Mission

The Michigan Traditional Arts Program is a statewide program that works to advance cross-cultural understanding and equity in a diverse society through the documentation, preservation, and presentation of traditional arts, folklife, and everyday culture in Michigan.

MTAP in administratively housed in the Michigan State University Residential College in the Arts and Humanities. Digital humanities projects such as the Quilt Index, Michigan Stained Glass Census, and Michigan Barn and Farmstead Survey are based in MSU's MATRIX: The Center for Digital Humanities and Social Sciences. MTAP's research collections and archives are housed in the Michigan State University Museum.

MTAP has partnered with many local, regional, and national organizations on both short and long-term initiatives pertaining to documenting, presenting, and preserving traditional arts and the diverse everyday culture of Michigan. MTAP staff, university and community associates, and contracted specialists have co-planned and implemented discovery research projects, exhibitions, digital humanities projects, media projects, education initiatives, curriculum materials, and artist services projects pertaining to the state's traditional tangible and intangible cultural heritage. The collections and connections generated by these community-driven activities form a strong foundation upon which new projects continue to be generated.