Studio Art Major Explores Identity as Transgender Person Through CREATE! Micro-Grant Project

As a recipient of a 2023 CREATE! Micro-Grant, Cam Carmichael, a Studio Art major with a minor in Comics and LGBTQ Sexuality Studies, created an oil-painted self-portrait that explores his identity as a transgender person in today’s political climate. Centered around the intimate feelings of comfort Carmichael feels with his partner, the work, titled It’s Pink Because I Love You,…

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$650,000 Gift Establishes Two Scholarships and Supports English Department

Although they never had kids of their own, Gregory Shafer and Bernadette Gongora helped raise 39 foster children and soon will have a positive impact on the lives of countless students at Michigan State University for generations to come thanks to the $650,000 gift they made to MSU’s College of Arts & Letters. Married for 30 years, Shafer and Gongora say they…

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MFA Candidate Explores Themes of Masculinity and Identity Through Art

Gustavo Uriel Ayala, an artist with vibrant and thought-provoking pieces that delve into themes of masculinity, identity, and belonging, is one of the MFA candidates in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design at Michigan State University who is graduating this spring and whose work is included in the 2024 Master of Fine Arts Exhibition, which runs March 9-May…

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Chasten Buttigieg to Discuss Theatre, LGBTQ+ Rights and Representation at March 16 Event

New York Times bestselling author, teacher, arts enthusiast, and LGBTQ+ rights advocate Chasten Buttigieg, who also has a theatre background that includes working with kids with autism, will share, in a moderated conversation, his experiences with theatre at an event associated with What if Wilhelmina, the latest musical production of the Michigan State University Department of Theatre’s Sense-Ability Ensemble, which…

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Registration Still Open for 9th Annual Global Digital Humanities Symposium

This year’s Global Digital Humanities Symposium at Michigan State University will, in large part, focus on ethical Artificial Intelligence with each of the three keynote speakers planning to address the topic. Bill Hart-Davidson, Professor in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures at Michigan State University and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education in the College of Arts &…

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MFA Candidate Expands Her Skills and Artistic Voice at MSU

Renowned interdisciplinary artist Shirin Abedinirad, who is known for her immersive installations and profound explorations of nature and identity and who also is an MFA candidate at Michigan State University, will exhibit her latest land art installation as part of the 2024 Master of Fine Arts Exhibition at the MSU Broad Art Museum, which runs March 9-May 26.

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Researching the Role of Community for Black Students at Predominately White Institutions

Evamelo (Eva) Oleita, who is among the inaugural class of students majoring in African American and African Studies (AAAS) at Michigan State University, is researching the experiences of Black girls within predominately white institutions (PWIs) and how those students carve out spaces for themselves to thrive.

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Student View: Bringing STEM and the Arts Together

Grace Krajewski is a third-year student majoring in Human Biology in Lyman Briggs College and minoring in Dance and Spanish, both in the College of Arts & Letters. The Rochester Hills, Michigan, native writes about how her love of the arts has had an impact on her studies in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) field.

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Grace Pregent Named Director of The Writing Center

Grace Pregent, Ph.D., who had been serving as Interim Director of The Writing Center at Michigan State University since June 15, 2023, was named Director of the Center, effective January 1, 2024. A mentor, teacher, and administrator, Pregent is core faculty in Canadian Studies, affiliate faculty in Global Studies, and graduate faculty in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures.

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Dr. J. Drew Lanham to Present Signature Lecture, ‘Birding While Black,’ on March 12

The College of Arts & Letters is pleased to host MacArthur Fellow and acclaimed scholar, author, poet, and wildlife biologist Dr. J. Drew Lanham as part of the Signature Lecture Series. Lanham will speak about his experiences across the arts and sciences and explore racial and social themes connected with access to natural spaces in a lecture titled “Birding While…

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