Several years ago, UMMA sent out a call to filmmakers, artists, writers, photographers, storytellers, and arts enthusiasts to create 2-3 minute videos in response to works of art in the Museum’s collection.
Seventeen participants were ultimately selected, including high school and undergraduate students, UM alumni, musicians, teachers, and community leaders.
Ranging in age from 14 to 59, some had no filmmaking or artistic experience, while others had quite a bit. For several months, they worked closely with independent filmmakers Donald Harrison, Sharad Patel, Emilia Javanica, and Martin Thoburn to turn their ideas into reality.
The result is more than an hour of powerful, visual responses to the art in UMMA’s collection, and it’s well worth exploring.
If you’ve been feeling stuck inside recently, needing a distraction, or just miss wandering our galleries, now is a great time to rediscover the Many Voices project and the incredible work our participants developed for the Many Voices project.
So pop some corn, dim the lights, and get comfy. All of the videos are all available for free on YouTube, or you can stream them below.
We want to hear from you! Which are your favorites? Let us know on social media.
Many Voices at UMMA was generously supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.