Students paused their studying and Frisbee games in the courtyard to watch a drum ceremony and hear the artist and drummers speak about the significance of the work.

The courtyard exhibition, which will remain in place for the next six and a half months, consists of 12 white metal signs marked in red with “Michigan, today your host is,” followed by the names of different Native American tribes in Michigan.

The signs force readers to consider the place of the indigenous people of Michigan. The word Michigan intentionally is spelled backwards to cause reflection on the state’s past, Heap of Birds said.

Many students and community members were confused to see the signs, said Don Lyons, one of the drummers and a social work masters student who helped set up the exhibition.

English junior Goldie Currie said she still isn’t sure she understands the meaning of the exhibit, which is unlike anything she’s seen before.

“I didn’t really know it was art,” she said. “I thought they were signs that would say something like ‘Keep off the grass,’ until I read them.”

Lyons said some students seemed upset at the presence of the signs — some even have tried to kick them. But, he said, their reactions could be beneficial as they lead to discussion.

“I notice people getting upset because they don’t know what the signs mean,” he said. “And I think that’s a good first step.”

The exhibition has led to countless conversations about the meaning of the signs, said Dylan Miner, a professor in the RCAH whose class, Art as Social Justice, worked with Heap of Birds to create the exhibit in the Look Out! Gallery.

“(The exhibit) confronts the MSU community on a daily basis,” he said. “It creates dialogue and exchange and forces people to reflect.”

Arts and humanities and philosophy sophomore Henrik Mader, a member of Miner’s class, said Heap of Birds likely was his favorite artist in residence because of his interaction with students and the message of the work.

And this type of interaction is at the core of the artist in residence program, RCAH Dean Stephen L. Esquith said.

“What we like to do in the college is have our students participate with people who are doing art, doing literature, doing music to get a firsthand encounter,” he said. “It’s bringing artists to us as opposed to just visiting museums. In addition to that, we want to bring artists here to help us improve our art.”