MSU College of Arts & Letters

Michigan State University Religious Studies faculty members Nareman Amin and Leila Tarakji explore how enslaved African Muslims preserved their faith, literacy, and identity in early America, via The Conversation US.

How enslaved African Muslims resisted bo***ge through their faith and writing As the US approaches the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, two scholars revisit the rich legacy of American Muslims.

“Sally: A Solo Play,” written by acclaimed playwright and Michigan State University Department of English alum Sandra Seaton, reimagines the life of Sally Hemings and reclaims a voice long relegated to history's margins. Following its February world premiere at Wharton Center for Performing Arts, a recording of the production will air on WKAR - Public TV June 19 as part of its America 250 programming celebrating Juneteenth. "Sally: A Solo Play" also features the work of Michigan State University Department of Theatre faculty Kirk Domer and Alison Dobbins, who were part of the production’s creative team.

Michigan State University Assistant Professor Blaire Morseau merges science fiction and Indigenous culture in her research and teaching. Here, Morseau unpacks what science fiction is and how Indigenous science fiction offers a unique entry point into the genre.
https://cal.msu.edu/news/ask-the-expert-how-indigenous-science-fiction-expands-the-genre/

The Michigan Pride Juried Exhibition celebrates the creativity, diversity, and resilience of LGBTQ+ artists from across Michigan. The exhibition, presented by MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY - Art | Art History | Design and The City of East Lansing, creates space for LGBTQ+ artists to share work rooted in identity, memory, community, resistance, and joy. It runs June 11-July 23 at (SCENE) Metrospace in downtown East Lansing.

Michigan State University is hosting its MSU Juneteenth Commemorative Celebration June 15-19, bringing together students, faculty, staff, alums, and community members. Two faculty members from MSU’s Department of African American and African Studies — LeConté Dill and Liv Furman — are leading events during the weeklong celebration.

MSU Juneteenth Celebration to Feature Events Led by African American and African Studies Faculty Michigan State University is hosting its sixth annual MSU Juneteenth Commemorative Celebration June 15-19, 2026, bringing together students, faculty, staff, alums and community members.

Did you know the metal sculpture “Cadence” brings together science and art in the Michigan State University Molecular Plant Sciences Building?

Artist Albert Paley worked with MSU faculty to create a sculpture that “grows” across the indoor brick wall through the glass windows signifying the strong connection between plant research happening in the building’s labs and the adjacent garden spaces outside.

Paley also created the abstract steel gates at the east and west entrance of the MSU Beal Botanical Garden metaphorically linking the plants and natural space.

Based in Rochester, New York, Paley has been creating artwork and sculptures for more than 50 years. In 2025, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award in Contemporary Sculpture from the International Sculpture Center.

Proud of this: Michigan State University ranks #32 worldwide and #15 in the U.S. for its arts and humanities research, according to the U.S. News and World Report Best Global Universities for 2025-2026.

Through a partnership between the MSU Translation Center, the Excel Network, and Chispa 4-H, aspiring translators at Michigan State University are gaining hands-on experience while helping expand access to educational programming for Spanish-speaking communities across Michigan. The experience offers students insight into how language access can shape trust, belonging, and opportunity within communities.

Michigan State University students in Department of English Professor Julian Chambliss' Readings in Graphic Narratives course partnered with Capital Area District Libraries in downtown Lansing to create a display and thematic reading lists featuring comics and graphic novels. This was an opportunity for students to transform their classroom learning into a public humanities project supporting the community and CADL Summer Reading Challenge, which starts today and runs through Aug. 8.

The recent Michigan State University Department of Theatre production of “Mary Jane” invited the audience to become part of the student performance, transforming a healthcare simulation center into an intimate, immersive theatrical experience that blurred the line between actors and audience.

Theatre Professor Rob Roznowski and students on the production team worked closely with the MSU Learning and Assessment Center to adapt the medical simulation environment for the performances allowing the audience to step inside one mother’s journey of caring for her chronically ill son.