Tours   

• An Outdoor Sculpture Tour on the U-M North Campus

• REGISTRATION NOT AVAILABLE Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.

• Offsite Tour: University of Michigan, North Campus
  Enrollment for this tour is limited to 12 attendees. A waitlist will be available.

  
  An Outdoor Sculpture Tour on the University of Michigan North Campus

  This walking tour of the University of Michigan North Campus will introduce participants to world-class examples of contemporary monumental outdoor sculpture as produced by some of the leading artists of our time. Many famous modern sculptors have contributed to the North Campus collection, including

  Tilted Donut with S, 2006, by Fletcher Benton (1931-2019)

  Indexer II, 2002, by Kenneth Snelson (1927-2016)

  Begob, 1996, by Alexander Liberman (1912-1999)

  Statue of Claude Shannon, 2001, by Eugene Daub (1942 - )

  Summaries of Arithmetic Through Dust, Including Writing Not Yet Printed, 1992, by Alice Aycock (1946- )

  3 Cubes in a Seven Axis Relationship, 2016, by Philip Stewart (Living Artist)

  Tools + Fire, 2012, by Jim Dine (1935 - )

  Triad Ritual, 1993, by Beverly Pepper (1922 – 2020)

  KÖSZÖNÖM (Thank You) Raoul Wallenberg by Jon Rush (UM Professor of Art, 1962-2006)

  Off Axis Holography, 2013, by Jens Zorn (Professor Emeritus, UM Physics Dept.)

  These are but a sampling of the extraordinary array of artists and works of art on North Campus, some of which will be included in this tour. Participants should wear comfortable walking shoes (not sandals), bring water to drink, wear sunscreen and a hat if necessary, and should be able to walk one mile. There will be opportunities to rest along the way. Driving, parking, and gathering directions will be sent to registrants prior to the tour. 

  Jennifer Edwards’ work history has always been in finance. She is a retired C.P.A. who began her volunteer docent work at UMMA in September 2015. Jennifer has led two previous North Campus art tours. 

  Show Description

   

• Fee: $15.00

• Instructor: Jennifer Edwards

  Capacity Remaining: -2

• Dates: 6/12/2023 - 6/12/2023

  Times: 10:00 AM - 11:15 AM

• Sessions: 1

  Days: M

• Building: Offsite

  Room: U-M North Campus

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• Robotics Tour at The University of Michigan

• REGISTRATION NOT AVAILABLE Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.

• Offsite Tour: Robotics Building, U-M North Campus

  Time: 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m.

  Enrollment for this tour is limited to 20 attendees. A waitlist will be available.

  
  The University of Michigan Robotics Department is located at the Ford Motor Company Robotics Building on North Campus. Opened in 2021, the 134,000-square-foot, four-story complex houses classrooms, offices, a cafe, and a startup-style open collaboration area and tailored lab space for a variety of robotic technologies. A few highlights you will see on the tour include:

  • Three-story fly zone for autonomous aerial vehicles
  • An outdoor obstacle course for walking robots
  • High-bay garage space for self-driving cars
  • A rehabilitation lab with a Stewart platform, force plates, and dual-tread treadmill
  • A robotics maker space with CNC, 3D printers, and other shop tools
  • An outdoor Mars Yard with imitation Martian rocks and soil for testing rovers
  • A live demo of a research robot  

    

  • Visitor parking space is provided across the street from the Robotics Department. Specific driving and parking information will be sent in advance of the class. 

  Show Description

   

• Fee: $15.00

• Instructor: UM Robotics Department Staff Docent

  Capacity Remaining: -3

• Dates: 6/9/2023 - 6/9/2023

  Times: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

• Sessions: 1

  Days: F

• Building: Offsite

  Room: Robotics Bldg., U-M North Campus

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• Tour of Matthaei's Great Lakes Garden

• REGISTRATION NOT AVAILABLE Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.

• Offsite Tour: Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 1800 North Dixboro Road, Ann Arbor, MI
  Enrollment for this tour is limited to 12 attendees. A waitlist will be available.
  Fee:  $10 for members and $15 for nonmembers
            Plus a $10 entrance fee

  Note:  Parking is an additional $4 for two hours, Payable at desk or kiosk.

  Tour of the Great Lakes Garden at Matthaei Botanical Garden

  Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum are transformative forces for social and ecological resilience through the waters and lands we steward. Their programs and spaces are living labs for promoting healthier communities, cultures, and ecosystems through active care and cultivation of the gardens, fields, natural habitats, and dynamic systems that sustain our world. This Elderwise guided tour of the Great Lakes Garden at Matthaei Botanical Gardens will provide a glimpse into the unique plant communities of the Great Lakes region, with a special focus on the relationships among plants, animals, land, and water. Visitors will view demonstration garden spaces such as the alvar, which features plants adapted to extreme ranges in temperatures, wind, and sparse soil on top of limestone. We will tour the tall-grass prairie garden to explore the relationships between pollinators and seed dispersers, and learn how big bluestem and prairie dock plants have roots that can withstand rapid, hot, prairie fires. We will also explore the human impacts on these natural areas, and consider actions people can take to protect them. Dress in layers, as this guided tour will occur entirely outdoors, in bright sunlight as well as shade. Comfortable but sturdy footwear is recommended. 

   

   

  The tour will be led by Matthaei-Nichols Professional Docent Staff. Driving and parking directions will be sent to class registrants a few days before the tour.

  Show Description

   

• Fee: $15.00

• Instructor: Gardens Matthaei Botanical

  Capacity Remaining: 0

• Dates: 6/8/2023 - 6/8/2023

  Times: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM

• Sessions: 1

  Days: Th

• Building: Offsite

  Room: Matthaei Botanical Gardens

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• Visiting the Hack House and Museum in Milan 

• Offsite Tour: Friend-Hack House Museum, 775 County Street, Milan

  A Friend, A Fraud, A Founding Family 
     Visiting the Hack House and Museum in Milan, Michigan

  Join us as we tour the beautiful 135-year-old Friend-Hack House Museum in Milan, Michigan, also known as the “House that Sugar Built.” Retired teacher and current president of the Milan Area Historical Society, Anne Farmer will lead us through the house and tell us the story of:

  A Friend – the woman who had the house built

  A Fraud – the scandalous story of where the construction money came from

  A Founding Family – going back to Bethuel Hack, one of the original founders of Milan

  This lovely home, built in 1888, is now listed with the National Register of Historic Places. After the house tour, participants will be free to wander the property and go through the outbuildings, including the three-hole outhouse that had a unique flushing system. And, hopefully, the beekeeper will be available to show you the site’s working hive of honeybees, which has a permanent home and display in the aviary building. Driving and parking directions will be sent to all registrants prior to the tour.  

  

   

  Anne Farmer holds a B.S. degree in elementary education and an M.A. degree in special education. Prior to retirement, she taught in the Milan school system for 26 years. She is a long-time member of the Milan Garden Club, whose members maintain the Hack House gardens. Anne has been active in the Milan Area Historical Society for more than 15 years, and this is her 11^th year serving as president.

  Show Description

• Fee: $15.00

• Instructor(s): Anne Farmer

• Dates: 6/20/2023 - 6/20/2023

  Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

• Sessions: 1

  Days: Tu

• Building: Offsite

  Room: Hack House Museum in Milan, MI

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• A Spring Wildflower Walk
  Dates: 5/8/2023 - 5/8/2023

• ONLINE REGISTRATION FOR THIS CLASS IS NOW CLOSED. If you are trying to register the day before this class starts or the day of the class, please email or call the office. This close to the class start date, we need to register you over the phone and provide you with any important information and send you the Zoom Link if the class in online. Thank you!
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• Offsite Tour:  North Dixboro Road just south of US-23, Ann Arbor

  Enrollment for this field trip is limited to 15 attendees. A waitlist will be available.

  Local botanist Bev Walters will lead a spring nature walk starting at the Goodrich Preserve on Dixboro Road and venturing into the Horner-McLaughlin Woods just to the west. The abundance and diversity of spring wildflowers here make this area stand out among the natural areas of Washtenaw County. Expect to see twin leaf and tulip trees as we hike through the oak-hickory woods, while buttonbush abounds in some of the wetlands. These two parcels are the northern part of a 300-acre complex of nature preserves and may inspire you to engage in future nature exploration. The walk will be on fairly level but unpaved footpaths, so please wear appropriate attire and sturdy walking shoes. Driving and parking instructions will be sent to registrants a few days prior to the tour.  

  

   

  Beverly Walters has experience both as a field botanist and a Museum Collection Manager at the University of Michigan Herbarium. Now retired, she helps maintain and improve the herbarium's Michigan Flora Online website (https://michiganflora.net), a popular resource for plant identification. Beverly pursued her botanical studies at Michigan State University.

  Show Description

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• Yankee Air Museum, Tour
  Dates: 5/11/2023 - 5/11/2023

• ONLINE REGISTRATION FOR THIS CLASS IS NOW CLOSED. If you are trying to register the day before this class starts or the day of the class, please email or call the office. This close to the class start date, we need to register you over the phone and provide you with any important information and send you the Zoom Link if the class in online. Thank you!
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• Offsite Tour: Yankee Air Museum, Willow Run Airport
  Enrollment for this tour is limited to 20 attendees. A waitlist will be available.

  Fee: $10 for members and $15 for nonmembers
  Plus a $10 entrance fee

  Founded in 1981 and located in southeastern Michigan, the Yankee Air Museum quickly grew when it acquired its flyable aircraft – B-17 Flying Fortress, B-25 Mitchell Bomber, and C-47 Skytrain – offering the public a chance to fly in some of America's most iconic aircraft. In 2004, the Museum experienced a fire that destroyed the original World War II building where the Museum was housed, along with most artifacts and aircraft. Efforts to rebuild began immediately, allowing the Museum to reopen in its current location on the east side of the Willow Run Airport. Since reopening in 2010, the Museum has experienced rapid growth in its collections, as well as in its public programming. The Museum has acquired a dozen static aircraft and five historic flying aircraft, and continues to open exhibits annually. The Museum continues to build upon its mission to educate through the history of American aeronautics, aerospace industries, and their associated technologies, while inspiring generations of visitors. Current Museum exhibits focus on World War II, the Vietnam War, World War I, the Tuskegee Airmen, and more.

   

   

  This tour is in partnership with a class about Rosie The Riveter on Thursday, May 4 (see HI17). Driving and parking directions will be sent to all registrants a few days prior to the tour. 

  Show Description

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