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 Director's Letter
At a recent meeting, one of my colleagues explained the power of Diego Rivera's Detroit Industry murals and the sense of identity that emanates from them. I could see that this DIA staffer, a Detroiter, felt cultural pride, respect for beauty, and a sincere historical connection with this monumental fresco. I am from Spain, born and raised in Madrid, and while I, too, admire Rivera's murals, when I walk through the galleries I can't stop myself from winking in solidarity at some of the Spanish masters on view. I pay regular visits to Joan Miró's Self-Portrait II, and I feel the magic of the Spanish Mediterranean. I can easily connect with this painting, which speaks to me with a clear voice. Our goal for the DIA collection is that it should speak to all our communities with meaningful clarity. Furthermore, we want all our visitors to feel represented in our permanent collection and find their own "Rivera murals" with which to connect. In fact just last week, my wife, Alex, mentioned that she had recently met a couple from Coldwater, Michigan, visiting the museum with a group. We learned that Coldwater, about 100 miles southwest of Detroit, has one of the largest American Yemeni populations in the state and that this bus trip to the DIA was intended to bring the community together through a better understanding of diverse cultural identities and heritage. I thought this was a brilliant idea and then wondered what would they be looking for in our permanent collection that would speak to them like Miró's Self-Portrait II does to me? The answer is that we have some beautiful Yemeni art at the DIA to which I had not paid much attention. I hope they connected with it and were able to enjoy other parts of the museum as well. Moreover, I am grateful to the Coldwater group for bettering my understanding of our collection--a fine example of how diversity engaged me beyond my own interests. We hope to continue exploring art through the diverse eyes of our community and will endeavor to communicate that the DIA does have something for everyone. I was reminded of this idea while listening to the multimedia guide for our current 30 Americans exhibition. It features interviews with artists, DIA staff, and local students and can be downloaded free as an app for a smartphone or tablet. Looking at one of the works by Jean-Michel Basquiat in the show, Bird on Money, the students commented on graffiti art and how it is commonly found in many parts of Detroit. They talked about the power that this art can have on the community and how it can transform an otherwise abandoned street or a building into something beautiful. The graffiti art of Basquiat spoke directly to these teenagers, who pointed out how surprising it would be to some people to know that these kinds of works are included within the "sacred walls" of a museum. As we continue reaching out to our community, we at the DIA hope you will visit soon, feel welcomed, be pleasantly surprised, and find your very own "Rivera murals." 
Salvador Salort-Pons
Director
Detroit Institute of Arts Back to top |
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Exhibitions 30 Americans Through January 18, 2016
Special Exhibition Galleries South
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Noir, 1978, oil and acrylic on canvas; Barkley L. Hendricks, American. Courtesy of Rubell Family Collection, Miami
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An older generation of artists in this exhibition have influenced the work of younger artists through their confidence in boldly focusing on issues related to identity, race, sexuality, gender, history, the African American experience, and contemporary art making in a nontraditional manner. All assert their visions unapologetically and without any self-consciousness about offending the status quo.
For example,
Robert Colescott's use of satire in his paintings and his appropriation of western art to challenge accepted notions of history, race, sexuality, and artistic practice emboldened
Kara Walker to portray a subjective and controversial view of the horrors of slavery and plantation life through silhouetted grotesque imagery.
David Hammons's innovative approaches to creating unique art that conveys African American culture and experience inspired
Glenn Ligon's ongoing interest in making African American history accessible to contemporary audiences through his use of nontraditional techniques and materials.
Barkley Hendricks's stunning full-length, realistic portraits (see above, left) of African American men and women celebrating their individual beauty and style were unprecedented in the 1970s, but their influence can be seen in the works of a younger generation of artists, such as Mickalene Thomas, who employ traditional realist and figurative approaches as a means of making contemporary statements on the complexity and beauty of black identity and style (see above, top).
Jean Michel Basquiat's freestyle transfer of his graffiti skills from public urban spaces to the intimate fine art canvas in the 1980s is evident in the large abstract expressionist canvases of
Mark Bradford, with multilayers of paint and collage, as well as text, that suggest the spontaneity of the urban landscape.
30 Americans is a ticketed exhibition, but thanks to generous support from the Ford Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, admission is free Saturday and Sunday, December 5 and December 6. Members see the exhibition free anytime, but
reservations are necessary. For membership information, call 313.833.7971 or join
here. General admission
tickets are $14 for adults and $7 for ages 6-17, but residents of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties get in for $10 for adults and $5 ages 6-17.
While photographs are generally not allowed in special exhibitions, with permission from the Rubell family, visitors are able to take photos in
30 Americans provided that no flash, tripods, or selfie sticks are used.
Above:
Baby I Am Ready Now, 2007, acrylic, rhinestone, and enamel on wooden panel; Mickalene Thomas, American. Courtesy of Rubell Family Collection, Miami
Funding for Free First Weekends has been provided for visitors by the Ford Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Support for the exhibition has been provided by the Friends of African and African American Art and DTE Energy Foundation.
Additional support has been provided by MGM Grand Detroit, Dickinson Wright PLLC, Richard and Jane Manoogian Foundation, Siebert Brandford Shank & Co., L.L.C., Reuben & Cheryl Munday, The Skillman Foundation, Lorna Thomas, M.D., P.C., BLAC Detroit Magazine, Comerica Bank, Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion, Global Automotive Alliance, Roy S. & Maureen Roberts, Mark & Tiffany Douglas and Avis Ford, St. John Providence, Fifth Third Bank, Greektown Casino, U.S. Trust, and other generous supporters.
Back to top Fifty Years of Collecting
Detroit Institute of Arts' Friends of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs Anniversary Exhibition December 15, 2015-June 18, 2016
Schwartz Galleries
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Rain in May, ca. 1907, woodcut; Arthur Wesley Dow, American. Museum Purchase, Graphic Arts Council Purchase Fund
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The selections in this exhibition celebrate the Friends of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs' distinguished achievements during its first half century of activities. Under a variety of names through the decades, the auxiliary has supported, and continues to support, the growth of the DIA's collection of works on paper, commissioning prints and photographs, conducting the Summer Soirées program, funding acquisitions with a purchase fund, and through gifts and bequests made by members.
The Friends began life in 1965 as the Drawing and Print Club, which held its first meeting in 1966. A year later, the group made the first of what is, to date, twenty commissions of a print or photograph:
Paths of Power, an intaglio print by Robert Broner. The most recent commission is Terry Winters's 2008
Streamlines, the first time the artist experimented with combining etching with lithography. Other commissions include prints by Jane Hammond, Philip Pearlstein, and Carol Summers, among others; a poster for the inaugural exhibition in the Schwartz gallery by Robert Rauschenberg; and photographs by Michael Kenna and Robert Traniello.
In 1988, the group name was changed to the Graphic Arts Council to reflect the museum's growing interest in collecting photographs, which began in earnest in the 1970s. For the opening of the newly renovated DIA in 2007, the group became the Forum for Prints, Drawings and Photographs and this past fall it became the "Friends."
This is the final exhibition organized by Nancy Sojka, DIA curator of prints and drawings and department head of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs. She will be retiring in January after twenty-seven years with the DIA.
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Detroit Film Theatre The DFT closes out 2015 with an action-packed adventure tale and an animation fest for the whole family to enjoy.
In Theeb (top left), it's 1916 and war is raging in the Ottoman Empire. The peaceful existence of two young, recently orphaned Bedouin brothers is interrupted when a British Army officer asks them to help him find the exact location of a rumored source of water near the Ottoman train tracks. Filmed in many of the same locations as Lawrence of Arabia, Theeb follows in its footsteps as an eye-popping, widescreen visual feast, which-despite its historical setting-feels utterly contemporary.
During the week between Christmas and New Year's, the DFT presents multiple screenings of two animated films, When Marnie Was There (middle left) and Boy and the World. The first is a sweeping story of friendship, mystery, and discovery that swirls around shy, artistic Anna, who moves to the seaside to live with her aunt and uncle and stumbles upon an old mansion inhabited by a mysterious girl named Marnie.
In Boy and the World (bottom left), Cuca's life of quietly exploring all the countryside has to offer is shattered when his father leaves for the city, prompting the boy on a quest to reunite his family. Entirely without dialogue, the narrative describes a clash between countryside and city, poor and rich, handcrafted and mechanized, enhanced by a rich soundscape of samba and Brazilian hip-hop. The animated films are free for museum members and residents of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties. For more DFT information, including dates and times, or to purchase tickets, click here. Back to top |
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Holiday Happenings
Singers and dancers fill the DIA during Midtown's Noel Night, the annual, area-wide holiday celebration of the season, on Saturday, December 5, from 5 to 10 p.m. Check out the gingerbread puppet drop-in workshop, grab a cup of hot chocolate in CaféDIA, or pick-up art-themed gifts in the Museum Shop. Admission is free during the evening, including for the special exhibition 30 Americans.
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Among the groups filling the DIA with music and seasonal cheer are soprano Cree Carrico, performing A Broadway Christmas; the Festival Singers (left) with a cappella music and an interactive version of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol; jazz violinist and vocalist Tia Imani Hanna, and a Shakespeare in Detroit production. And don't miss Tuba Christmas, a sing-a-long-style performance for low brass players-- tuba, euphonium, baritone, and sousaphone--of any skill are invited to bring their instruments decorated for the season with ornaments, stockings, reindeer antlers, and the like and participate in the festivities. Take care of all your last minute gift giving needs at the Museum Shop or the exhibition shop near 30 Americans. Or shop online with suggestions for everyone on your list at our gift center. Still can't make up your mind? Give an online gift certificate for museum shop merchandise. Place your order by December 20 to ensure delivery by December 24. Between the holidays the DIA has extended hours--open Saturday, December 26 through Wednesday, December 30 (including Monday, December 28) until 7 p.m.--filled with family-oriented activities. There are two puppet performances offered each day at noon and 2 p.m. and a different puppet-making workshop each day beginning at 11 a.m. An animation fest fills the big screen at the DFT with features appropriate for all ages. The films are free for members and residents of Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties. On Thursday, December 31, regular hours are back in effect and the museum closes at 4 p.m. Back to top |
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An Evening with Keegan-Michael Key
It's a night of improvisation when actor, writer, and comedian Keegan-Michael Key and members of the 313, a improv troupe of performers who began their careers in Detroit, come to the DFT auditorium on Tuesday, December 22 at 8 p.m. Key was one of the founders of Hamtramck's Planet Ant Theatre and a member of Second City Detroit's main stage cast before joining Second City in Chicago. His monologues will serve as the springboard for improvisation by the 313, made up of performers with artistic roots in Detroit theatre and art communities, including Nyima Funk (The Black Version and The Soul Man), Marc Evan Jackson (Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Parks & Recreation), Maribeth Monroe (Workaholics and The Brink), and Emmy Award winner Sam Richardson (Veep and the Comedy Central pilot Detroiters). Local improv troupe Rock-o-Matic will open the event by composing a rock opera improvised on-the-spot from audience suggestions. Tickets are $30 for the main floor rear, $40 for main floor center, $50 for main floor front, and $20 for the balcony. A $3.50 service and handling fee will be added for each ticket ordered online or by phone, 313.833.4005. Tickets can also be purchased at the DIA with no service charge. Back to top |
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Inside|Out While the weather outside is frightful this winter, turn your thoughts to warmer climes when replicas of DIA masterpieces fill the streets and parks of the metro area this spring and summer for the seventh year of the museum's popular Inside|Out program. Inside|Out has been in more than 100 communities over the past six years. During the 2016 season, nine venues will be participating for the first time: Chesterfield Township; Lathrup Village; Springfield Township; Beverly Hills; Commerce Township; River Rouge; East English Village, an eastside Detroit neighborhood; Ecorse; and Grandmont Rosedale, a northwest Detroit neighborhood. Highlights for next year include an installation along the northern end of Detroit's Dequindre Cut to celebrate the expansion of the greenway past Gratiot Avenue and an installation at the Alger Theater, which plans to host programs in both East English Village and nearby Grosse Pointe. In addition to the communities mentioned above, Inside|Out will appear in Belleville, Flat Rock, Hamtramck, Lake Orion, New Baltimore, Oxford, Pontiac, Romeo, and Warren. Each community will have from seven to twelve images clustered within walking or bike-riding distance. Exact locations are still being determined and, once finalized, will be featured on an interactive map on the DIA's website. For 2016, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is again generously sponsoring Inside|Out. Back to top |
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| Detroit Institute of Arts
5200 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, Michigan 48202
www.dia.org
313.833.7900 Comments or questions about the newsletter? Please contact us: [email protected] ADMISSION
$12.50 adults, $8 seniors (62+), $ 6 youth (6-17)
The museum is free for members and residents of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb Counties
Contact the Membership HelpLine at
313.833.7971 or [email protected] For group sales (15 or more) contact 313.833.1292 or dia.org/grouptours
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HOURS
Museum
Mon CLOSED
Tue, Wed 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Thur, Fri 9 a.m.-10 p.m.
Sat, Sun 10 a.m.-5 p.m. PARKING Lighted, secure self-parking is available in the museum parking lot, between John R and Brush behind the museum, for $7. |
CaféDIA
313.833.7966
Tue, Wed, Thur 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Fri 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 4-9 p.m.
Sat, Sun 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Kresge Court
Tue, Wed, Thur 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Fri 9 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Sat., Sun 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Museum Shop
313.833.7944 or [email protected]
Open during museum hours or online at diashop.org |
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