News - College of Arts & Letters

A person smiling stands beside a library book display featuring various graphic novels. The shelves are filled with colorful covers, creating a vibrant and welcoming atmosphere.

MSU Students Partner with Capital Area District Libraries to Enhance Summer Reading Challenge

June 4, 2026

As readers across the Ingham County area take part in the Capital Area District Libraries’ (CADL) Summer Reading Challenge, Michigan State University students are helping guide the way — one graphic novel at a time. During the Spring 2026 Semester, students in the Readings in Graphic Narratives (ENG 325) course taught by Julian C. Chambliss, Professor of English, partnered with the CADL to create a comics-focused display.

Two women are standing in an indoor setting. One looks concerned with her hand on her forehead, while the other gently touches her shoulder, offering comfort.

Theatre

Medical Simulation Center Transformed into Immersive Theatre Production

June 3, 2026

For a recent theatre production presented by members of the Department of Theatre at Michigan State University, audience members became part of the performance, one that transformed a healthcare simulation center into a deeply intimate, immersive theatrical experience that blurred the line between actors and audience. This production of "Mary Jane" was not confined to the stage, nor was the audience confined to their seats.

A person in glasses and a dark sweater speaks into a microphone, set against a wooden paneled wall. The tone is confident and engaging.

Student

Sixth in MSU History: Commitment to Housing Justice Earns Student National Beinecke Scholarship

June 1, 2026

Michigan State University student Roberto “Marcos” Garcia received the nationally competitive Beinecke Scholarship, becoming the sixth MSU student to receive this prestigious award. He was one of only 16 recipients selected from 93 nominees nationwide. The scholarship provides graduate school funding for students intending to pursue research-focused graduate study in the arts, humanities, or social sciences and is valued at $35,000.

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AAHD / Art, Art History, and Design / Arts MSU / Award / News / Philosophy / Student / Student

Award-Winning Art and Interdisciplinary Research Earn Scholars Varg-Sullivan Awards

May 29, 2026

This year's Varg-Sullivan Endowed Graduate Award winners are Niloufar Fallahfar, a Spring 2026 MFA in Studio Art graduate, who is the 2026 Outstanding Achievement in the Arts recipient, and Jonah Branding, a graduate student pursuing a dual Ph.D. in Philosophy and Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, was named the 2026 Outstanding Achievement in Letters recipient. The Varg-Sullivan Endowed Graduate Awards, presented…

An energetic outdoor theatrical performance takes place on a stage featuring a backdrop shaped like an open, illustrated children's book. In the foreground, an audience seated in lawn chairs raises their arms to mirror the choreography of the actors on stage.

Theatre

Summer Circle Theatre to Offer Free Outdoor Performances at MSU June 4-21

May 26, 2026

Michigan State University’s Department of Theatre is preparing for the 2026 Summer Circle Theatre season, which runs June 4-21 and will feature three productions, along with pre- and post-show performances, including lively cabarets and improv. This marks the 64th year Summer Circle Theatre (SCT) has offered free outdoor performances for the public to enjoy. "In the past six decades,…

A composite image featuring a portrait of Ellen VanderMyde, a woman with blonde hair smiling in front of a colorful abstract painting, alongside an aerial, high-angle view of a vast agricultural research site, featuring a grid of vibrant green crop plots separated by dirt paths, with a distant treeline, a blue lake, and a bright blue sky filled with fluffy white clouds.

African American and African Studies / Arts MSU / Exhibition / Faculty / Faculty / Michigan Impact / News / Programs / Religious Studies / Research / Scholarship

Humanizing the Science: W.K. Kellogg Biological Station Artist-in-Residence Program Marks Fifth Year

May 21, 2026

The Farmscapes to Forests: Kellogg Biological Station Long-Term Ecological Research Artists-in-Residence Program is entering its fifth year, featuring Kalamazoo-based visual artist Ellen VanderMyde as the 2026 Artist-in-Residence and the debut of the program’s first group exhibition showcasing the work of last year’s cohort of Michigan State University College of Arts & Letters artists.

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Award / English / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / News

Mary Juzwik Receives MSU Beal Outstanding Faculty Award

May 18, 2026

Michigan State University Professor Mary Juzwik received a William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award, one of the university’s highest honors. The award recognizes her sustained contributions to research, teaching, and outreach, as well as her leadership in English education. Juzwik’s interdisciplinary scholarship and commitment to mentorship have shaped both the field and the next generation of educators.

A group of people is painting handprints in colorful paints on a white, sculptural object outdoors. They wear gloves and appear focused and collaborative.

AAHD / Art, Art History, and Design / Arts MSU / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / News / Student / Student

Student-Built Mobile Microgalleries Add New Public Art to East Lansing

May 15, 2026

Two new microgalleries from Michigan State University’s Department of Art, Art History, and Design (AAHD) will be featured at the 2026 East Lansing Art Festival on May 16 and 17, completing a three-part public art project designed and created by MSU students during the 2025-2026 academic year. The two new microgalleries are freestanding, mobile galleries designed to move between multiple sites and events. They will join the Honeycomb…

Gallery visitors view black-and-white photographs displayed on angled stands. The room is busy with people, and a warm light projects art on the wall.

News

Where the Photos Belong: How a Ghana-MSU Partnership Brought the Willis Bell Archive to Life

May 14, 2026

More than 40,000 photographs documenting Ghana’s first decades after independence have been restored, digitized, and returned to public view through a partnership between Ghana’s Mmofra Foundation and Michigan State University — a collaboration designed not only to preserve history, but to keep it rooted in the community where it was created. The Willis Bell Photographic Archive, spanning roughly from 1957…

A smiling person in a blue hoodie stands in front of abstract orange and brown sculptures in a well-lit gallery, conveying a relaxed and content mood.

Award / Exhibition / News / Student / Student

Yeroham Ashagre: Winner of the 2026 MFA Prize

May 13, 2026

Yeroham Ashagre is the 2026 Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Prize recipient, capping three years of intensive study as an MFA student in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design at Michigan State University. Ashagre received the MFA Prize for his thesis exhibition, “Womb of Tomb,” that is part of the 2026 MFA Exhibition on view at the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum through May 17, 2026.