Stamps Professors Transform U-M Gallery Spaces Into Election Hubs
Two installations make the voting process clear, welcoming, and delightful for students on both central and north campus at the University of Michigan this fall.
Stamps faculty members Stephanie Rowden and Hannah Smotrich are the co-leads of the non-partisan Creative Campus Voting Project (CCVP), based at the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design. Since 2018, Rowden and Smotrich have partnered across the U‑M campus and with the City of Ann Arbor to create a positive experience for voters during major election seasons.
Rowden and Smotrich designed the 2022 installations at the Duderstadt Gallery and the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA). Each space features a satellite location of the Ann Arbor City Clerk’s Office, where residents, including University of Michigan students who live in Ann Arbor, will be able to register to vote, obtain absentee ballots, complete ballots on site if they wish, and return their absentee ballots to an official City of Ann Arbor dropbox. U‑M students play a crucial role at both locations as peer-to-peer mentors, welcoming students and clarifying the process.
Rowden and Smotrich also worked with an interdisciplinary team of student research assistants on a 50’ immersive “Ballot Wayfinder.” This focal point of the Duderstadt Gallery space addresses one of the key challenges for new voters — orienting to the many parts of a ballot.
In this video, Smotrich and Rowden explain their work’s intended impact on young voters on the U‑M campus.
Interested in Voting in the Midterm Elections?
If you live and want to vote in Ann Arbor, two Ann Arbor City Clerk’s Offices on campus allow student voters to:
• Register or update your address
• Request an absentee ballot
• Vote the ballot on site
• Drop off your absentee ballot at an official dropbox
If you are voting elsewhere in Michigan or out of state, UMich Votes Fellows on site can help you find resources with registration and voting information, or visit govote.umich.edu.
Central Campus
UMMA: Sept 27 – Nov 8
Mon-Thurs: 12 – 6pm / Fridays : 12 – 4pm
Saturday, Nov 5 : 12 – 4pm
Monday, Nov 7 : 10am-4pm
Election Day, Tuesday, Nov 8 : 8am-8pm
North Campus
Duderstadt Gallery: Oct 12 – Nov 8
Wed-Thur: 12 – 6pm / Fridays : 12 – 4pm
Monday, Oct 24: 12 – 6pm
Election Day, Tuesday, Nov 8 : 8am-8pm
Lead support for the Creative Campus Voting Project’s 2022 installations comes from U‑M Democracy & Debate. Additional support from the U‑M Office of Research and U‑M Stamps School of Art & Design. All costs associated with the operation of the Ann Arbor City Clerk’s Satellite Offices were generously provided by the City of Ann Arbor.
Creative Campus Voting Project, U‑M Democracy & Debate, UMMA, Duderstadt Center Gallery, U‑M Ginsberg Center and U‑M Government Relations comprise the UMICH Votes Coalition. This non-partisan, collaborative effort of University of Michigan partners works to educate and engage our student and community voters in the democratic process.