Winter break doesn’t need to leave you with nothing to do. The quiet campus is still alive with inspirational arts experiences in-person and online.

Both Sides of the Line (UMMA)

The University of Michigan Museum of Art is currently showing “Both Sides of the Line: Carmen Herrera & Leon Polk Smith,” an exhibition uniting two of the 20th century’s most visionary abstract artists.

Despite a decades-long friendship between the artists, the UMMA exhibition marks the first examination of their work side by side, offering a profound exploration of their intertwined legacies and shared impact on American abstraction.

Neighbors, friends and pioneers of geometric abstraction, Herrera (1915-2022) and Smith (1906-1990) often explored similar themes of form, color and space. Herrera, a Cuban immigrant, and Smith, a gay man born in Indian Territory—their approaches to abstraction intersected and diverged in dynamic ways.

Learn more about the free exhibition, on view through Jan. 4, 2026.

Women of the Kahn Family (Clements Library)

If you have ever wandered around the Ann Arbor campus, you have almost certainly passed by a building designed by the architect Albert Kahn. From the Hill Auditorium and the Burton Tower behind it, to the William L. Clements Library, 19 out of the original 23 Kahn-designed buildings remain on campus and in Ann Arbor today.

Now, Albert’s granddaughter, Carol Rose Kahn wants to shine a light on some of the overshadowed members of the Kahn family. Starting out as a project for an oral history class she took in college, Kahn has continued to dig deeper into her family’s history. With the help of her colleague, Annabelle Otto, they have compiled documents and photos detailing the lives of some of the Kahn women and their contributions to the better-known Kahn accomplishments.

“Women of the Kahn Family” is on view at the Duderstadt Center Gallery from Jan. 6-12, 2026, and open to the public during the gallery’s hours. Learn more about the exhibit.

Wild Places: Oil Paintings by Cathy VanVoorhis (Michigan Medicine)

Now through the end of February, the Michigan Medicine Gifts of Art gallery features oil paintings by Stamps lecturer Cathy VanVoorhis.

Her oil landscape paintings represent her experience with the healing power of nature as she travels to lakes, rivers and streams to witness the ecology and beauty of the natural coastlines of Michigan. This particular collection more broadly captures the wonder of “wild places” across many different landscapes.

Art in Public Spaces

On a sunny (ish) winter’s day in Ann Arbor, consider utilizing the newly launched Art in Public Spaces guide. This interactive map will guide you to recognizable sculptures, hidden treasures and all of the other works of public art across central and north campus that are an essential part of the DNA of U-M.

For students: Art to go

For the first time, U-M’s Art Lending Collection introduces a bold new way for students to experience art at the University of Michigan—by living with it.

Launched by the Art in Public Spaces team and hosted by UMMA, this exhibition marks the debut of a new lending library of original artworks that will be made available to students for display in their residence hall rooms throughout the academic year.

Featuring 75 small-scale works by contemporary artists—many with deep ties to Michigan—Art at Home is co-curated by five student leaders from the Bridge Scholars Plus program. Check out the free exhibit before the works are selected to go home with students on Jan. 18, 2026.

Explore from Home

Lawrence Kasdan archive in the Screen Arts Mavericks & Makers Collection

Screenwriter and director Lawrence Kasdan, who has been nominated for four Academy Awards, has donated his career archive to U-M, his alma mater.

Known for many hits including “The Big Chill,” “The Accidental Tourist” and “Grand Canyon,” Kasdan’s collection of papers, photos and film paraphernalia will be housed in the U-M Library’s Screen Arts Mavericks and Makers Collection, which also features Orson Welles, Robert Altman, John Sayles, Jonathan Demme, Nancy Savoca and Alan Rudolph, among others. Kasdan is the first U-M alum represented among the cohort.

In addition to drafts of scripts—some that were never sold or produced, call sheets, documentation of life on a film set, all pre- and post-production materials, and photo albums depicting what Kasdan describes as “the families that were formed for each project,” the collection includes:

• Original audio tapes of the “Raiders of the Lost Ark” story conference with George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg
• Still photos from the Kevin Costner scene that was famously cut from “The Big Chill”
• Kasdan’s personal movie poster collection
• Correspondence with actors who auditioned for various roles in Kasdan’s films across his career
• Kasdan’s written reflections on his works-in-progress, which provide deeper insight into his creative process

Learn more from the U-M Library.

On the Trail of Mastodons (U-M Museum of Natural History)

Have you met our very own prehistoric power couple who both hail from just a few hours drive from Ann Arbor? “On the Trail of Mastodons” features two unusually complete mastodon skeletons—a male and a female, both discovered and excavated in Michigan with help from U-M scientists.

UMMNH says the exhibit is the only place in the world where you can see a male and female mastodon skeleton side-by-side and see a mastodon skeleton paired with a mastodon trackway.

Learn more about the mastodon pair.