LSA Institute for the Humanities

07/28/2026

📿🫙 We are counting down the months until our first show of the fall semester, 'Grand Vision,' an exhibition by Detroit artist Olayami Dabls! In anticipation of the opening on September 22, be sure to familiarize yourself with Dabls's work and ethos by reading the interview below in BOMB Magazine. We are very excited for what is to come... 👨🏾‍🎨🫟

https://bombmagazine.org/articles/2026/06/03/olayami-dabls-by-katy-kim/

"Tucked on Grand River and West Grand Boulevard in Detroit, next to the Rosa Parks Memorial Highway, stands the Dabls MBAD African Bead Museum and accompanying public art installation...Equal parts artist, raconteur, entrepreneur, and keeper of memory, Olayami Dabls will usually be indoors with visitors or working out back. Born in 1948, in Canton, Mississippi, Dabls moved to Detroit in the early 1960s, where he worked in the drafting department at General Motors and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History before starting the Bead Museum in 1994."

An artist and a bead museum in Detroit transmit African culture.

07/13/2026

We're looking for an innovative Marketing-Communications Specialist to join our small but mighty team to help tell the stories of the Institute for the Humanities. Through compelling writing, thoughtful design, photography, video, social media, and other digital and print communications, you'll bring the ideas, people, and impact of the humanities to life for audiences on campus and beyond.

In this role, you'll plan and develop creative communications that highlight the Institute's exhibitions, public programs, research, and community partnerships while helping diverse audiences understand the relevance of the humanities in today's world. You'll identify meaningful stories, translate complex ideas into accessible and engaging content, and create communications that inspire curiosity, connection, and participation.

We're looking for a creative communications professional who is equal parts storyteller, designer, and strategist. The ideal candidate is intellectually curious, passionate about the humanities, and eager to continually grow as a writer, designer, and digital communicator. They are detail-oriented, thrive in a collaborative environment, can manage multiple projects simultaneously, and bring fresh ideas and innovative thinking to every project. Learn more and apply: https://myumi.ch/39k6Q.

05/21/2026

Make sure to check out LSA Magazine's Spring '26 issue, featuring a wonderful profile of Professor Rattanamol Singh Johal's history of art course "Ways of Seeing" by Gina Balibrera.

Early in the winter term, Professor Johal's class paid a visit to Kaloki Nyamai's exhibition 'Tukilile Vaa' in the Institute for the Humanities Gallery, photos from which are featured prominently throughout the article.

Many thanks to Professor Johal for engaging with Nyamai's work and for introducing his art history students to the in-depth, unmediated practice of visual analysis.

Read the full article at the link bio.

IMAGE DESCRIPTIONS

(1) An illustrated graphic featuring a photo of a student examining the back of Kaloki Nyamai's large hanging canvas artwork (Photo illustration by Becky Sehenuk Waite)

(2-3) Two different views of Nyamai's large-scale unstretched painting suspended from the ceiling and draped on the ground in the IH Gallery (Photos by PD Rearick)

05/15/2026

Walking view from beneath Diane Lavoie's installation 'Momentary Landscape' in the atrium of South Thayer Building.

VIDEO DESCRIPTION

(1) A quick video walk by of three suspended textile tapestries installed in the atrium of an academic building.

05/01/2026

360 look at Sheida Soleimani's exhibition 'Flyways' in the Institute for the Humanities Gallery.

Today is the final day to visit. Open until 5pm.

VIDEO DESCRIPTION

A slowly spinning video of the four walls in Soleimani's exhibition of photographs. Framed photos of varying size are installed at different heights around the room over top of a light blue line mural painting spanning all four walls.

04/29/2026

Included in Sheida Soleimani's IH Gallery exhibition 'Flyways' are five of her latest screenprints, part of a new and ongoing series (also titled 'Flyways') that diverges from the visual maximalism typically characteristic of her photographic practice.

The new series of screenprints exists within a larger body of work, 'Ghostwriter,' which traces the stories of Soleimani's parents and their experience as political refugees from Iran.

In these screenprints, Soleimani takes a more minimal approach, incorporating only a limited number of elements, such as recreations of her mother's sketches, images from a roll of test film that her mother shot back in Iran, and Soleimani's own c-print snapshots of injured birds during triage at her wildlife rehabilitation center. These works serve as a main focal point of the IH exhibition, visually complementing the dense and enchanting tableaux of the 'Ghostwriter' photographs.

This is the final week to visit Soleimani's exhibition at the Institute for the Humanities. Make sure to stop by the gallery for one last look before the show officially closes at 5pm on Friday!

IMAGE DESCRIPTIONS

(1-3) Individual images of three different Soleimani screenprints, each of which features a blurred background of trees and sky, an embedded close-up photograph of a bird, and a sketched line drawing over top of the composition.

04/23/2026

Installation images from Sheida Soleimani's solo exhibition 'Flyways' in the IH Gallery.

Soleimani's work will be on view at the Institute for one more week, through May 1st.

Photos by PD Rearick

Artwork © Sheida Soleimani, Courtesy of Harlan Levey Projects, Brussels

IMAGE DESCRIPTIONS

(1-4) Four straight-on images of the white IH Gallery walls covered with light blue line murals and framed photographs installed at varying heights throughout the space.

(5) An image of the IH Gallery title wall painted light blue and featuring the 'Flyways' exhibition title and curatorial essay printed in dark blue vinyl letters.

(6) An image of the IH Common Room with 5 photographs and 2 screenprints installed at different heights on a long light blue wall. Beneath the framed artworks and against the light blue there is a white line painting depicting a hospital.

04/22/2026

Come celebrate Earth Day with us at the Institute for the Humanities!

Join us this afternoon at 4pm for the opening reception of Berlin-based artist Diane Lavoie's pop-up exhibition 'Momentary Landscape,' an installation of three large-scale textile works composed entirely of upcycled fabrics.

The reception will feature an artist talk and Q&A, as well as food and refreshments. See below for full event details.

🎨 'Momentary Landscape' Opening Reception and Artist Talk with Diane Lavoie
📆 April 22, 2026
⏰ 4:00 - 6:00pm
📍 Institute for the Humanities, 202 S. Thayer
🎟️ Free and open to the public

IMAGE DESCRIPTIONS

(1-3) Three different views of Lavoie's large-scale textile artworks suspended in the atrium of South Thayer Building.

04/21/2026

Textural detail images from the forthcoming pop-up installation 'Momentary Landscape' by IH artist-in-residence Diane Lavoie.

Join us tomorrow afternoon at 4pm in the atrium of South Thayer Building for an opening reception, artist lecture, and brief Q&A with Diane Lavoie and IH Arts Curator Amanda Krugliak.

Snacks and refreshments will be available throughout the reception.

🎨 'Momentary Landscape' Opening Reception and Artist Talk with Diane Lavoie
📆 April 22, 2026
⏰ 4:00 - 6:00pm
📍 Institute for the Humanities, 202 S. Thayer
🎟️ Free and open to the public

IMAGE DESCRIPTIONS

(1-8) Close-up images of Lavoie's textile collages, featuring various sections of multicolored, upcycled fabrics sewn together.

04/20/2026

Love to explore humanities topics and ideas? Apply for the 26-27 internship to turn those conversations into programs and events geared toward undergraduate students!

Interested? Applicants must:
• Be a rising Junior or Senior
• Be available Wednesday evenings from 6-8 PM for weekly group dinner meetings
• Commit 7 hours per week (2 hours for the group meeting + 5 hours in person at the Institute for the Humanities)
• Have a strong interest in the humanities (open to students of all majors)
• Be in residence for the entire academic year (September 2026 – April 2027) (students studying abroad during this period are ineligible)
• Willing to lead one event and attend all other intern-organized events
• Attend and assist at two Institute for the Humanities events per semester (separate from intern-organized events)

Follow the link in our bio or in the comment section for more information, and apply by May 18!

Have any questions? Contact Stephanie Harrell, assistant director, undergraduate education & marketing, at [email protected].