Discover Your Creative Nature

Join us for Art in the Arb, a special series for U-M students celebrating creativity and connection with nature in Nichols Arboretum. Presented in partnership with the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum (MBGNA) and the Arts Initiative, these student art days invite you to explore and express your artistic side. No experience necessary!

All materials are provided. Just bring your curiosity and love for the outdoors!

Whether you’re looking to unwind, meet fellow students, or simply try something new, Art in the Arb is your invitation to discover the inspiration that comes from making art outdoors. Connect with your surroundings in a new way and create something uniquely your own.

Upcoming Events

 - 1UM Student: Embodied Ecologies - Restoration through Movement Workshop

Join Student Life Sustainability Cultural Organizers for a unique Art in the Arb event focused on restoring the natural environment and community relationships. Leaning into movement as healing and empowering, this workshop opens up new pathways for understanding environmental challenges. Led by Kaitlyn Wilson, a UM student studying environmental science and dance, this workshop will give participants the opportunity to engage in ecological restoration efforts and then, based on their experience, create movement in a group setting.

 - Art in the Arb: Make a Mini Glade

Take home a mini glade! Come join us at Nichols Arboretum and make a model forest with dried herbaceous plants. Bring a dried bouquet from your own garden or play with natural materials we provide. Join Arb Caretaker Jenna in an interactive workshop exploring landscape architecture, design, and imagined futures. Starting with a sketch walk, participants will look at winter’s leftover plant material and sketch the architecture they see. They will then use these sketches to design the shape and texture of a mini-forest. Using foraged dried blooms and grasses from last summer, the group will create a mini-forest glued onto foam board. No prior art experience is required; all levels are welcome. All materials are provided. Bring your curiosity and love for the outdoors!

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