Institute for Advanced Study, University of Minnesota

Upending expectations about the place and power of art From training empathetic doctors to driving rural engagement, the University of Minnesota is redefining the power of art.

Ciojwé Davis, a second year journalism student in the University of Minnesota Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication, attended our March 19 (In)Justice Series: What Happened to the Family Tree event and published a story on the East Bank Epitaph about the event’s impact and how oral stories function as living archives for her News Reporting and Writing Class. Thank you for this incredibly thoughtful portrayal of the conversation, Ciojwé!

Oral stories as living archives Three panelists, who are all UMN alumni, get together to discuss forgotten truths about their lineages, sparking conversation about the…

‼️Deadline approaching‼️ IAS Research & Creative Collaboratives support University of Minnesota faculty, students, staff, and community members working on interdisciplinary activities, including events, projects, public engagement activities, the creation of an intellectual community, or the exploration of a research area across disciplines. 💸 Funded for an 18-month period with budgets of up to $12,000, IAS Collaboratives also receive IAS administrative and promotional support. 🗓️ Apply by Monday, February 9!

IAS Research and Creative Collaborative Proposal | Institute for Advanced Study Next Application Deadline: Monday, February 9, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. CTIAS Research and Creative Collaboratives represent some of the most synergistic and innovative work at the University. Collaborative funding enables interdisciplinary activity that can sometimes be challenging within departmental an...

Mark your calendars for another fantastic year of Il Cinema Ritrovato on Tour! Read our full preview at the link below.

Thank you, Co'ox Mayab, for this wonderful recap of the Global Humanities Institute!

Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes

IAS Programming Manager Carolina Maranon-Cobos reflects on the 2024-25 (In)Justice Series on Just Policing: how scholars, artists, activists, and community leaders came together to ask hard questions about what justice really means—and what it might look like today, in the mess of the world we’re living in.

Looking Back, Moving Forward: Reflections on the (In)Justice Series on Just Policing | Institute for Advanced Study Carolina Maranon-Cobos, IAS Programming Manager

Save the Date! Don’t miss Then, Now, Next: a celebration of 20 years of the Institute for Advanced Study at the University of Minnesota and the retirement of Susannah Smith, our longtime managing director. ✨ Celebrate the collective achievements of the IAS, honor Susannah's profound gifts to the University, and get inspired by our ambitious plans for the future! ✨ University of Minnesota Twin Cities University of Minnesota Giving
🗓️ September 25, 2025 • 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
🏢 Northrop, Memorial Hall & Atrium
🎉 Full event details to come

Lisa Channer (University of Minnesota Theatre Arts & Dance, College of Liberal Arts | University of Minnesota) spent Spring 2025 as an IAS Residential Faculty Fellow, connecting with community and peers in search of a medium to apply her current work in progress. Her project explores the captivating story of her mother, Eileen Channer; a secret pregnancy and birth, and paves the way for a complex discussion on mid-century views of reproductive rights, women’s autonomy, and social norms in the United States. ✨We are to offer time and space for faculty like Lisa who are exploring new avenues for their work!

Lisa Channer: Documenting the Personal and Political | Institute for Advanced Study May 8, 2025

Join us Wednesday next week for the final event in the (In)Justice Series on Just Policing! For this final conversation, we return to the core concern of our project: how can scholarship, activism, and community engagement move us toward a more just future? We'll be joined by Monica C. Bell (Yale University) and Leesa Kelley (Memorialize The Movement), with Michelle S. Phelps (UMN Sociology).

(In)Justice Series | Toward Just Futures | Institute for Advanced Study IAS Thursdays Wednesday, April 16, 2025 | 3:30 - 5:00 pm CDT Hybrid: Northrop, Best Buy Theater & Online Free Event, Registration Requested Register Now In the final event of the 2024–25 (In)Justice Series on Just Policing, we come back to the core concern of our project: What might it take to cre...

Congratulations to Ann DuHamel, IAS Affiliate and Associate Professor of Music at the University of Minnesota Morris—Ann was just named the 2025-26 recipient of the Faculty Distinguished Research Award! ✨🎶 Ann joined the IAS as a residential fellow in Fall 2021, early in her time working on her largest and most ambitious project to date: “Prayers for a Feverish Planet: A Musical Exploration of Climate Change,” which brings together composers from across 35 countries and combines musical composition with scientific conversations around climate changes. While a fellow, Ann spent time recording on Northrop's grand piano, developing her project, and organized a series of public events. We loved heading up to Morris to partner with Ann for an event kicking off her series with Kate Knuth. Congratulations, Ann! You embody the strength and power of interdisciplinary work! 👏👏👏
https://morris.umn.edu/news-events/news/duhamel-receives-faculty-distinguished-research-award

Join us in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico in January, 2026! Explore how Indigenous communities creatively respond to the cascading effects of mega-development projects and mass tourism—such as neglect of local needs, dispossession and displacement, destruction of local ecosystems, and other consequences. Travel, accommodation, and food is fully funded. Apply by May 1, 2025.
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¡Únete a nosotros en la Península de Yucatán, México, en enero de 2026! Explora cómo las comunidades indígenas responden creativamente a los efectos en cascada de los megaproyectos de desarrollo y el turismo masivo—como el abandono de las necesidades locales, el despojo y desplazamiento, la destrucción de los ecosistemas locales, entre otras consecuencias.
Traslado, alojamiento y alimentación seran cubiertos por el programa. Aplica antes del 1 de mayo de 2025.
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Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán UADY • Co'ox Mayab • Institute for Advanced Study, University of Minnesota • Humanities Research Centre at The Australian National University • Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes

Call for Participants: Global Humanities Institute 2026 | Indigenous Mobilities, Tourism, and Racial Capitalism Indigenous Mobilities, Tourism, and Racial CapitalismApplication Deadline: May 1, 2025, by 11:59 pm Central Daylight Time (GMT -5)Institute / Diplomado Dates: January 5-16, 2026