Valerie Mann has been showing her work professionally throughout the US and in Canada and Germany for 23 years. She grew up on a large family farm in Indiana, went to University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana to earn a BFA in painting, then to MSU to earn an MFA in sculpture. Now working and teaching in Ann Arbor, Mann’s use and study of tools inspired this body of work. Used every day and sometimes taken for granted, tools are indispensable in the making of art. These favorite tools are beautifully designed and well-thought out for their specific job.

Elizabeth Busey has been inspired by global travel to explore the forces that shape our world – growth, pressure, erosion and decay. Through this exploration, she highlights patterns from many disparate perspectives in order to celebrate their universality in the natural world. Her work is created by printing multiple layers of ink onto cotton rag paper, where a single linoleum block is gradually reduced with each color layer. Busey is a primarily self-taught printmaker who produces her work in Bloomington, Indiana on a press made of recycled steel.

By day, Jean-Marc Fontaine is a molecular biologist, and by night and weekend, he is an artist. He spent his childhood and youth in Normandy, France, and his dream of becoming a scientist grew together with his imagination and passion for oil painting and drawing. After moving to the US in 1998, Fontaine became fascinated with sculpting. This self-taught artist explores funny and familiar subjects, with close attention to details in human anatomy. Viewers will meet French, Belgian, British and American characters. Fontaine hopes that “…these cartoon characters will bring a smile to patients (children and adults, alike).”

Traditional kunqu, a genre of classical Chinese theatre, comes alive in the large scale photographs of Xu, Zengquan. The viewer experiences the personalities of the characters and the spirit of the dance, opening a window into traditional Chinese culture and history. Now a local practicing engineer, Xu was born into a family of 10 brothers and sisters, in Jiangsu, China, and discovered his passion for photography in his teens. His work has been published by the Smithsonian Institution. Gifts of Art is pleased to present this exhibition in partnership with the U-M Confucius Institute.

Darryl Baird is Associate Professor of Art at U-M Flint in graphic design and photography. This body of photographic work is a series of highly magnified plant sections offered as homage to natural life cycles and the inherent potential for beauty in mature forms. These images are a means to explore the cycles of all living things and a way to find understanding through the process. For this series, Baird used antique lenses and the now discontinued Polaroid Positive/Negative 55 film. His work is included in the collections of the Detroit Institute of Art, Museum of Fine Art in Houston, Texas and U-M Museum of Art in Ann Arbor.

This year, Gifts of Art celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Employee Art Exhibition! This eagerly anticipated annual event showcases the exceptional talent and creativity of the people who work at the University of Michigan Health System, and for the first time this year, family members too! There are ribbon awards for Best in Category and Best in Show, and a People's Choice award will be determined by the votes of visitors to the exhibit. Winners will be announced at the Artist Reception and Award Ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012 from 11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m. in the exhibition gallery, which will be hosted by Dr. Ora H. Pescovitz, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs.

Visit the Pierpont Commons Wall Gallery located just outside of the Commons Cafe to see this beautiful exhibit featuring framed photography of nature in North America.

​Photographs by Artists: Sue and Dick Rigterink

Artist Statement: These images communicate the diversity, characteristics, habitats, behavior, and beauty of the plants and animals with whom we share the earth. Rather than simply looking, we hope you will pause, observe and really see. By stopping movement, the patterns and grace of those around us are there for us to learn from, enjoy and protect.

The exhibit will be displayed until Friday, September 28th.

All pieces in the exhibit are for sale. Please contact the Center for Campus Involvement (uminvolvement@umich.edu) if you are interested in purchasing art from this exhibit.

The exhibit "Translating Homer: from Papyri to Alexander Pope" includes papyri and early printed books illustrating how the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems originally composed in the oral tradition, were first written down, edited, and eventually translated into the main European languages. This journey of transmission and interpretation throughout the centuries ends with the first editions of Alexander Pope’s renderings of the poems.

Visitors to the exhibit will hear a series of readings from the poems in the original Greek and in several other languages, including Latin, English, Dutch, and Spanish.

The exhibit is part of the LSA Fall 2012 theme semester, Translation.

Visit the Michigan Union Art Lounge to see this art exhibit featuring landscape oil on canvas paintings from some of the most beautiful places in Michigan.

Exhibit: “Beautiful Michigan” - Landscape Paintings, Oil on Canvas

Artist: Anil Dhir

Artist Statement: For a painter, Michigan offers one of the most beautiful landscapes, whether here in Ann Arbor, up-north or anywhere else. These paintings are my attempt to capture some of the Michigan beauty. I believe that a great painting is a like a beautifully composed piece of music. My wish is to create a painting with a simple aim of honestly capturing the very essence of what I saw, and be able to make the viewer feel what I felt. (To read the full artist statement, please visit campusinvolvement.umich.edu, it is also posted with the exhibit.)

The exhibit will be displayed until Friday, October 5th.

All pieces in the exhibit are for sale. Please contact the Center for Campus Involvement (uminvolvement@umich.edu) if you are interested in purchasing art from this exhibit.

Please note: The Center for Campus Involvement (CCI) provides opportunities for student and professional artists to display work suitable for a general audience. CCI hosting an artist’s work does not mean we endorse the artist’s point of view; we recognize the free speech rights of our exhibitors.

We will be placing 2,977 flags in the grass area of the Diag to honor each person who was killed on the 11th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The flags will be displayed from 9:00am-10:00pm.

At 9:00pm, we will be hosting a candlelight vigil by placing tea lights around the entire memorial. A moment of silence will be held to remember those who died.

We will also be collecting donations for Freedom Alliance, an organization dedicated to rehabilitating our men and women in uniform who have admirably served. They also provide activities and scholarships for soldiers and their families.

This event is sponsored by the College Republicans at the University of Michigan and Young America's Foundation.

Visit our Facebook event to learn more and sign up to volunteer: http://www.facebook.com/events/401779496543324/

This is the University's annual student organization informational fair that occurs on north campus. There will be over 150 student organizations and departments present. Come and find the organization that best fits your interests!

Speaker: Kenneth C. Fischer, President, University Musical Society, U-M

For 100 years this great hall has hosted the world’s finest performing artists and ensembles in a variety of genres. Ken Fischer, sixth president of UMS since its founding in 1879, will tell how “the Carnegie Hall of the Midwest” came into being and explain why James Galway, Valery Gergiev, Yo-Yo Ma and many other world-renowned artists consider Hill Auditorium to be one of the world’s finest concert halls.

Since Ken Fischer joined UMS 25 years ago, it has expanded and diversified programming and audiences; deepened its engagement with U-M and Michigan communities; created partnerships with corporations, arts organizations, educational institutions, and community organizations; and received significant recognition from leading foundations and the National Endowment for the Arts.

This is the first of 9 lectures in OLLI's monthly 2nd Tuesday Distinguished Lecture Series.

Please car pool when possible

Closed Sundays and Mondays

What: Drop-in sessions to get one-on-one assistance with accessing Google Apps using assistive technology, exploring Google features that may provide accommodations, and any other topic of interest.

Who: For students, faculty, and staff with disabilities or others with accessibility-related questions. Registration with the SSD office not required. Please bring your laptop or mobile device.

A unique feature of US copyright US law, fair use allows us to use copyrighted works without permission in special situations. A fair use is not a copyright infringement. Join us to learn about how fair use plays an important role in education and teaching. In this workshop you’ll learn about the rights of creators, examples of fair use where no permission may be needed, and some fair use best practices in the academic environment. Images, film & video, course readings, CTools – we’ll talk about some examples of each.

All sessions are free, but registration is required.

"Particle Physics for Non-Scientists" Tuesdays, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. September 11 - December 4 no class 11/20, Dick Chase, TSRC, $40 This class will cover the particles of modern physics from a non-specialist point of view. Each week we will view lectures, followed by discussion.

"French Conversation" Tuesdays, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. September 11 - December 11, Sophie Mongrain, Sunrise Senior Living $40 This class will be taught by a native French speaker. Participants will be able to improve their conversational abilities through French discussions on current French culture and history.

"Intermediate and Advanced German Conversation" Tuesdays, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. September 11 - December 18, Renate Gerulaitis, TSRC, $40 This is a continuation of the course from Winter 2012, but newcomers are welcome. The emphasis will be on speaking and conversation.

"Film Studies Group" Tuesdays twice per month, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. 9/11, 9/25, 10/2, 10/16, 11/6, 11/20, 12/4, 12/18, Barbara O’Neal, Clarion Hotel, $40 You will see a variety of films, both American and foreign, of different genres, as well as classical and contemporary. Each showing will be followed by a discussion of the film.

Please go to the OLLI website for more information on these 4 classes.

The recent recession and weak economic recovery have been characterized by historically high rates of long-term unemployment. Workers confronted with persistent unemployment face a number of challenges, including the threat of skills atrophy and becoming less attractive to prospective employers. Moreover, the dichotomy between workers continues to expand, as those with high levels of education and skills can command high wages, and those with little education and low skill levels can command only low wages in the service industry. Workforce development efforts are responding to these challenges with different approaches, many with an emphasis on business and industry sector-based approaches. This session will explore the employment and skill-building challenges and opportunities in different communities around the state and describe successful efforts to increase employment and satisfy the demand of local businesses.

Presented by the National Poverty Center at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan with funding from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation

RSVP to attend by contacting npcinfo@umich.edu or calling (734) 615-5312

Moderator Jeannine La Prad President, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce

Panelists Randall W. Eberts President, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research

Alicia Booker Chief Executive Officer, Career Alliance, Inc.

Robert Matthews Executive Dean, Workforce Development at Mott Community College

Denise Peek Executive Director, Entrepreneur Institute of Mid-Michigan

Linda West Director, Center for Working Families at Southwest Housing Solutions

J.D. Wallace Manager, GoodTemps Staffing – A Division of Goodwill Industries of West Michigan

The Other America: Then and Now Fifty years ago, Michael Harrington's The Other America captured the attention of policymakers, students and the public. He wrote, "In a nation with a technology that could provide every citizen with a decent life, it is an outrage and a scandal that there should be such social misery." Fifty years later, this statement resonates as poverty remains higher in the U.S. than in most other advanced economies. These sessions highlight issues that remain at the forefront of antipoverty efforts - raising the skills, employment and earnings of the disadvantaged.

Join the conversation on Twitter: #OtherAmericaUM

Students in the U.S. currently rank 25th in math and 17th in science among their peers in other industrialized countries. Yet research shows that 80 percent of future jobs will require literacy and skills in these areas. To meet future workforce needs and maintain our global competitiveness, we must improve science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills among students and increase access to STEM careers particularly among underrepresented populations. Afterschool programs have begun to play a significant role in developing new informal science education approaches for students across the country. This panel will explore future workforce demands in STEM fields, provide statewide examples of how STEM afterschool initiatives are developing college and career-ready students, and discuss the importance of informal science education initiatives for student success.

Presented by the National Poverty Center at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan with funding from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.

Join the conversation on Twitter: #OtherAmericaUM

RSVP to attend by contacting npcinfo@umich.edu or calling (734) 615-5312

Moderator Megan Russell Johnson Associate Program Officer, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation

Panelists Mike Schmidt Director, Education and Community Development, Ford Motor Company Fund

Mary Sutton Executive Director, Michigan After-School Partnership

Judi Brown Clarke Diversity Director, Beacon Center, Michigan State University

Lynn Kleiman Malinoff Bright Futures Project Director, Eastern Michigan University

The Other America: Then and Now Fifty years ago, Michael Harrington's The Other America captured the attention of policymakers, students and the public. He wrote, "In a nation with a technology that could provide every citizen with a decent life, it is an outrage and a scandal that there should be such social misery." Fifty years later, this statement resonates as poverty remains higher in the U.S. than in most other advanced economies. These sessions highlight issues that remain at the forefront of antipoverty efforts - raising the skills, employment and earnings of the disadvantaged.

Professor Wald will explain the famous Red Scare of the 1950s, usually associated with the anti-Communist politics of Senator Joseph McCarthy. The lecture is part of a preview lecture and film series leading up to the conference, "A New Insurgency: The Port Huron Statement in Its Time and Ours," Oct. 31-Nov.2. The statement became the manifesto for the radical student movement of the 1960s. For information www.lsa.umich.edu/phs

Participants spend 10-15 minutes discussing the previous week’s events. They will be asked to present an item of interest, which is then discussed by the group. All opinions are welcome.

Class continues Tuesdays, 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. September 4 - July 30 at TSRC. Facilitator: Irma Sklenar.

How big is the current cultural, economic, and social divide? How does it differ from the divide Michael Harrington brought to light 50 years ago in his book, The Other America? What is the role of government as inequality rises? What can be done to close the gap? Syndicated columnist, Clarence Page, will moderate this debate between Jared Bernstein and Charles Murray on the future of inequality in America.

Presented by the National Poverty Center at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan with funding from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.

Join the conversation on Twitter: #OtherAmericaUM

Jared Bernstein Senior Fellow, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Jared Bernstein joined the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in 2011 as a Senior Fellow. From 2009 to 2011, Bernstein was the Chief Economist and Economic Advisor to Vice President Joe Biden, executive director of the White House Task Force on the Middle Class, and a member of President Obama's economic team. Prior to joining the Obama administration, he was the director of the Living Standards Program at the Economic Policy Institute and the deputy chief economist at the U.S. Department of Labor. He is the author and coauthor of numerous books including Crunch: Why do I Feel So Squeezed (2008) and nine editions of The State of Working America. He is a regular on-air commentator and hosts http://jaredbernsteinblog.com/ .

Charles Murray W. H. Brady Scholar, American Enterprise Institute

Charles Murray is a political scientist, author, and libertarian. He first came to national attention in 1984 with the publication of Losing Ground, which has been credited as the intellectual foundation for the Welfare Reform Act of 1996. His New York Times bestseller, The Bell Curve (1994), coauthored with the late Richard J. Herrnstein, sparked heated controversy for its analysis of the role of IQ in shaping America's class structure. Murray's other books include What It Means to Be a Libertarian (1997), Human Accomplishment (2003), In Our Hands (2006), and Real Education (2008). His most recent book, Coming Apart (2012), describes an unprecedented divergence in American classes over the last half century. He hosts www.aei-ideas.org/author/cmurray .

Clarence Page Syndicated Columnist and Editorial Board Member, Chicago Tribune

Clarence Page is the winner of the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. He is a regular contributor of essays to The News Hour with Jim Lehrer and regularly appears on The McLaughlin Group, NBC's The Chris Matthews Show, ABC's Nightline and BET's Lead Story news panel programs. He is the recipient of numerous awards for community service and reporting, including lifetime achievement awards from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, the Chicago Headline Club, and the National Association of Black Journalists. He is an inductee to the Chicago Journalism Hall of Fame and the author of Showing My Color: Impolite Essays on Race and Identity (1996). He currently serves as a board member of the Knight Wallace Fellows at the University of Michigan.

The Other America: Then and Now will examine the legacy of Michael Harrington's 1962 book, The Other America, today – the causes of poverty and its effects, and new ideas for policies and interventions for workers, families, and children.

Identify the library resources that are most important for your research and learn how to access articles and books both on- and off-campus.

All sessions are free, but registration is required.

The debate will focus on how unequal American society has become and what is the best way to close the income gap, and will include Jared Bernstein, the former chief economist and economic adviser to Vice President Joe Biden, as well as libertarian scholar Charles Murray, author of the new book "Coming Apart." The moderator will be Pulitzer Prize winner Clarence Page, a syndicated columnist and editorial board member at the Chicago Tribune.

Pamela Ballinger, the Fred Cuny Professor of the History of Human Rights will deliver her inaugural lecture.

reception follows the free public lecture

A discussion on soil testing and why it’s performed. Also, Q&A and refreshments. Presented by Huron Valley Rose Society