Michigan Humanities

Klezmer Concert featuring Klezundheit
2024-07-14 17:00 - 18:00 (America/Detroit) | Breakers Covenant Church International, 8801 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI, 48202
Help us send “In the Neighborhood” into the history books! After the Detroit Historical Museum closes at 5pm. Join us at Breakers Covenant Church International (formerly Temple Beth El) for light refreshments and the energizing Klezmer sounds of Klezundheit. Hastings Street has never sounded so good!
Registration is required; register online here.
Funding for this program was provided by Michigan Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Michigan Humanities or the aforementioned entities.

Hula Hoop Dancing Class for Teens
2024-07-15 18:00 - 19:00 | Chesterfield Township Library, 50560 Patricia Avenue, Chesterfield, MI, 48051, United States
Nat Spinz from the Motley Misfits will demonstrate and lead teens grades 6-12 in an energetic hula hoop dancing class. Make sure you wear comfy clothes you move in! Hula Hoops will be provided. This project is funded in part by Michigan Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Michigan Arts and Culture Council.
Registration is required; register online here.
Funding for this program was provided by Michigan Humanities –Arts and Humanities Touring Grant. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Michigan Humanities or the aforementioned entities.

Summer Fun Concert Series Featuring Guy Louis
2024-07-16 18:30 - 19:30 | Jack E. Kirksey Recreation Center, 15100 Hubbard St., Livonia, MI, United States
Join us for the Summer Fun Concert Series on the east lawn of the Kirksey Recreation Center featuring Guy Louis! Guy uses a variety of instruments for his performances, such as acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin, and ukulele. Songs are drawn from all genres, including his own songs, and each show is designed for the audience at hand. Hear classics like “Yellow Submarine”, “I’m a Believer”, “Your Momma Don’t Dance”, and more that will bring all ages together. You don’t want to miss this exciting act! Put your sneakers on and get ready to dance the night away!
We’ll be hosting children’s concerts 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, July 9-Aug. 13. Events are subject to change and are weather dependent. Weather hotline: (734) 466-2299.
Funding for this program was provided by Michigan Humanities –Arts and Humanities Touring Grant. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Michigan Humanities or the aforementioned entities.

Pullman Square Summer Concert Series - The Jimmy Savage Band
2024-07-20 16:00 - 18:00 | Pullman Town Square, 5593 109th Ave, Pullman, Michigan, 49450
Enjoy a free concert from the talented Jimmy Savage Band outdoors at the Pullman Town Square, 5593 109th Ave, Pullman, MI.
Funding for this program was provided by Michigan Humanities–Arts and Humanities Touring Grant. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Michigan Humanities or the aforementioned entities.

Circus Camp
2024-07-23 13:00 - 15:00 | Chesterfield Township Library, 50560 Patricia Avenue, Chesterfield, MI, 48051, United States
The circus is coming to town. . .circus camp that is. Artists from Cirque Amongus will offer instruction in 5 different skills for kids who will then present a show for their families. Space is limited. Registration required. Minimum age 6. This project is funded in part by Michigan Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Michigan Arts and Culture Council.
Registration is required; register online here.
Funding for this program was provided by Michigan Humanities –Arts and Humanities Touring Grant. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Michigan Humanities or the aforementioned entities.

A Celebration Collaboration - Country, Folk, and Irish Music
2024-07-24 19:00 - 21:00 | Heritage Landing, 1050 7th St, Muskegon, Michigan, 49440
The West Michigan Concert Winds, an award-winning Concert Band will perform Jazz and American favorites on the final concert of their July Wednesday night series. Their guests, The Langford Lads, a sonically stunning trio, where the intersection of Irish, Old-time, and Folk music meet. Featuring guitar, mandolin, tenor band, whistle, flute and vocals perform a cascade of folk based tunes that will entertain and delight. Bring your lawn chairs, there will be food trucks and of course a great variety of music on this Michigan Summer Evening!
Funding for this program was provided by Michigan Humanities–Arts and Humanities Touring Grant. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Michigan Humanities or the aforementioned entities.

Summer Fun Concert Series Featuring Gemini
2024-07-30 18:30 - 19:30 | Jack E. Kirksey Recreation Center, 15100 Hubbard St., Livonia, MI, United States
Join us for the Summer Fun Concert Series on the east lawn of the Kirksey Recreation Center featuring Gemini! This group is an act you don’t want to miss. They write and play acoustic music for children and families, celebrating the fun, warmth, and humor of family life. Get ready to enjoy a concert filled with rousing sing-alongs, folk tales, and music from around the world. Warm up your singing voice and prep your dancing shoes for a fun-filled evening the whole family can partake in!
We’ll be hosting children’s concerts 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, July 9-Aug. 13. Events are subject to change and are weather dependent. Weather hotline: (734) 466-2299.
Funding for this program was provided by Michigan Humanities –Arts and Humanities Touring Grant. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Michigan Humanities or the aforementioned entities.

Fennville Summer Reading Program - Brad Lancaster
2024-07-31 13:00 - 14:00 | Fennville District Library, 400 W. Main St., Fennville, Michigan, 49408
Join the Fennville District Library for a magic show by Brad Lancaster as part of their Summer Reading Program!
Funding for this program was provided by Michigan Humanities–Arts and Humanities Touring Grant. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Michigan Humanities or the aforementioned entities.

The Sound Garden Project at Cheboygan - PULSE Quartet
2024-07-31 19:00 - 20:00 | Washington Park, Main Street, Cheboygan, MI, 49721, United States
The Pulse Quartet is an award-winning undergraduate saxophone quartet at Michigan State University studying under Professor Joseph Lulloff. They perform a diverse range of repertoire that will engage and inspire any given audience while breaking down the proverbial barrier between the audience and the performer. This residency is a collaboration with Interlochen Public Radio called The Sound Garden Project. The mission of the project is to plant classical music in unexpected places as the musicians reimagine a 21st-century performance experience. In their ambitious hands, a concert becomes an event, and an audience becomes a community of inspiration, understanding and hope.
Funding for this program was provided by Michigan Humanities–Arts and Humanities Touring Grant. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Michigan Humanities or the aforementioned entities.

A2AC Author Series
2024-08-01 19:00 - 21:00 | A2AC Gallery, 1115 W. Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
The A2AC Author Series is part of the A2AC Exhibition Department’s interdisciplinary Arts mission and features MI-based writers whose work builds connections with the A2AC Gallery’s visual art shows. The 2024 A2AC Author Series continues with our August 1 author reading featuring Ashwini Bhasi, Shannon Daniels, Zilka Joseph, Alison Swan and Keith Taylor, funded in part by Michigan Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. This event is followed by a Q&A by Gallery Director, Thea A. Eck.

Traditional Native American Performance
2024-08-08 19:00 - 20:00 | Orion Township Library, 825 Joslyn Rd, Lake Orion, Michigan, 48362
Join us on the lawn behind the library as Reg Pettibone, a traditionally raised Native American from the HoChunck Nation, both educates and entertains! Through narration, song stories, and various dances accompanied by his family, Reg gives the audience a better understanding of true native culture. This presentation is highly recommended for all ages.
*This program is generously sponsored by the Friends of the Orion Township Public Library.
Funding for this program was provided by Michigan Humanities –Arts and Humanities Touring Grant. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Michigan Humanities or the aforementioned entities.

Unexpected Choices: Graphic Design Exhibition
2024-08-24 - 2024-10-05 | Lowell Arts Gallery, 223 W. Main St., Lowell, MI, 49331, United States
Exhibition Dates: August 24 – October 5 Exhibition
High School WorkshopsFor more information on the workshops contact Janet Teunis, Executive Director, 616.897.8545
Lowell Arts Gallery HoursTuesday thru Friday 10am-6pmSaturday 12-5pm
Accessibility: LowellArts is accessible to all visitors – whatever their ability. Visitors to our facility can expect a ramped entrance near handicapped parking spots, automatic door exterior door, and wheelchair accessible restrooms. Certified service animals are always welcome. We invite you to contact us in advance of your visit so we can accommodate any special needs.
BEHIND THE EXHIBITThis exhibit was made possible by a collaboration between the Ferris State University Design Project Center and the West Michigan Graphic Design Archives, housed at the Zhang Legacy Collections Center at Western Michigan University. The Archives makes both digital representations and physical artifacts available to design professionals, educators, students, businesspeople, researchers, and others interested in the rich legacy of graphic design, paper manufacturing, and printing in West Michigan. This exhibit was curated and designed by Ferris State University students. The students are part of the Design Program in the College of Business.
This project is funded in part by Michigan Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Learn More
In the spring of 2022, Ferris State University students Mallory Jarrett, Mckinley Krietner, Nathan Nye, Olivia Smith, and Ngan Tang (under the leadership of Alison Popp, associate professor, Design Program College of Business) chose as their senior project to curate and design an exhibit based on the contents of the West Michigan Graphic Design Archives, which has collected examples of innovative and effective graphic design work since the 1940s.
As they reviewed the collection, they settled on “Unexpected Choices” as the central theme of their exhibit. What they found especially intriguing was the nontraditional approaches designers had taken to solving business problems; as graphic design students about to embark into the professional world, they also appreciated the evidence of valuable contributions to businesses’ brands, markets, and profitability. Featuring five design case studies, the exhibit was a finalist in the 2023 SEGD Global Design Awards and is included on their website. It was also on the short list for acceptance in Communication Arts 2023 Design Annual, a highly regarded publication on graphic design.
LowellArts will be providing both exhibit and classroom space. That makes it possible to have typical exhibit hours for community members, special events for design and business professionals, and, workshops for youth in career and technical or traditional education. The exhibit will be open to the public at Lowell Arts from August 24 through October 5, 2024, during which timeframe a panel discussion for the public, including notable design professionals from West Michigan, and in-person workshops for local high school students have been scheduled. A virtual workshop will be fully developed during that time, including video of speakers, exhibit elements, and events. It will then be available to schools from late fall for at least the next several years.
Unexpected Choices gives visibility and the potential for deep engagement with representations of elements of our shared cultural history, as expressed through problem-solving graphic design.
Janet Teunis, Executive DirectorLowell Arts, 223 W Main St. Lowell, MI 49331, 616.897.8545lowellartsmi.org

Sesquicentennial of Lansing Woman's Club Walking Tour
2024-08-28 19:00 - 20:00 | 118 W Ottawa St, 118 W Ottawa St, Lansing, MI, 48933
Wednesday, August 28, 7:00 p.m. In honor of the Sesquicentennial of the Lansing Women’s Club a walking tour will be held of important sites in downtown Lansing with connections to pioneering women in the city. It will cover the gamut from authors to elected officials. The tour will be led by Valerie Marvin, State Capitol Historian and will leave from the original Lansing Women’s Club Building at 118 W. Ottawa.
Funding for the Great Michigan Stories program is provided by Michigan Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Michigan Humanities or the aforementioned entities.

Tulip City Walls Mural Festival
2024-09-06 17:30 - 2024-09-08 14:00 | Holland, Michigan, 78 E. 8th Street, Holland, MI, 49423
In 2023, Tulip City Walls installed five (5) murals around Columbia Avenue, highlighting the diverse communities within the Eastcore neighborhood. Nearly 2,000 neighbors, Holland residents, and out-of-town guests visited over the course of the four-day event. This years Tulip City Walls Mural Festival will be 3 days Sept 6-8th, 2024.
The vision of Tulip City Walls is to “Plant Seeds and Build Bridges”
Sept 6 Mural artists start painting, food trucks, music stage with DJ/band
Sept 7 Murals, live music and food
Sept 8 Cars and Coffee, Mini Mural Contest, Family Concert
All events will be free for the public. More details soon! Keep an eye on their social media!
Want to get involved or join a team sign up now!
Funding for this program was provided by Michigan Humanities – Bridging Michigan Grant. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Michigan Humanities or the aforementioned entities.

Bridging Michigan: Building Understanding Through Poetry
2024-09-12 19:00 - 21:00 | Northern Center, 540 W. Kaye Avenue, Marquette, MI, 49855
Join Michigan Humanities for a special event featuring Nandi Comer, Michigan’s Poet Laureate, in conversation with Dr. Beverly Matherne, the Upper Peninsula’s Poet Laureate, about how poetry creates understanding between one another. This conversation will be moderated by Dr. Shawnrece Butler, née Campbell, the Assistant Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at Northern Michigan University.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m., the event begins at 7 p.m., with an afterglow reception and book signing to follow. Books will be sold by Snowbound Books.
This event takes place at the Northern Center at Northern Michigan University, 540 W. Kaye Avenue, Marquette, MI 49855. Registration is required, please register here.

ALT+F4: Rebooting Community after GamerGate
2024-09-25 - 2024-09-28 | Lawrence Technological University, 21000 West Ten Mile Road, Southfield, MI, 48075-1058
In August of 2014, the hashtag #Gamergate emerged online, used as a weapon deployed against women in the video game industry. Through online harassment tactics, including threats of physical violence, GamerGate constituted an instance of digital mass mobilization deliberately attacking what was perceived to be a turn away from gaming culture’s historical association with young male players. As commentators have since noted, GamerGate would become a precursor to subsequent social media mass mobilizations, including disinformation campaigns, conspiracy theories, and online grievance culture.
This conference seeks to revisit the social and cultural implications of GamerGate on its ten-year anniversary. To be held over four days in September 2024, this gathering of academics, designers, and community participants is designed to extend current conversations of game development and game studies beyond the existing heteronormative, hegemonic discourses through offering an integrated, multiperspectival, digital humanities retrospective focused on the social and technological sources and afterlives of GamerGate.
Scheduled keynote speakers for the conference include:

Kishonna L. Gray, PhD, associate professor in writing, rhetoric and digital studies and Africana studies at the University of Kentucky. She is an interdisciplinary, intersectional, digital media scholar whose areas of research include identity, performance and online environments, embodied deviance, cultural production, video games, and Black cyberfeminism.
Rachel Kowert, PhD, research psychologist, visiting professor at the University of York in the United Kingdom, and founder of Psychgeist, a multimedia content production studio for the science of games and pop culture. She is a world-renowned researcher on the uses and effects of digital games, including their impact on physical, social, and psychological well-being.
Anita Sarkeesian, creator of the award-winning “Tropes vs. Women in Video Games,” a critically acclaimed video series exploring the history of women’s representation in gaming that has garnered nearly 14 million views on YouTube alone. Her work as a media critic, public speaker, and filmmaker who thrives at the intersection of digital culture, accessibility, and social justice sparked a paradigm-shifting conversation about improving the representations of marginalized people in video games.

Lawrence Tech offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts in game design through its College of Architecture and Design, as well as a Bachelor of Science in computer science with a concentration in game software development. For more information on the BFA program, visit ltu.edu/game-design. For more information on the game software development program, visit ltu.edu/undergrad-comp-sci/game-dev.
Funding for this program was provided by Michigan Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Michigan Humanities or the aforementioned entities.

Author Visit: Angeline Boulley at Oakland University
2024-09-26 13:30 - 15:00 | Banquet Room B, Oakland Center, Oakland University, 312 Meadow Brook Rd., Rochester, MI, 48309, United States
See Angeline Boulley, author of Firekeeper’s Daughter, at Oakland University on September 26, 2024. This Great Michigan Read partner event is organized by the Native American Advisory Committee and the Center for Public Humanities.
Angeline Boulley, an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, is a storyteller who writes about her Ojibwe community in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. She is a former Director of the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education. Angeline lives in southwest Michigan, but her home will always be on Sugar Island. Firekeeper’s Daughter is her debut novel and was an instant #1 NYT Bestseller. The book has been named the Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature, the Printz Award, the William C. Morris award for YA debut literature, and was an American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor Book.
This event is free and open to the public. Register for in-person and virtual options here.
The 2023–24 Great Michigan Read is presented by Michigan Humanities and supported by national, statewide, and local partners, including the National Endowment for the Humanities, The Meijer Foundation, Library of Michigan, Image Creative Group, BiblioBoard, and Michigan Radio Reads. This event is also supported by the Judd Family Endowed Fund.
Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Michigan Humanities or the aforementioned entities.

Great Michigan Read Author Reunion
2024-10-24 18:30 - 20:00 | Pasant Theatre at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts, 750 E Shaw Ln, East Lansing, MI, 48824
Join Michigan Humanities at the Pasant Theatre at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, October 24, for the Great Michigan Read Author Reunion. Panelists include seven Great Michigan Read authors: Beth Nguyen, Kevin Boyle, Steve Luxenberg, Kekla Magoon, Dr. Mona Hanna, Mary Doria Russell, and Angeline Boulley. In a conversation moderated by Bill Castanier, authors will discuss the ways that literature is critical to building empathy and understanding. Books will be available for purchase; a book signing with the featured authors will follow the panel conversation.
Admission is free, but registration is required. Please register here.
If you can’t join us in person, this event will be live streamed on our YouTube channel!
Join us virtually at 6:30 p.m. ET on October 24 to tune in to the live stream.
Learn more about the authors’ Great Michigan Read titles here.

Adult ASL with OpenSpot
2025-01-13 19:00 - 20:00 | Commerce Township Community Library, 180 E. Commerce Road, Commerce Township, MI, 48382
Join the instructors from OpenSpot Theatre as we learn signs together from American Sign Language in this 4-week series. All abilities are welcome.
Dates:

Monday, January 13
Monday, January 27
Monday, February 3
Monday, February 10

Note: Commerce Township Community Library is closed Monday, January 20, so there will be a one-week break between the first and second class. This event is for ages 13+, and registration is required. Registration opens on Monday, December 30, 2024 at 10am, and you can register here.

Virtual Workshop: Michigan Humanities Grants & Programs
2025-01-28 13:00 - 14:30 | MI
Join Michigan Humanities for a virtual workshop on January 28, 1–2:30 p.m.
In this workshop, staff will provide an overview of current and upcoming grants and programs, show attendees how to register for the online portal and begin an application, share experiences from previous grant and program partners, and leave time for a Q&A. If you’d like to join, please register online.
The workshop will be recorded; please register if you’d like to receive the recording, even if you’re unable to attend live.

Grand Valley Piano Chamber Series: To Be Dvorak
2025-02-02 17:00 - 19:00 | St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 134 Division Ave N, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Please join us on our journey to discover the Czech composer Antonín Dvořák. After Brahms helped him to launch his career, Dvořák influenced not only other Czech composers such as Janácek and Suk, but also American composers including Goldmark and Burleigh. We will explore the timeless beauty of Dvořák’s music through selected works by these composers and others including Schubert, whom he greatly admired. Thank you for being part of the GVPCS family and sharing our mission to spread the joy and beauty of music!The exquisite chamber music writing from these composers will leave you enchanted!

Grand Rapids Children's Museum Artist in Residence Series: Black History and DEI with E'lla Webber
2025-02-06 16:30 - 18:30 | Grand Rapids Children’s Museum, 11 Sheldon Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503
This series of four workshops led by local artist E’lla Webber will continue to introduce children to new art materials and techniques and also incorporate education on Black culture, history, and identity. E’lla’s workshops will include hands-on activities like the creation of a collaborative sculpture of Martin Luther King Jr., I Am Somebody mirrors inspired by Jesse Jackson, diversity hats where children can collage materials related to their identities, and constructing jazz instruments.
Admission fee is discounted museum admission fee.

Oakland University: Where are all the Women?": Untold Experiences from the Holocaust
2025-02-11 19:00 - 21:00 | Banquet Room A, Oakland Center, Oakland University, 312 Meadow Brook Rd., Rochester, MI, 48309, United States
The John and Annette Carter History Comes Alive Lecture Series presents “Where are all the Women?”: Untold Experiences from the Holocaust”. Join us for this insightful presentation from Katie Chaka Parks (Wayne State University and the Zekelman Holocaust Center.)

Grand Rapids Children’s Museum Artist in Residence Series: Black History and DEI with E’lla Webber
2025-02-13 16:30 - 18:30, 2025-02-20 16:30 - 18:30, 2025-02-27 16:30 - 18:30 | Grand Rapids Children’s Museum, 11 Sheldon Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503

Chocolate and Tea at Chesterfield Township Library
2025-02-19 18:00 - 19:00 | Chesterfield Township Library, 50560 Patricia Avenue, Chesterfield, MI, 48051, United States
Join Barbara Gulley from Barb’s Tea Service to learn about the history of tea and chocolate in Europe. There will be chocolate pairings featuring chocolate from local Michigan chocolatiers.
Registration is free and opens on February 1, 2025 at 9:30am. The first week of registration is limited to Chesterfield Library cardholders. Registration will open to others after the first week if space remains. You can register here.

Greg Whalen and the Ramblers Concert at The Dawn Theater
2025-02-27 19:00 - 21:00 | The Dawn Theater, 110 N Broad St, Hillsdale, MI, 49242, United States
Join The Friends of the Dawn Theater for an evening concert performed by Greg Whalen and The Ramblers at the Dawn Theater in downtown Hillsdale. The artists will perform a musical narrative of life in the Marine Corps, focused specifically on Greg Whalen’s deployment in 2021. The songs are inspired by this musician’s participation in the ruthless and chaotic evacuation of American troops from Afghanistan. The songs Greg Whalen and The Ramblers will play are all originals, based on their personal experiences and observations. There will be two 45-minute sets with a short intermission in between.

Oakland University: “For Internal Reference Only”: Foreign Literature and Book Censorship in the People’s Republic of China, 1960-76
2025-03-12 19:00 - 21:00 | Banquet Room A, Oakland Center, Oakland University, 312 Meadow Brook Rd., Rochester, MI, 48309, United States
Join us as speaker Yan Li (Oakland University) for The John and Annette Carter History Comes Alive Lecture Series presents “For Internal Reference Only”: Foreign Literature and Book Censorship in the People’s Republic of China, 1960-76.

OpenSpot Theatre at The Hawk
2025-03-13 18:00 - 19:00 | The Hawk – Farmington Hills Community Center, 29995 W 12 Mile Rd, Farmington Hills, MI, 48334
Join OpenSpot Theatre for their annual performance at The Hawk Center in Farmington Hills! Students have been writing and practicing a big showcase performance. There will be acting, singing, and dancing!
