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College of Arts and Sciences

  • Black and white close-up portrait of Michael Stipe wearing a beanie, dark-framed glasses, and a layered jacket with a striped shirt underneath.

    2025 Honoree: Michael Stipe

    Former lead singer of R.E.M. to talk about music, art, culture and the south.

The McNair Conversations on the American South

Wednesday, March 19, 2025 | 6:00 PM
Joseph F. Rice School of Law, Karen J. Williams Courtroom

Join us as we welcome the 2025 McNair Honoree, Michael Stipe, former lead singer of R.E.M.

Michael Stipe led R.E.M. for 31 years, selling over 100 million records and touring the globe. Over the past decade, he has transitioned to cross-medium work in video, soundscape, sculpture, and photographic and digital imagery. He has published four photography books through Damiani (Bologna, Italy) and held his first institutional show at ICA Milan in December 2023. Currently, he is completing his first solo album, set for release in 2025.

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

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is requested.
✅ Check-in opens at 5:30 p.m. | 🎤 Program begins promptly at 6:00 p.m.

About the McNair Conversation

The Institute for Southern Studies in the College of Arts & Sciences hosts The McNair Conversation on the American South each year. Made possible by the late South Carolina Governor Robert Evander McNair, these conversations honor individuals who have made a lasting impact on the American South. Recorded live before an audience, they are later broadcast as part of the Institute’s acclaimed Take on the South podcast series.

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