The Visual History of the Unions exhibition was supported by a 2024 IHP Research & Engagement Fund grant.
Artists: Martyna Alexander (BFA ‘12), Nick Azzaro (BFA ‘04, MFA 22), Sally Clegg (MFA ‘20), Liz Barick Fall (BFA ’88), Mary Hafeli (BFA ’82), Katie Hammond (BFA ‘04), Ellie Lee (BFA ’26), Mellisa Lee (BFA ‘22), Abigail Lowe (MFA ‘24), Melanie Manos (MFA ‘08), Angel Manson (BFA ‘22), Toby Millman (MFA ’07), Alison Rivett (MFA ’07), and Katie Shulman (BFA ‘10).
Visual History of the Unions was an exhibition that brought together the artwork of alumni and current students of the Stamps School of Art & Design (classes of 1982–2026) to reimagine how we see and understand our campus history. For this exhibition, artists were invited to create a new artwork based on a historical moment from U-M’s past. Focusing on the histories of the Michigan Union and Michigan League, widely regarded as the symbolic heart of campus, the artists uncovered overlooked narratives—women gaining access to the Union, the experiences of Black students, student protest movements, and the rich history of female impersonator performances—that reveal how these landmark spaces have long been sites of identity, activism, and transformation.
Through the artwork on view, the artists invited viewers to reflect on the stories that have shaped our collective memories of the Michigan Union and Michigan League and to consider how art can enrich and complicate our understanding of the past.
The exhibition was on view in the Opera Lounge, located on the first floor of the Michigan Union. View an overview of the artists’ interpretations of the history of the unions.
Guests gathered with the artists for an opening reception on November 6, 2025.
Image: Twenty-five U-M School of Nursing graduates gathered outside the Michigan League for the annual senior breakfast on May 26, 1935. | © The Ann Arbor News