Ann Arbor's CLUSTER Museum is highlighting what's left behind when something is taken away.

The Smoke, the Ghost, the Balm, which runs January 30 to February 28, "pays homage to the residue that rises from disappearances and forced erasures," according to the press release. The artists include Quinn A. Hunter (Ann Arbor), Eleanor Oakes (Detroit), and Haley Darya Parsa (New York City).

“This visually gorgeous exhibition teaches us how artists can resolve narratives and force remembrance through mark-making and intentional documentation," wrote Thea A. Eck, CLUSTER Museum co-founder and exhibition curator, in the release.

Ellen Rowe has been making news recently—and one of the biggest bits of info is buried inside a new feature profile of the jazz pianist.

First, in November 2025, the University of Michigan Arthur F. Thurnau professor and Earl V. Moore Collegiate professor of music in the School of Music, Theatre and Dance released Vinton's Cove, her sixth album as a leader. Rowe's record label, Smokin' Sleddog, said this about the record: "The album features six original compositions by Rowe ... showcasing a range of jazz styles. ... [Rowe] presents arrangements of jazz and pop standards that cast them in a slightly different light, interpreting them through varied harmonic approaches and diverse musical feels."

Then, on January 19, 2026, there was an announcement that Rowe given the Rhetaugh G. Dumas award for her "sustained efforts to promote gender diversity in jazz ensemble composition and arranging, and overall commitment to advancing the role of women in jazz." Rowe is the first woman chair of a major university jazz department, and she's among the first female directors of a university jazz ensemble. “Under her leadership," wrote Melody Racine, associate professor emerita of music, theatre and dance, in a nominating letter, "the U-M jazz program recruited more female students than any other jazz program of a comparable size in the country.”

Finally, in the February 2026 issue of Downbeat, the music industry's leading jazz magazine, Rowe is interviewed about Vinton's Cove and her career, and a major life update was reported:

The Radar tracks new music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.

This week:
Joanna Sterling, Moonmill, Lydia Lato, Tension Splash, Dancers, Rawhide, Hey Look Listen, The Minor Pieces, microplastique, Kid Jay, and Chirp.

If you took a giant dollop of American Idol, added a heaping helping of The Voice, and tossed in a massive spoonful of America's Got Talent, you'd have a lot of caterwauling singers standing around waiting to belt.

But if you wrap those competitions into a Whose Line Is It Anyway?-style format, and stage it at an Ann Arbor brewpub, then you have Mic Drop, a new improv singing competition, which debuts at 6:30 pm on Sunday, January 25, at hear.say brewing + theater. Mic Drop then runs every fourth Sunday of the month through June, at a minimum.

The rotating cast of singers includes Kyler Wilkins (aka Ki5), Leah Gittlen, Forrest Hejkal, Elizabeth Harding, Caitlyn Crowel, Josh McDaniel, Julia Snyderwine, Jenna Jansa, Toriano Drane, Katie Parzych, Beth Dutridge-Corp, Kara Williams, Sara Rose, and Shelly Smith.

Music director Jamie Artman will accompany the crooners on a variety of instruments, primarily guitar and keyboards.

The Radar tracks new music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.

This week:
October Babies, Laughing Hyenas, Bill Edwards, Larkn, Craig Taborn, Dre Dav and Mo Grease, Sigidy, Ryan Gerald, Kelsey., Studio Lounge, Benji Robot, and George Mashour.

Unless you're in an area served by the Chelsea District Library (CDL), you might not be aware that the institution's quarterly newsletter features cover art by local creators, from students to professionals.

Lori Coryell, the library's director, wrote about CDL's support for local artists in the spring 2025 newsletter. She said one of the reasons she applied for the job 10 years ago was because she was "so taken with and impressed by this community’s embrace of the arts. To work in a place where creativity is valued, celebrated, and encouraged is a dream come true! I am so pleased to be at the helm of an organization that shares these values and encourages, collects, and showcases artistic expression in our community."

You can see some of the artists' work on the CDL website, but thumbnails and PDFs aren't the best way to appreciate these paintings, photos, wood carvings, yarn creations, and more.

A new exhibit at Chelsea's Gallery 100 at Silver Maples will give art lovers a chance to see some of these CDL newsletter creations in person, along with extra works by the creators.

Curator Alice Korkor Ebeheakey is clear about the intent of 404: Accountability Not Found, the new exhibit at Ann Arbor Art Center featuring the satirical works of Ghanaian creative Bright Ackwerh:

"The exhibition explores how art can confront the global challenge of holding elected officials accountable for their actions."

Using digital paintings that he distributes on social media, Ackwerh welcomes audiences into "a paradoxical space where laughter collides with discomfort, prompting reflection on personal, national, and global responsibilities," writes Ebeheakey, a lecturer and postdoctoral fellow with the University of Michigan’s History of Art department.

404: Accountability Not Found: Satirical Paintings of Bright Ackwerh opened January 9 and is on view through February 18. There is an opening reception on Friday, January 16, 6-8 pm.

Here is a selection of interviews with Ackwerh, who earned his BFA and MFA in Painting and Sculpture from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

An MLive headline on January 10 may have caused the heart rates of local theater fans to spike for a second:

"96-year-old Ann Arbor theater hopes to continue despite lease nearing its end"

The article discusses the history of Ann Arbor Civic Theatre (A2CT) and the difficulties that this scrappy troupe, which started in 1929, has faced in recent years:

The Radar tracks new music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.

This week:
North Ingalls, Fearless Amaretto, Levi Makula, RE:fusion CC:ontractor, FFANGS, Winged Wheel, Sex Kennedy's, Jakarta Kids, and Ratmatia.

The University of Michigan Center for Japanese Studies (CJS) owns a record: It has sponsored the longest-running Japanese film series in the world.

That's not a surprise considering CJS is also one of the original Japanese studies programs in the U.S. and the oldest interdisciplinary center, founded in 1947.

While CJS records indicate the film series started in 1975, the center has screened Japanese films since the 1960s. The tradition continues in the "Winter 2026 Japanese Film Series: Comedy" at the State Theater, from January 22 to April 16. All the showings are free.

Check out trailers and descriptions of the films in CJS's winter series—plus two more films of Japanese origin that will be at the Michigan Theater as part of another ongoing series.