Many histories have been written about the Cherokee nation. But “Cherokee History and the Spirit Family” by environmental lawyer James Barnes, J.D. ’70, delivers the nation’s history by way of his own expansive family network. ‘It’s personal in that sense,’ he says. And it’s powerful.

The award-winning RC graduate and Ann Arbor native followed one Washington, D.C., family for 20 years, producing a rare document of enduring love, hope, and resilience amid gun violence and economic hardship.

Musician Branford Marsalis spoke at the Ford School of Public Policy between a pair of gigs in Ann Arbor this week, noting he seeks harmony between art and activism. While he is adamant his job is ‘to make music,’ he understands the power it can possess beyond the notes. 

As a first-generation Arab-American Muslim, Tony-winning producer/director/writer Mosallam has found his niche by transforming the seemingly specific into the universally resonant.

“In Our Words: An Intergenerational Dialogue” features the works of contemporary artists Kelly Church and Cherish Parrish. Their traditional basket weaving material — black ash trees — are being attacked by an invasive species of beetle, the emerald ash borer, which kills the trees by eating the tissue under the bark.

Too often, performers are working with makeup artists and crew who are not trained on their skin tone and hair texture. So, when they should be fully embodying a character, they are instead confronted with limitations that can feel frustrating and demoralizing. Now, a professor from the School of Music, Theatre & Dance has teamed with a performer from RuPaul’s ‘Drag Race’ to change all that.

Retired Michigan Today columnist and beloved film professor Frank Beaver reflects on the life, career, and creative legacy of award-winning actor James Earl Jones, who died Sept. 9. As the distinctive voice of iconic ‘Star Wars’ villain Darth Vader, Jones has long cultivated an ardent fan base among his fellow alumni. Michigan football fans hear him each fall as the voice on the Wolverines’ pre-game hype video.

Veteran filmmaker Ilana Trachtman spent a decade researching and documenting the 1960 protest at Glen Echo Amusement Park, one of the nation’s earliest organized demonstrations to end segregation. The artist’s labor of love peaked when she discovered essential footage of a dramatic confrontation that matched an audio recording she’d been holding for years.

Throughout her time as an improv performer at U-M and in Los Angeles, Anna Garcia, BFA ’17, learned to listen and react, two critical skills for any successful actor. Those skills launched Garcia to the silver screen this summer, where she starred with Scarlett Johannson in “Fly Me to the Moon.”