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.

A driving force in Monte Nagler’s artist quest is to have others see the world in a finer light and to appreciate life a little more. He has the ability to make visible what others can only sense, sharing with viewers the emotional beauty he experiences. Nagler’s photographs, which have won numerous awards, are found in many private and public collections, including the Detroit Institute of Art, the U-M Museum of Art and the Grand Rapids Art Museum. He is also a noted writer, lecturer and teacher of photography and the author of six highly successful photography books.

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).”

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.

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.

Students are encouraged to create 3-minute videos using topics from the CashCourse website (www.cashcourse.org/umofa). Grand Prize: $250 gift certificate to the U-M Computer Showcase. Entry deadline: Oct. 31. Visit www.cashcourse.org/umofa/school-page for entry details.

Travel, an essential activity of human societies, has evolved into an industry with social, economic and environmental impacts. From pilgrimage and exploration to trade and tourism, advances in transportation have enabled new types of travel and created new places, some existing solely for the vacationer. This exhibition highlights changes in travel including information on early pilgrimages, exploration narratives, the grand tour of Europe, women travellers, World’s Fairs, the birth of the family vacation and specialized tourism using maps and narratives from the Library collections.

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.

Call 734-764-0352 for exhibit availability.

Celebrate Bisexuality with coffee, bagels, and fun discussion! Sponsored by the UM Spectrum Center and Bilateral student org.

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.

Canan Tolon’s paintings and installations serve as visual records of the passing of time. Each swipe captures the gesture as well as the memory of the gesture, now already in the past. Each panel appears to duplicate itself beyond any final tally, proliferating in the room.

Upon first glance, Tolon’s constructs evoke a sense of freedom in their repetition. They appear infinite, suggestive of vast open spaces, like the modern landscapes viewed out of a train window, or the documentary film reels from the mid- twentieth century. They draw us in, inviting our dreams and interpretations. In this momentary introspection, we contemplate our own histories.

Then, like the first day of any highly anticipated tomorrow, after the proverbial summer full of expectation…expecting things to change, to be different, to be new again, we are struck with a profound disillusionment, stranded in a place full of promise that never delivers. In a turn, the world of photographic familiarity Tolon has created collapses in on itself. — Amanda Krugliak, arts curator

This Institute for the Humanities original installation was made possible by the generosity of the 2012 Kidder Residency in the Arts. The installation is based on Canan Tolon’s observations and experiences during her time in Ann Arbor, and many of the materials used are salvage materials from her visits to Detroit architectural yards.

Thurnau Prof. of Dance Peter Sparling’s screendance installation, Clonal Renderings will be shown as part of: I know you’re there, but who am I?: Explorations of Identity and Place. This juried exhibition explores the intersection of identity and place. How does place shape identity? How does identity shape the places we choose to inhabit? Gallery hours 12PM-7PM

Cut time spent sitting at your computer toiling away at Microsoft Word! In this workshop, you’ll learn how to use Word features effectively and efficiently, including: creating a basic template, inserting footnotes, images and page numbers, generating tables of contents and figures; and more! Participants should have basic experience using MS Word.

Note this version of the workshop specifically uses Office 2010 (Windows). This session is specifically for those working on a dissertation or thesis.

All sessions are free, but registration is required.

The class will present a collection of short stories by Latin American women writers. A brief discussion of the short story as a literary form will be included. For that purpose we will read “Some Aspects of the Short Story” by Julio Cort’azar. All reading material will be provided in class. Facilitated by Eliana Moya-Raggio.

No class 10/15

Workshop developed to help students better understand how to interview successfully

About the event: In this inaugural Ford Policy Union debate, Peter Navarro, the director and producer of the movie Death by China, will argue China's unfair trade and membership in the World Trade Organization are the primary causes of job losses and weak growth in the United States. Phil Potter will make the case that the relationship with China has led to gains and losses for both sides and that China is not primarily to blame for recent economic challenges in the United States.

Speakers: Peter Navarro, Professor, The Paul Merage School of Business, University of California; Phil Potter, Assistant Professor, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan.

More about the Ford Policy Union: The University of Michigan's International Policy Center at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy organizes and hosts the Ford Policy Union, a series of public debate events. The events feature one outside expert; a public policy practitioner, government official, academic and/or an international intellectual; and one U-M faculty member. The two participants present opposing views on a topic and answer questions from the audience.

Professor Daniel Halberstam, Eric Stein Collegiate Professor of Law, Director, European Legal Studies Program, University of Michigan Law School

Professor Sinisa Rodin, Jean Monnet Chair, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Law, Croatia

The International Law Workshop hosts prominent practitioners, jurists, policy makers, academics, and government officials to discuss topics that will capture the attention of a general law student audience. It is intended to introduce today's most debated issues in international and comparative law and to provide a forum to discuss critical global challenges as they relate to law and policy. Speakers generally talk for 25 minutes, followed by discussion and questions. The Workshop is coordinated by Assistant Dean for International Affairs Virginia Gordan and members of the Law School faculty. It is open to members of the University community.

This workshop will introduce you to the University’s extensive library system so that you can start using library resources immediately, and will provide an introduction to databases for conducting online research. This session will be taught by engineering librarians, with a focus on engineering resources. All students who are interested in learning about the library are welcome to attend.

All sessions are free, but registration is required.

Featuring staff from the state branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, this meeting will introduce the plans that the ACLU has for the Fall semester. Students who are interested in civil liberties, law, or are looking for leadership positions are welcomed to attend.

Christopher James Lees, conductor. The UPO begins their year with colorful and energetic music from Finland and Russia, culminating in Tchaikovsky\&##39;s darkly conflicted, and ultimately victorious, Fourth Symphony. PROGRAM: Rimsky-Korsakov - Dance of the Tumblers from the Snow Maiden; Sibelius - Karelia Suite; Tchaikovsky - Symphony no. 4 Pre-concert lecture at 7:15 in the Lower Lobby.