The McNair Conversations on the American South: Michael Stipe

UPDATE - Due to overwhelming interest in this conversation, we are pleased to announce the event will now be held at the Koger Center for the Arts to accommodate more of our community members.

The College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Carolina is pleased to welcome Michael Stipe as the 2025 Honoree for the McNair Conversations on the American South. The talk will be hosted by Mark Smith, Director of the Institute for Southern Studies and Carolina Distinguished Professor of History. As a friendly reminder, this is a conversation, not a concert. No music will be performed.

Michael Stipe, an American born in 1960 in Georgia, is an artist, producer, and singer/songwriter. He attended the University of Georgia in Athens, where he became involved with the local music scene. He fronted the band R.E.M. for 31 years, selling over 100 million records and touring the world. For the past decade, his focus has been cross-medium work, incorporating video, soundscape, sculpture, and photographic and digital imagery. He has released 4 recent photography books through Damiani out of Bologna, Italy. His first institution show was at ICA Milan in December 2023. He is currently completing his first solo album to be released in 2025. Michael lives in New York City and Berlin.

This year’s McNair Conversation will be live-recorded and aired at a later date on the Take on the South podcast.

This event is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required. Doors will open at 5:00 p.m. and the program will begin promptly at 6:00 p.m.

About the McNair Conversations

The McNair Conversations is a live podcast interview honoring individuals who have made a lasting and significant contribution to the American South. They are recorded in front of an audience and broadcast on the Institute’s highly successful Take on the South podcast series.

Host or Publisher USC, College of Arts and Sciences