NEWS & EVENTS

WorkPlay competition awards presented March 27, in the Stamps Auditorium

When U-M’s North Campus deans look out their windows or into their classrooms, they see a lot of brilliant students and faculty hard at work. They are much less likely to see anyone engaged in play.

Yet learning the appropriate balance between work and play is part of the educational experience. A well-designed campus should provide everyone the opportunity to pursue intellectual growth and to interact informally with fellow students, faculty and staff.

Sponsored by the five North Campus deans and Arts on Earth, the Work/Play competition sought proposals for a new, inventive and compelling destination at the heart of North Campus – a project both beautiful and intellectually challenging that would give North Campus an irresistible place to play.

Competing design teams had to include both students and faculty from at least two North Campus units. $20,000 in prize money and a project budget of up to $500,000 to build a winning proposal proved enticing.

143 students, faculty, and staff from six different units formed 31 design teams and submitted proposals. The jury was hard pressed to make a decision. But they did choose, and their decisions will be announced on Thursday, March 27. View the winners »

“Arts & the Environment: Earth, Air, Fire, Water” to be Fall 2008 AoE Project.

Artists, scholars, engineers, architects, and educators will explore the deep connections between the arts and the environment, in creative combinations of teaching, learning, scholarship, performance, presentation, and community engagement. On November 6-7 in the Video Studio in the Duderstadt Center, participants from across the U-M community will be involved in experiential education that brings the work to life. Relevant work will also be presented before, during, and after November 6-7 in gallery, performance, and outdoor spaces throughout the U-M campus and online. More details will be posted here as the work progresses.

Theo Jansen to visit on November 6

The astounding Dutch environmental artist/sculptor/inventor Theo Jansen will be brought to U-M on November 6 by the School of Art & Design’s Penny Stamps Distinguished Visitor Series. Jansen will lecture at 5:10 at the Michigan Theater as an extension of AoE’s exploration of Arts & the Environment. For an eye-opening introduction to his work, view this video.

AoE’s course, “Creative Process,” wins Provostal funding

Arts on Earth will begin piloting a new undergraduate course, “Creative Process,” in Winter 2009. Funded by Provost Teresa Sullivan through the Multidisciplinary Learning and Team Teaching Initiative, “Creative Process” s designed to help undergraduates recognize, articulate, and fully develop their creative ideas. Students will explore expression in four major modalities, guided by faculty in Art & Design; Music, Theatre & Dance; Architecture + Urban Planning; and Engineering. More information about course design, staffing, and location will be available in Summer 2008.