Exhibition Tour: “We Hold These Truths” with Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes

Join Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes and award-winning artist Holly Bass for a tour of We Hold These Truths. Centered on three milestone years—1876, 1976, and 2026—the exhibition examines how national ideals are publicly presented, privately preserved, and passed down through generations.

Celeste Watkins-Hayes is the Joan and Sanford Weill Dean of Public Policy at the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. She is also a professor of public policy and sociology and University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor. An internationally recognized scholar, her research examines inequality, public policy, and human service institutions, with a focus on HIV/AIDS, poverty, and race, class, and gender. Her book Remaking a Life won seven awards, including the American Sociological Association Distinguished Book Award. She holds degrees from Harvard and Spelman College.