Amenities/Events
Art Galleries
Gifts of Art's eight galleries annually feature 54 different exhibits, including two and three-dimensional. The artwork on display is richly diverse in style, medium, form and subject, and provides an ever-changing sampling of the best art the region has to offer. Visit Gifts of Art to view current exhibits, for an exhibit schedule and for exhibit locations.
To purchase a piece of art on exhibit, please call 734-936-ARTS.
Artists in Residence
Artists in Residence collaborate with Gifts of Art in the creation of participatory arts projects with our patients and staff. Our most recent project, The Dragon of Wishes Hopes and Dreams, was a collaboration with Art and Design Assistant Professor Anne Mondro and her students from the class Retaining Identity: The Role of Creative Work within the Healthcare Setting. The dragon was designed by artist Katy Bergman Cassell, funded by a FIGS grant, and brought about by participants creating messages in words and pictures on paper fans - more than 1,700 in all - which were then folded to become the scales adorning the Dragon. Spanning more than 16 feet, this magnificent dragon was dedicated to the patients, visitors, faculty and staff of the University of Michigan Health System on July 11, 2006 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers. It is located outside the University Hospital Main Lobby on the first floor.
Weekly Performances
In addition to sponsoring on-site art-making demonstrations, Gifts of Art presents weekly free public performances in music, theater and dance. Hospital audiences can expect to see anything from Shakespearean comedies to tap dance ensembles. Performers include local, regional and international artists. Summer events take place in the hospital courtyard, weather permitting. For a complete description of our current monthly performances, including photographs of this month's performers, performance locations and hours, visit Gifts of Art or call 734-936-ARTS.
Music in the Lobby
Volunteers perform in hospital waiting areas and on the baby grand piano in the University Hospital main lobby to provide soothing music for waiting patients, their families and friends, and staff.
If you wish to become a volunteer musician, please call 734-936-ARTS or contact Volunteer Services.
Friends Meditation Garden
Restorative gardens have had a presence in hospitals since the Middle Ages. The University of Michigan Health System is pleased to continue this tradition of hospitality with our Friends Meditation Garden. Our garden was specifically designed to provide an outdoor space of comfort and respite for patients, visitors and staff.
Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum
The University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum are about connecting people with nature, about sustaining the earth. We're about caring for our natural heritage. We're about sharing knowledge and promoting learning. Visit the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum web site.
