Stamps School of Art & Design

Stamps alumna Alexandra Collins (BFA '24) is featured as a spotlight artist in the 2026 MFA Annual issue of New American Paintings, a special edition of the magazine that showcases 40 emerging student and recent-graduate painters from across the United States. Her work is also currently on view in the Summer Juried Exhibition at Viridian Artists in Chelsea, New York City, and at Hard Return Art Gallery in Chicago.

Since graduating from Stamps, Alexandra has earned her MFA in Painting from Cranbrook Academy of Art. We’re thrilled to celebrate her continued success and can't wait to see where her artistic journey takes her next.

Congratulations, Alexandra!

🎨 See what's happening at Stamps this August!

Whether you're just beginning your college search or getting ready to apply, check out this month's Undergraduate Admissions info sessions and events! You'll hear directly from Stamps staff and current students about our programs, studio culture, campus life, and the admissions process.

We can't wait to meet you.

If you have questions before an upcoming event, feel free to leave them in the comments below!

Curious about life at the University of Michigan's Stamps School of Art & Design?

Join our virtual Undergraduate Info Session next week (Monday, Aug. 10) to meet our staff, connect with current students, and learn more about our programs, faculty, studio culture, and admissions process.

Your next creative chapter starts here!

Have questions? Feel free to leave a comment below.

🗓️ Monday, AUG 10 & AUG 24
🕒 3–4 PM (ET)
💻 Virtual
🎟️ Free | RSVP required

https://stamps.umich.edu/events/virtual-information-session-2-2-3-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2

The winter term is over, but we’re still reflecting on the thoughtful and visually driven work created in ARTDES 211: Sign and Symbol, taught by Stamps Professor Franc Nunoo-Quarcoo.

Throughout the semester, students explored how symbols shape the ways we navigate, interpret, and understand the world around us. Through design projects, readings, discussions, and research, they examined the cultural, psychological, social, and historical meanings embedded within visual language while building a deeper understanding of core principles in visual communication.

From digital interfaces and airports to global stages like the Olympic Games, signs and symbols play a critical role in how people move through and experience shared spaces. Drawing inspiration from these systems, students developed their own symbol languages for real-world audiences, working at the intersection of clarity, accessibility, and meaning.

STUDENT WORK BY:
1. Caitlin Cherry
2. Ibrahima Diallo
3. Shivali Kanthan

Ready to take the next step in your artistic journey? Envision: The Michigan Artist Initiative recognizes Michigan artists creating impactful, experimental work that advances contemporary art and shapes what's next.

✨ 2027 Envision Award and cash prize
✨Artists working in all media are encouraged to apply.
✨DEADLINE TO APPLY: Sunday, Aug 2, 2026
✨Learn more at stamps.umich.edu/envision27

Thinking about transferring to the U-M Stamps School of Art & Design?

Join us for a virtual Transfer Student Info Session to learn more about our programs, the transfer process, and life at Stamps.

Hear directly from current students and the admissions team during a presentation and live Q&A, and get your questions answered about becoming part of our creative community.

We look forward to meeting you!

📅 Monday, August 17
⏰ 3–4 PM ET
💻 Virtual event
🎟️ Free, registration required

https://stamps.umich.edu/events/transfer-student-info-sessions-5-3-3-3

The Envision 2027 Call for Work deadline is approaching! If you've been thinking about applying, now is the perfect time to get started. Give yourself plenty of time to complete your application before the deadline.

✨ 2027 Envision Award and cash prize
✨Artists working in all media are encouraged to apply.
✨DEADLINE TO APPLY: Aug 2, 2026
✨Learn more at stamps.umich.edu/envision27

📚 Congratulations to Stamps alum Masimba Hwati (MFA '19) on the publication of his new book, Chidzimbahwe: Philosophies of Sound!

Drawing on the cultural and political experiences of Zimbabwe's diverse peoples, Chidzimbahwe: Philosophies of Sound, published by Palgrave Macmillan | Springer Nature, offers an interdisciplinary exploration of sound, listening, and Indigenous knowledge systems. The book challenges Western-centered approaches to sound studies while illuminating sound as a site of memory, resistance, spirituality, identity, and world-making.

We're proud to see Masimba contributing new perspectives to global conversations on sound, culture, and philosophy.

Stamps Assistant Professor Emilia Yang has completed a three-month residency at the Cité internationale des arts in Paris as part of the Mesoamerica Residency, supported by the Government of France in Central America.

During her residency, Yang developed new work exploring exile, collective memory, trans feminist solidarities, and the sky as a political and symbolic space. Working in collaboration with Latinx, trans, and feminist communities, she created kites conceived as “portals:” tools for gathering, storytelling, and imagining alternative futures shaped by shared histories of displacement and resistance.

Her residency included workshops with Acceptess-T, a trans advocacy organization supporting trans women migrants, and La Cité Audacieuse, France’s first feminist hub. She also led a public action titled “Partager le Ciel” (Sharing the Sky) at the Bois de Vincennes, inviting participants to engage in a collective act of kite-flying as a community practice.

Through this work, Yang continues to expand her practice at the intersection of art, activism, and community-based research, creating spaces where memory and solidarity can take shape in public space.

About the Mesoamerica Residency:
The Mesoamerica Residency supports artistic exchange and research by providing artists from Central America and Mexico with opportunities to develop their work in international contexts. This residency at the Cité internationale des arts in Paris was supported by the Cooperation and Cultural Action of the Government of France in Central America and made possible in collaboration with La Nueva Fábrica Guatemala, Mazorca Art, ACA Paris, and Cubo Barro.

🎨 Step inside Stamps and see where creativity comes to life.

On Friday, July 24, join us for an in-person tour of the Stamps School of Art & Design and explore the studios, maker spaces, and creative environments where students learn, experiment, and collaborate.

Tours also include an undergraduate information session and live Q&A with our admissions team, giving you the opportunity to learn more about our programs, the application process, and what it's like to be part of the Stamps community.

Whether you're just beginning your college search or preparing to apply, we'd love to welcome you to Stamps.

✨ Come explore, ask questions, and imagine what's possible.

🗓️ Friday, July 24, 2026
🕒 10 AM – 12 PM
Art & Architecture Building: 2000 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor MI 48109-2069
🎟️ Free | RSVP required: https://umforms.tfaforms.net/218393