We invite you to browse panels about the scripts of ancient Egypt, indigenous languages of Central and South America, languages of Southeast Asia, and more – including the English language and language used in graffiti and comics.

This exhibit highlights the possibilities for exploration and discovery within the library’s collections, which are impressive on many levels. The sheer number of materials, including more than 8.5 million volumes in locations all over campus, and access to millions of digital books, journals and images, makes it one of the largest university library systems in the United States. The collection encompasses ancient documents written on papyrus, electronic journals reporting on the latest advances in science and medicine, and materials from nearly every period, culture, and way of thought in between.

View selected items from the world’s foremost archive of international radical social protest movements. "Social protest movements often involve intense passion, so expect to see some edgy and offensive items on display," says Labadie Collection curator Julie Herrada.

The Labadie Collection is the world’s largest publicly accessible research collection covering just about every 19th, 20th, and 21st century protest movement that can be documented on paper, from the French Revolution to Occupy Wall Street. It has served as a resource for thousands of people the world over, from high school students to seasoned researchers, from young activists in search of their roots to documentary filmmakers unearthing eye-catching images. Books, serials, manuscripts, pamphlets, photographs, audio recordings, posters, and political buttons are all part of this eclectic group of materials.

View the exhibit during Audubon Room hours: Mon-Thurs 8:30am-7pm, Fri 8:30am-6pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 1pm-7pm

Video installation by Charles Atlas exploring time-based portraiture, the body, fragmentation, and movement of Merce Cunningham.

Related events: Film Screening of The Legend of Leigh Bowery by Charles Atlas: Monday, February 13, 7pm, UMMA Stern Auditorium, 525 S. State. (Presented in conjunction with UMS)

Brown Bag Lecture by Charles Atlas: “Video in Performance and Video as Performance,” Tuesday, February 14, 12:30pm, 202 S. Thayer, room 2022

Gallery Reception with Charles Atlas: Wednesday, February 15, 4:30-6pm, U-M Institute for the Humanities Gallery, 202 S. Thayer, room 1010

The gallery is open Saturday 11am-3pm and closed Sunday.

The U-M eTextbook Initiative is hosting demonstrations by four etextbook vendors to give students, faculty, and staff an opportunity to preview and evaluate the various platforms. The feedback collected at these sessions will inform the initiative’s selection of an etextbook platform for the campus, which will be implemented in select courses in the coming fall semester.

The four vendors—CourseSmart, Courseload, Lecture Tools, and Vital Source—will each make a one day visit to campus, offering features demonstrations for faculty and students in morning sessions at the Hatcher Graduate Library, and afternoon sessions on North Campus (coffee and tea will be served). The morning sessions on each day include an overview and introduction from 8:30 am-9:00 am. The demonstrations are open to everyone on campus, though the group is particularly interested in input from students and faculty.

The schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, March 20th: CourseSmart: 9:00 am – 10:45 am, Hatcher Library Gallery; 4:00 pm – 5:45 pm, East Room, Pierpoint Commons

Friday, March 23rd: Courseload: 9:00 am – 10:45 am, Hatcher Library Gallery; 4:00 pm – 5:45 pm, 2150 Dow

Tuesday, March 27th: LectureTools: 9:00 am – 10:45 am, Hatcher Library Gallery; 4:00 pm – 5:45 pm, East Room, Pierpoint Commons

Wednesday, March 28th: VitalSource: 9:00 am – 10:45 am, Hatcher Library Gallery; 4:00 pm – 5:45 pm, 2150 Dow

The tiny dramas that comprise Robert Wilson's Video 50 contain aspects of his hallmark aesthetic: surreal or dream-like imagery, the absence of a linear narrative, the conflation of seemingly unrelated characters and micro-stories, and a mesmerizingly slow pace. Video 50 consists of a randomly arranged set of 30-second "episodes," a few of which feature notable French personalities of the 1970s-perfumier Hélène Rochas stares down a mugger, culture minister Michel Guy struggles to open a dresser drawer-and Wilson thought of these as miniature portraits or character studies. The creator and director of aggressively experimental theater, Wilson first came to prominence with works from the mid-1970s such as The Life and Times of Joseph Stalin (1973) and Einstein on the Beach (1976). These lavish, unusually long productions broke and then redefined every convention of theater. In Video 50 his shorter time-based portraits explore the intersection of narrative and still-life, seductively dissolving the distance between viewer and subject.

Fluxus emerged in the early 1960s as a loose, international network of artists, composers, and designers-"led" by Lithuanian-born American artist George Maciunas (1931-1978)- that was noted for blurring the boundaries between art and life. Fluxus artists like Maciunas, Nam June Paik, George Brecht, and Yoko Ono, among many others, challenged the notion of high art by creating unassuming, often humorous objects and performances that redefined the terms of artistic production by demonstrating the idea that "anything can be art and anyone can do it." Because of their disregard for traditional artistic media, many of the objects in the exhibition are-often by design-acutely resistant to conventional forms of museum display. Variously conceived as carriers of ideas, absurdist send-ups of consumer products, and invitations to direct, playful participation by the viewer, these works attempt to undermine the idea that art is separate from the activity of living one's life. Through 116 works, Fluxus and the Essential Questions of Life will introduce visitors to the study and appreciation of art as an exciting and intellectually rewarding experience, and to the notion that art is something that can play an active role in their own approaches to life's essential questions.

This exhibition was organized by the Hood Museum of Art and was generously supported by Constance and Walter Burke, Dartmouth College Class of 1944, the Marie-Louise and Samuel R. Rosenthal Fund, and the Ray Winfield Smith 1918 Fund. UMMA's installation is made possible in part by the University of Michigan Health System, the University of Michigan Office of the Provost, Arts at Michigan, and the CEW Frances and Sydney Lewis Visiting Leaders Fund.

Join us at Matthaei Botanical Gardens in celebration of the 50-year anniversary of the dedication of the gardens in 1962. Travel back in time to view images of the conservatory, buildings, and grounds as they were 50 years ago; learn about how faculty and students have been using the Botanical Gardens for research, teaching, and learning for decades, including exciting current work by Associate Professor of Architecture Moji Navvab; and catch a breath of warmer weather in the conservatory with a spring flower display. Free conservatory admission.

The U-M eTextbook Initiative is hosting demonstrations by four etextbook vendors to give students, faculty, and staff an opportunity to preview and evaluate the various platforms. The feedback collected at these sessions will inform the initiative’s selection of an etextbook platform for the campus, which will be implemented in select courses in the coming fall semester.

The four vendors—CourseSmart, Courseload, Lecture Tools, and Vital Source—will each make a one day visit to campus, offering features demonstrations for faculty and students in morning sessions at the Hatcher Graduate Library, and afternoon sessions on North Campus (coffee and tea will be served). The morning sessions on each day include an overview and introduction from 8:30 am-9:00 am. The demonstrations are open to everyone on campus, though the group is particularly interested in input from students and faculty.

The schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, March 20th: CourseSmart: 9:00 am – 10:45 am, Hatcher Library Gallery; 4:00 pm – 5:45 pm, East Room, Pierpoint Commons Friday, March 23rd: Courseload: 9:00 am – 10:45 am, Hatcher Library Gallery; 4:00 pm – 5:45 pm, 2150 Dow

Tuesday, March 27th: LectureTools: 9:00 am – 10:45 am, Hatcher Library Gallery; 4:00 pm – 5:45 pm, East Room, Pierpoint Commons

Wednesday, March 28th: VitalSource: 9:00 am – 10:45 am, Hatcher Library Gallery; 4:00 pm – 5:45 pm, 2150 Dow

Join us in the Michigan Union for free zumba, yoga, massages, meditation, and food. Yoga on Tuesday March 27th, from 4-6pm in the Pond room. Zumba on Wednesday, April 4th, from 5-7pm in the Parker room. On Thursday, April 5th from 6-8pm meditation in 2105A and massages and food in Pendleton.

Yoga

This session will give students information on what depression is and is not. It will also explore ways to help students feel more energized and well equipped to navigate through their difficult situation or depressed mood.

Testing conducted on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Screening for sexually transmitted infections will also be available, with a request for donation.

Supported by: Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs, Washtenaw County Public Health Department, University Health Service, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, CoitusLove, and the Student Planning Committee

No testing on February 28th (spring break)

This talk by U-M History of Art alumna and Hong Kong University professor Roslyn Hammers is on the various facets of the Song-dynasty peony as presented in paintings, poetry and prose. Professor Hammers' talk kicks of the 2012 Nichols Arboretum peony season and the 90th anniversary of the peony garden. Sponsored by U-M Museum of Art, Confucius Institute, Center for Chinese Studies, U-M History of Art

Baha`i Club of the University of Michigan invites you for screening of the Education Under Fire (EUF), a Documentary and Discussion that will take place on March 27, 2012, at 7:00pm in Hatcher Graduate Library Gallery. The documentary addresses the continued government-sanctioned persecution of specific groups in Iran and the blatant disregard of Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees education as an inalienable right of every human being.

The film will focus on the experience of one among many persecuted Iranian groups, the Baha’i community. In 1987, the semi-underground Baha´i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE) was formed to give young Baha´is their only chance for a university-level education. Despite repeated raids and arrests, volunteer teachers and administrators created an independent, decentralized university system that has lifted the lives of thousands across Iran. The BIHE was referred to by the New York Times as “an elaborate act of communal self-preservation.” In May, 2011, an organized assault was launched by the Iranian government in an attempt to shut down the BIHE. Over 30 homes were raided and over a dozen BIHE professors and administrators were detained. Several are still in prison for doing nothing more than trying to teach. The Iranian government also bans students from pursuing higher education if they have expressed views, joined organizations or engaged in activities that are construed as critical of the government. In addition, the authorities have attempted to prevent instruction in several fields in the humanities and social sciences and have dismissed faculty for ideological reasons.

The film will be followed by a conversation with:

Katayoon Sabet Current UM Women’s Studies undergraduate student Former student at the Baha`i Institute of Higher Education

Dr. June M. Thomas Centennial Professor of Urban & Regional Planning UM School of Architecture and Urban Planning Expert in social equity and urban planning and a member of the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha`is of Ann Arbor

Dr. Edward St. John Algo D. Henderson Collegiate Professor UM School of Education Expert in education for a just society

Departures: Late and Last Songs. PROGRAM: Fauré L’horizon chimérique, Op. 118; Schumann - Gedichte der Königin Maria Stuart, Op. 135; Brahms - from Vier ernste Gesänge, Op. 121; Schubert - Der Hirt auf dem Felsen

JAGS (Jewish Association of Graduate Students) and the Ann Arbor Jewish Federation present Hilarity & Charity with comedian Jeff Dwoskin. This event will take place on Tuesday, March 27th at the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase 314 E. Liberty St., Ann Arbor Doors open at 7:15 p.m. Program begins at 8 p.m. with an opening act Tickets are $18 in advance by March 21 / $25 at the door. A portion of the proceeds will go to the YAD Social Action Fund. Appetizers will be served. Kashrut observed. To purchase tickets, please visit www.jewishannarbor.org

Rony Barrak is a Master of the Darbouka, percussionist, composer and producer from Lebanon.

The Fontomfrom Drum and Dance Ensemble from Ghana are master drummers and dancers, former members of the National Dance Company based at the Center for National Culture, Kumasi.

Joseph Gramley and Jonathan Ovalle, directors. The UM Percussion Ensemble presents graduating seniors and graduate students on ensemble DiSanza - works as featured soloists. PROGRAM: Concerto for Darabukka and Percussion Ensemble; Rosauro - Concerto for Timpani and Percussion Ensemble; Yariv - Gyro; Menke - Eine Kleine Tischmusik; Becker - Mudra; Burritt - Shadow Chasers

PROGRAM: Mozart - Sonata in A Major; Chopin - Quatre Mazurkas, Op. 30; Liszt - Paganini Etude no. 3 La Campanella; Schumann - Kreisleriana, Op. 16