Sesquicentennial Interview: Alva Joanna Sink

Thu, 11/07/2024 - 5:22pm

This interview was conducted in 1974 as part of the I Remember When television series produced by the Ann Arbor Public Library.

AADL Talks To: Dianne Baker, Songwriter and Co-Author of "This Is The Town That Was," an Original Musical Written for Ann Arbor's Sesquicentennial in 1974

Mon, 08/05/2024 - 8:21am

In this episode, AADL Talks To Dianne Baker. Dianne is a prolific songwriter who began writing children’s songs in the 1960s after coming to the University of Michigan to attend nursing school. She has collaborated with teachers, educators, and health professionals and has been recognized nationally for her commitment to the therapeutic effects of music. Baker has performed at Hill Auditorium, the Power Center, the Art Fair, the Ark, and in countless public school classrooms, both solo and in tandem with other notable musicians such as Percy “Mr. Bones” Danforth. She is known for her songs about Michigan history and, in particular, for “This Is The Town That Was,” an original musical written with collaborator Carol Duffy Sheldon for Ann Arbor’s sesquicentennial celebration in 1974. Check out some of Dianne's sheet music and lyrics in the Dianne Baker Collection. 

AADL Talks To: Michael Kondziolka, former Director of Artistic Programming at University Musical Society

Sun, 07/28/2024 - 3:59pm

In this episode AADL Talks to Michael Kondziolka. Michael, who retired in 2023, served for 30 years as the director of artistic programming and production for the University Musical Society. Michael talks with us about the thrill of bringing performers to Ann Arbor; how he and the UMS team responded to the changes and challenges of the late 1990s and how he helped reshape UMS’s aesthetic and took programming in different directions.

AADL Talks To: Margaret Parker, Artist and Arts Activist

Thu, 03/21/2024 - 8:13pm

In this episode, AADL Talks to Margaret Parker. Margaret has been working as an artist for seven decades. She talks about her parents’ influence on her desire to become an artist and the evolution of her artistic development, from working in different mediums to confronting social justice issues in her work. Margaret talks about her time with the Michigan chapter of the Women's Caucus for Art and her commitment to bring public to Ann Arbor through her work on the Ann Arbor Public Art Commission.

For more information, see our digital collections related to Margaret Parker, or visit the artist's website.