UMS at the Ypsilanti Freighthouse

Located next to Frog Island Park on the north side of Depot Town, the Ypsilanti Freighthouse was built in 1878 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Sites. The Freighthouse originally served as a distribution center for rail-bound goods, and is now owned and operated by the City of Ypsilanti as a gathering space for many community and private events.

UMS has been active in Ypsilanti for several years, collaborating with a range of organizations to offer learning and engagement programs and presenting performances and other events periodically at the Ypsilanti Freighthouse. This residency is a natural extension of those activities, offering a more visible and sustainable commitment to the community through recurring residencies.

By serving as Resident Arts Partner for the Ypsilanti Freighthouse and in partnership with the City, UMS seeks to share its programming, producing, and educational resources with the broader Ypsilanti community, and to use our platform to spotlight Ypsilanti’s vibrant and creative cultural scene.

A top priority of this residency is to create arts programming accessible to Ypsilanti residents. As such, Ypsilanti residents (both city and township) will have first dibs for all events at the Ypsilanti Freighthouse, whether that is through an early registration period for free events or priority access to ticketed events. After the priority period, anyone can register or purchase a ticket. All are welcome.

We want to prioritize access for residents of Ypsilanti for these events to ensure that the programming that is being curated with and for the community is actually available to be enjoyed by those in the community.

There are three different types of events:

• Free: just show up! (Open Mic Night)
• Free Family events: register to hold your spot, no tickets required (slapslap and Moving to the Beat workshops)
• Pay-What-You-Wish events: you can decide how much you wish to pay for tickets to these events

With Pay What You Wish (PWYW), we're trying to remove barriers between you and great art, and to make it as easy as possible to attend something that may be a new experience. We don't want to let unaffordable ticket prices shut anyone out of great performances and want to welcome everyone to the Ypsilanti Freighthouse.

The PWYW model is about making tickets more accessible to more audiences. Some places call it Pay What You Can or Pay What You Decide. Ultimately, we hope that those who can afford to pay a little more will do so, to help make it more affordable for someone else. The artist receives the same fee regardless of how much money is collected from ticket revenues. As a nonprofit organization, UMS is investing significant resources into this residency and is not making a profit from tickets.

Ypsilanti has a ton to offer, and we encourage you to visit ypsireal.com for options.