Happy trails: Conservancy brings universal access to seven trails in northwestern Michigan

Two hikers walking along the universal trails at Arcadia Marsh.=

The Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy has created more than three miles of accessible trails since 2016 when the Overlook Trail at Arcadia Dunes opened. It’s all part of the conservancy’s work since 1991 under the leadership of Glen Chown, who earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from U-M’s School of Environment and Sustainability.

  1. Millimeter-scale, energy-harvesting sensor system developed

    A 9-cubic millimeter solar-powered sensor system developed at U-M—1,000 times smaller than comparable commercial counterparts—is the smallest that can harvest energy from its surroundings to operate nearly perpetually.

  2. Hanlon selected as U-M provost

    Philip Hanlon, the Donald J. Lewis Professor of Mathematics and vice provost for academic and budgetary affairs at the University of Michigan, has been selected as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs by U-M President Mary Sue Coleman. He succeeds Provost Teresa Sullivan, who is stepping down to become the president of the University of Virginia.

  3. Family support helps African-American boys with depression

    A study from U-M’s School of Social Work finds that while African American boys find help with depression from family members, they may feel apprehensive or distrustful of seeking additional help from a mental health professional.

  4. Childhood obesity may contribute to later onset of puberty for boys

    Increasing rates of obese and overweight children in the United States may be contributing to a later onset of puberty in boys, a U-M study suggests. The late puberty of overweight boys contrasts with findings that for girls, being heavier may bring on puberty earlier.

  5. Low carbohydrate meals after exercise may benefit diabetics

    New U-M research shows that meals eaten after each exercise session have an important impact on controlling blood sugar. The study suggests that eating meals with a relatively low carbohydrate content after exercise (but not low in calories) improved the control of blood sugar into the next day.

    Plus: Childhood obesity may lead to early onset of puberty in boys

  6. Echolocating bats and whales share molecular mechanism

    Over the course of evolution, bats and whales acquired echolocation abilities independently, for use in very different environments, so you’d expect the means by which each accomplishes the feat to differ. But a new U-M study suggests that at the microscopic level, the molecular structures for both species are very similar. It’s a striking discovery that overturns conventional thinking in evolution.

An Ungentle Art

Starting in 1990, Australian-born political satirist Pat Oliphant began spending annual periods in residence at U-M’s Wallace House Center for Journalists, where he sketched a wide range of American political figures. A sampling of these images, courtesy of the Wallace House, are displayed in the Clements Library exhibit “An Ungentle Art: Pat Oliphant and the American Tradition of Political Satire.” The sketches provoke conversation around four key themes in American politics: capability, character, corruption, and humiliation. This gallery and text come from the larger online exhibit, which contextualizes Oliphant’s satire with examples of political art from the Clements Library collection, dating from the 1700s to 1900. Click on any image to enlarge.

  • Richard Nixon, charcoal sketch, 2008

    Almost every politician in America loses at some point, and does so very publicly. How candidates handle defeat is presented as a measure of the kind of leader — and person — they are. Political defeat offers satirists a golden opportunity to skewer politicians. Richard Nixon has for several decades served as a useful visual shorthand for political humiliation — even if, as in Pat Oliphant’s sketch here, Nixon was defiantly unrepentant as he was forced to resign.

    Pat Oliphant sketch of Richard Nixon

  • Jimmy Carter and the “Killer Rabbit,” charcoal sketch, 2009

    How do we know who will be a capable leader? Who is ever truly ready to be President? The theme of capability and preparation has been a key touchstone for visual satirists throughout American history. Oliphant deftly skewered candidates who he felt showed themselves incapable of being strong leaders, in this case portraying Jimmy Carter cowering from the “killer rabbit” he encountered while fishing in Georgia in 1979.

    Pat Oliphant charcoal sketch of Jimmy Carter and the “Killer Rabbit,” 2009.

  • George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, charcoal sketch, 2009

    Political satire is not a gentle art — it is meant to leave a mark. Since the heyday of James Gillray and William Hogarth in 18th-century England, visual satirists have been able to “say” things about political leaders in their illustrations that would get writers censored (or worse). As such, it has played an important role in American political culture for over two centuries. Here, Oliphant depicts President George W. Bush as an incompetent child entirely under the command of his older Vice President Dick Cheney.

    Pat Oliphant sketch of George W. Bush being led around by Dick Cheney.

  • Spiro Agnew, charcoal sketch, 2009

    Corruption has long been one of the most appealing themes to political satirists. Few failings are as clear-cut as the use of political power for personal enrichment, and few acts are such explicit betrayals of the public trust. Oliphant frequently pointed to exchanges of money for political favors. Spiro Agnew was an easy target. Agnew resigned as Vice President in 1973 after a trial exposed kickbacks he accepted while governor of Maryland.

    Pat Oliphant, Spiro Agnew, charcoal sketch, 2009.

  • Bob Dole’s eyebrows, charcoal sketch, 1996

    Exaggerating politicians’ physical traits has long been a key element of visual satire. In a time before broadcast media, representation of specific traits made figures recognizable to readers who would likely never have seen that leader in person. Oliphant used Bob Dole’s glowering eyebrows to hint at Dole’s notoriously caustic wit.

    Bob Dole’s eyebrows, charcoal sketch, 1996

  • Ross Perot, charcoal sketch, 1998

    Expert satirists like Oliphant emphasize a single physical trait to comment on a person’s character, and thus their fitness for office. Ross Perot’s Dumbo-esque ears let readers know that the Texas billionaire may be too eccentric and goofy to be President.

    Pat Oliphant, Ross Perot, charcoal sketch, 1998.

  • George H.W. Bush, charcoal sketch, 1998

    Many of the qualities that we most readily associate with political leaders in our past come to us from satirical illustrations, not from things those leaders actually did. This exhibit invites you to think about how visual satire has shaped the way you think about political life in America. What can visual artists say about politics that writers can’t? What role does visual satire play in American political life in an age when most of what we read (and see) is online, rather than in a newspaper?

    Pat Oliphant, George H.W. Bush, charcoal sketch, 1998.