Matthaei Botanical Gardens joins museums on campus in presenting holiday period activities for faculty, staff and the general public.
“Letters & Leaves, A Holiday Exhibit at Matthaei Botanical Gardens” through Jan. 4 celebrates how nature inspires poetry through writing activities, a nature photography exhibit, and holiday decorated trees and faerie houses in the Matthaei conservatory.
Admission is free. Activities include A Visit with Father Christmas from noon-2 pm. Dec. 20.
Matthaei, at 1800 N. Dixboro Road, is open daily from 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. except Wednesdays, when it is open until 8 p.m. It is closed Dec. 24, 25 and 31, and open from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Jan. 1. For more information, go to mbgna.umich.edu.
U-M Museum of Art exhibits currently on display include “Suspended Moments: Photographs from the David S. Rosen Collection” through Feb 15. It features the works of photographers known for their images of childhood.
“Detroit before the Automobile: The William L. Clements Library Collection” through Jan. 18 illustrates the history of Detroit through maps, letters, prints and photographs.
“Fred Tomaselli: The Times” through Jan. 25 explores the idea that in this digital age of constant information, the daily newspaper cycle is still a central form organizing the world.
UMMA, 525 S. State St., is open from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday, and is closed Mondays. Exceptions are: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 24 and 31, and it is closed Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.
The Museum of Natural History, 1109 Geddes Ave., features permanent exhibits including the most extensive display of prehistoric life in Michigan and rare animal specimens in the Michigan Wildlife Gallery, anthropology displays and rock and mineral specimens.
Current temporary exhibits include “A Shadow Over the Earth: The Life and Death of the Passenger Pigeon” marking the centennial of the passenger pigeon’s extinction, and “Explore Evolution.”
It is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday, and is closed Dec. 25, 26, 31 and Jan. 1. For planetarium prices and show times, go to www.lsa.umich.edu/ummnh/ho.
The Kelsey Museum, 434 S. State St., houses more than 100,000 ancient and medieval objects from the civilizations of the Mediterranean and the Near East. The current featured exhibit is “Pearls of Wisdom: The Arts of Islam at the University of Michigan,” through Jan. 4.
Regular hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 1-4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays and it is closed Mondays. Holiday hours are 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 24, closed Dec. 25-26, open 1-4 p.m. Dec. 27-28, closed Dec. 29, open 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 30-31, closed Jan. 1, open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 2, and 1-4 p.m. Jan. 3-4.
