Two New Exhibits Coming to the DIA

When someone asks us what they should do when they visit Detroit we always suggest a trip to the Detroit Institute of Arts. With over 100 galleries and a vast collection that includes Thomas Cole, Georgia O'Keeffe, Andy Warhol, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and Vincent van Gogh, the DIA boasts one of the most significant collections of any museum in the world. On top of that, there is usually something new coming to the DIA for a temporary visit which means that there is always a reason to return to take it all in. Over the next few weeks, there are a few new exhibits that will be opening and one that will be closing its door, so plan your next visit accordingly! 

Opening:

Ofrendas: Celebrating el Día de Muertos 2021

Runs From: Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021 - Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021

"The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), in collaboration with the Mexican Consulate of Detroit and the Southwest Detroit Business Association, will display 12 ofrenda altars, or offerings, created by local artists from Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021 — Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021, in celebration of Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead), which honors the life and memory of lost loved ones. This year’s display, “Ofrendas: Celebrating el Día de Muertos,” marks the ninth consecutive year of the popular program."

27 artists submitted proposals and 9 were chosen to build an ofrenda. Some artists honored a personal loss and others memorialized a communal loss. 

Black Is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite

Runs From: Friday, Oct. 8, 2021 - Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022

"In this exhibition are over forty large-scale color and black-and-white photographs by Kwame Brathwaite. His work helped advance one of the most influential cultural movements of the 1960s, "Black Is Beautiful," when black women and men turned to natural hairstyles and African-inspired clothing.  

Black Is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite is the first major exhibition dedicated to Brathwaite, a vital figure of the second Harlem Renaissance. Inspired by activist and black nationalist Marcus Garvey's writings, Brathwaite, along with his older brother, Elombe Brath, founded the African Jazz Arts Society and Studios (AJASS) and the Grandassa Models.

AJASS was a collective of artists, playwrights, designers, and dancers. Grandassa Models - the subject of much of the exhibition's contents - was a modeling agency for black women, founded to challenge white beauty standards. The exhibition includes documentary photographs of stunning studio portraits, fashion work, to behind-the-scenes images of Harlem's artistic and jazz community, including Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln. It offers a long-overdue exploration of Brathwaite's life and work."

Closing:

Experience & Expression

Closing: Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021

"To create the art of our time, artists often draw on their own experiences of the world—from the personal to the political, from the aesthetic to the commercial, from the individual to the collective, from the spiritual to the material.

This installation has been divided into three sections, which explore the use of abstraction and figuration; the experimentation with traditional and novel materials; and the definition of self and others. All of these works invite you to look closely, to ask questions, and to connect with your experiences."

To Visit the DIA:

You must make a reservation to visit, click here to do that.

General admission is always free for residents of Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties.

Masks are required for all guests at all times regardless of vaccination status.

Hours are reduced to allow for additional cleaning each week. The DIA is open for members only 9 a.m.–12 p.m. on Wednesday; reservations are required.

Reservations are available for all visitors from 12 p.m.–4 p.m. Wednesday, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

~S