ANN ARBOR—A University of Michigan-affiliated program that aims to increase access to the arts while promoting diversity and inclusion has been recognized with a new award.

The University Musical Society received the Arts Presenters/MetLife Foundation Award for Arts Access in Underserved Communities. The $10,000 award was presented Jan. 22 at the annual conference of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters in New York.

The award recognizes UMS’ “innovative strategies” aimed at attracting and developing audiences in rural and inner-city neighborhoods along with communities of new immigrants and ethnic areas that are considered “in transition” or highly changing.

Further, the award underscores how UMS’ strategies effectively coincide with the goal at U-M to foster cultural diversity and engage the many communities within the region, said UMS President Kenneth C. Fischer.

MetLife Foundation supports through grants a range of educational, health and welfare, civic and cultural organizations across the country. Among the foundation’s goals is increasing access to the arts while promoting diversity and inclusion.

“The award demonstrates the outstanding achievements of our colleagues in the field and those who work tirelessly on our behalf to promote accessibility,” said Sandra Gibson, president and CEO of Arts Presenters.

In the last 15 years, UMS has reached many of the region’s underserved communities, developing partnerships through shared programming.

“We don’t want our partnerships to end with the season’s last performance,” said Ben Johnson, director of education and audience development at UMS. “That’s why we have a plan to always work with these underserved communities.”

The goal, said Johnson, is for programming to complement the U-M curriculum and reflect the rich cultural diversity of the region.

“It’s about recognizing who is in your community and how we can celebrate what is unique about that community, and then, broadening the public perception about what they’re all about,” he said.

UMS is among the oldest performing-arts presenters in the country. It is affiliated with U-M, but it is an independent not-for-profit organization supported largely by ticket sales, grants, contributions and endowment income. With programs in music, dance and theater, UMS presents more than 60 performances and 100 free educational activities each season.

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