Michael Letts; Professor NMU

BFA Northern Michigan University, MFA The Ohio State University

This exhibit is a reflection on the unique life lived by residents of the UP of Michigan. It explores the spaces between tradition and the virtual world in the Upper Peninsula, traditionally a wilder place, apart from the rest of the world. “My work embraces this transitory life and can be seen as kind of a kind of rebel yell against the onslaught of technology. It shows life in the camps, diners, and forests of the UP.” 

Michael Letts is an Associate Professor of Art Education at Northern Michigan University. He began teaching art in 1984, as a Teaching Assistant at The Ohio State University, where he earned his MFA in painting in 1986. Beginning at NMU in 1993, Letts taught painting, drawing, printmaking, cognates, and art history. In 1994 he earned his Michigan Teaching Certificate in Art and English. For over ten years he taught Art and English in local public schools. His high school art programs undertook many large-scale public projects, developing successful grant awards and corporate partnerships, and gaining media coverage and accolades for his students and schools. Mural projects he developed with students can still be seen around the community.

Letts began teaching Art Education at NMU in 2007. His professional activities in education include articles published in state and national education research journals. He has presented research at the major National Art Education Association annual conferences in San Diego and New York City, and at state level conferences in both Art and English. He contributes to the field of Education in Michigan, working on development of state K-12 learning assessments in English, and in art as part of the innovative Michigan Arts Education Instruction and Assessment (MAEIA) project.

As a professional artist, Letts has won multiple awards for his paintings, showing at museums and galleries at state, regional, national, and international exhibitions. His artwork is held in a number of private and public collections, including Northern Michigan University, Alma College in Alma, Michigan, and Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan.

Please Visit his website here: https://michaelletts.com/home.html