”

The Archway Blog Launches To Showcase Area Young Filmmakers And Artists

The University of Michigan-Flint’s Communication and Visual Arts Department is seeking young filmmakers and artists to contribute to its new Archway Blog, which showcases the young talent in Genesee County and provides opportunities for participants to network with their creative peers and media professionals.

The blog, which launched November 7 at TheArchwayFlint.org, is a program of the Flint Youth Media Project, which seeks to engage young people (ages 13-21) in a variety of media immersion programs to build literacy, communications, and social/collaboration skills, Donna Ullrich, project director and UM-Flint Communications lecturer, said.

“The more connected to the media these young talents are, the less connected they are interpersonally to their peers and others. We hope to build a network that supports them and helps them develop the skills they need to be confident young adults ready for college or careers,” she said.

The Archway Blog will host its first networking event for anyone interested in participating Saturday, November 22 at noon in the University Center Michigan Rooms on the campus of the University of Michigan-Flint. Lunch and blog t-shirts will be available.

The event will include opportunities for participants to learn from each other and to talk to area media professionals about filmmaking, editing, photography, lighting, sound, and media topics one-to-one.

The blog welcomes individual’s work or the work of creative teams, organizations, and school projects in a number of categories: short films, documentaries, music videos, public service announcements, spoken work, fine art, and still photography.

Ullrich said the list is expected to grow as contributors submit genres that the team hasn’t even though of yet. The blog does require that the work be original and that it is family friendly. A full outline of the do’s and don’ts for submissions is available at TheArchwayFlint.org.

The blog, which was the idea of Rodney W. Brown, president of iMichigan Productions, Inc., a non-profit education production company and collaborator on the project, is designed to be run by UM-Flint students who will manage the blog and review submissions before clearing them for exhibition on the site, and who will also serve as mentors to the middle and high school-aged participants.

For more information contact [email protected] or visit TheArchwayFlint.org.

The Flint Youth Media Project and The Archway Blog are sponsored by the UM-Flint Communication and Visual Arts Department in collaboration with iMichigan Productions, Inc.

The Archway Blog is funded by a grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Flint.

 

 

Hope is a Good Thing – UM-Flint Student Art Exhibition

HopeIsAGoodThing

University of Michigan-Flint students, staff, and faculty (and all members of the local community) are invited to an exhibition and reception hosted and curated by students of ARH 111: History of Ancient to Medieval Art. This is the second annual UM-Flint exhibition supporting artists from the Thumb Correctional Facility in Lapeer, MI. These artists worked with UM-Flint students in workshops to explore historical and creative inspirations in art-making.

According to Dr. Sarah Lippert of the Visual Arts Department, “This semester’s exhibition includes amazing renditions of nature, animal, and children’s fantasy scenes (just on time to make a holiday gift if you see something suitable).”

The Exhibition will be held on Friday, November 14th, from 5-8pm in the UCEN Gallery on the first floor of the Harding Mott University Center and will feature a silent auction. It will coincide with the Flint Artwalk.

Per Dr. Lippert, “Proceeds from the silent auction will go towards the Inmate Benefit Fund and to supporting the artists in continued access to art supplies.”

Light refreshments wil be served. There will also be door prizes and attendees can join in voting for award winners in various categories.

This event is sponsored by the Office of Outreach through Civic Engagement Grants and the Department of Communication and Visual Arts. For more information, visit the CVA website or email [email protected].

Students, Staff, Faculty Experience World-Renowned Authors Thanks to Campus Partnership

This autumn, students from the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor and Flint campuses, and their surrounding communities, were fortunate to have two world-famous authors on hand to speak about their works and lives.

On Thursday, September 25th, and Friday, September 26th, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, author of Half of a Yellow Sun and Purple Hibiscus, spent time in Flint. Local students and teachers and members of the campus community were able to learn from her as she presented two lectures and a workshop over the two days. On Thursday, Adichie met and addressed teens from Flint-area schools as she discussed her love of reading, writing, and literature, talked about her recent works, and answered their questions. Later that afternoon, she did the same for attendees at the UM-Flint Theatre. The later audience held a large contingent of students and faculty from the Ann Arbor campus of the the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. They attended both at the invitation of and out of partnership with the UM-Flint Department of Africana Studies.

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Chimamanda speaking to local teens at the Flint Public Library.

Ann Arbor at Lecture

Elizabeth James of U of M, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Dr. Ernest Emenyonu – Dept. Chair of UM-Flint’s Africana Studies Department

Adichie’s Friday was spent with area teachers and professors as the topic of teaching African literature was discussed.

Autograph w Erica  & B

Workshop participants were given a chance to have their books signed.

The second opportunity came on Wednesday, November 5th, when students from UM-Flint were invited to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to hear Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple, speak on her life and the world around us. In her gentle voice, Walker told stark truths about the nature of war and the failures of our political systems around the world. She reminded the audience to not be complacent about the things that matter to them. She reminded them that people, deemed good or bad by the media or popular opinion, are just people, and that having compassion and understanding for others is never a bad idea.

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Hill Auditorium at the University of Michigan was filled nearly to capacity.

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Alice Walker spoke about the importance of friendships – with other people, with countries, and with the earth itself.

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Walker also read a number of poems to the audience including “Why Peace is Always a Good Idea.”

Tamasha Hart, a student at UM-Flint, said, “Alice Walker has an amazing spirit. Listening to her speak, made me feel very humbled and privileged. She made me realize that many times we have to step outside of ourselves and have an unbiased love and form of compassion in our hearts that  allows us to be kind to everyone. It was definitely an awesome and unforgettable experience for me. I was impressed.”

To learn more about UM-Flint’s Africana Studies Department, a driving force in bringing authors of this caliber to students and the community, visit their website.

UM-Flint Wind Symphony Begins ‘Horns in the Attic’

Contact: Chris Heidenreich, Assistant Professor of Music, University of Michigan-Flint (810) 424-5315 or [email protected]

The University of Michigan – Flint Wind Symphony is sponsoring a community service project seeking gently used wind instruments for use in two Flint area schools. The project is titled “Horns in the Attic,” and the band members are seeking to help create an inventory of wind instruments for the Beecher Community High School and the St. Pius X Catholic Elementary School. These instruments include flutes, clarinets, oboes, saxophones, trumpets, French horns, trombones, baritones or tubas. Cash contributions will be used to provide repair supplies or materials needed to restore the instruments to playing condition.

The collection of instruments will begin on Thursday, October 16, at the UM-F Department of Music’s Collage Concert, and conclude at the Wind Symphony concert on Thursday, November 20. Donated instruments will be collected by members of the band, catalogued and repaired before the distribution to the schools. Member of the Wind Symphony are available to pick-up donated instruments in and around the Flint area.

Chris Heidenreich, conductor of the UM-Flint Wind Symphony, stated the following: “I began by thinking about ways in which the Wind Symphony members could give back to the community. We could help out with a clean-up in the community that would certainly benefit everyone, but I wanted to create a project that would help other musicians. I have seen other communities sponsor instrument drives, and I thought this might be a perfect way to marry community service with music. I had not realized how great the need is in both Beecher and at St. Pius until I spoke with the directors involved. Now, I think that myself and the members of the band realize what a difference a project like this can make to the instrumental musicians of these schools.”

A fund will be established for any individuals or corporations that wish to contribute to the project exclusively for the repair of instruments. Students will provide the labor on minor repairs which could include cleaning, sanitizing, pad repair, rod adjustment, replace of cork bumpers or water keys, replace valve springs, and minor dent work. Any left over funds will be used to provide materials such as reeds, valve oil, cork grease or other maintenance items for student use. Questions and potential donors should contact Chris Heidenreich at (810) 424-5315 or [email protected].

To learn more about the UM-Flint Music Department, visit their website.