Arts and Culture

Northern Michigan University's Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center is looking both to the past and the future this fall, with a photography exhibition documenting mid-20th-century Munising, an upcoming exhibit commemorating the centennial of the Barnes-Hecker mining disaster and programming celebrating the Upper Peninsula's cultural traditions.

The Upper Peninsula Folklife Festival will celebrate the traditional arts, music, food, and cultural heritage of the Upper Peninsula Friday through Sunday, Oct. 2-4, in Marquette.

Northern Michigan University will host its third Diwali celebration from 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, in the Northern Center Ballrooms. This event, organized by several groups on campus, will feature traditional performances, food and music.

Northern Michigan University Theatre & Dance will present “Come From Away,” an award-winning play written by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, Thursday-Saturday, Sept. 24-26 and Oct. 1-3, at the Forest Roberts Theatre.

NMU alumna Kelly Lynne Figueiredo is featured in this year's Art Prize with "The Matriach," a five-piece installation of acrylic paintings.

The Northern Shores Storywork Project, in conjunction with Sigma Tau Delta, is hosting The Marquette Writing Marathon at 5 p.m. on Thursday, September 17.

Student group Found Space Theatre will present its production of "Find A TV" during Homecoming, a play written by two NMU professors using oral histories gathered by an NMU Honors course on the experiences of Upper Peninsula residents during the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

With the largest cast to date, the Wildcat Theatre Follies return to the Panowski Blackbox Theatre September 3 through 5 to kick off the 2026-2027 NMU Theatre & Dance season.

The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center at NMU will open a new exhibition July 9 that features the work of one of the U.P.'s most prolific photographers. It is titled "Munising in Black & White: The Photographs of Mary Jayne Hallifax." She was an in-demand commercial photographer who also captured numerous candid images of her hometown over seven decades.

The Northern Michigan University Department of Music will present a second season of Its series, Summer Concerts at Reynolds (SCR). This year's events will all take place at 5 p.m. in Reynolds Recital Hall on Tuesdays in July and August. Admission is free, though donations will be gratefully accepted, with all proceeds benefiting the department to enhance the experience for students.