The Detroit Institute of Arts - News http://www.dia.org/about/news.aspx The Detroit Institute of Arts - News Mon, 06 May 2013 07:40:14 GMT <![CDATA[Detroit Institute of Arts presents Ellsworth Kelly: Prints, May 24–September 8 - Kelly’s prints of geometric shapes, flowers and plants featured]]>
For more than 50 years, Kelly has created paintings, sculptures, and more than 330 editions of individual prints in what has become one of the most recognizable styles of modern art. While Kelly is best known for his colorful geometric subjects, his art is far broader. More than half of his pieces are in black and white, and he has worked simultaneously in a realistically based drawing style to create more than 70 plant and flower lithographs as well as a dozen portraits.

The exhibition features more than 100 prints from the collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer and the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation of Portland, Oregon. They cover all periods from the mid-1960s to the present and are arranged on two floors of the DIA. The color prints in the first floor Schwartz Galleries for Prints and Drawings are divided into two of Kelly’s main themes, Curves and Grids; his series Twenty-Seven Color Lithographs is also on view. Kelly’s work in black and white is displayed in the second-floor galleries adjacent to Rivera Court and includes examples from all six of Kelly’s plant series, his geometric subjects, and his 2005 series Rivers.

Kelly’s art, including his geometric subjects, is inspired by observing natural phenomena. His insights might begin as reactions to specific objects or shapes, such as a piece of crushed gold foil, or the graceful sweep of a Korean ceramic, to spatial illusions created by a partly pulled window shade, or the intensity of a beam of light dancing across a surface, or the refractions of a shadow that bends and twists to fit other forms. Then, through a careful process of planning, Kelly refines his ideas into the highly controlled and perfect compositions of his hybrid shapes.

Over the decades Kelly has concentrated on a myriad of problems and presentations about shape and color. While he has employed all forms of printmaking, lithography has by far been his preferred medium. He has collaborated with a variety of distinguished printing houses, but since 1970 most of his prints have been made at Gemini G.E.L. in Los Angeles. His work is represented in public and private collections and institutions across the world and has been shown in an equally great number of venues over the many decades of his career.

Kelly first retrospective exhibition toured the United States in 1973, and the DIA was one of its four venues. In 1987, the artist’s first retrospective of prints opened at the DIA before touring the country. The current exhibition was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and was presented at the Portland Museum of Art and the Madison Museum of Contemporary at before arriving in Detroit. In late 2013 it will move on to the High Museum in Atlanta.

About Ellsworth Kelly
Kelly was born in 1923 in Newburgh, New York. He was a student at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn in 1941 and 1942 before he was drafted into the army in 1943. He served with a camouflage unit creating posters used to train troops in concealment techniques and in a decoy unit specializing in techniques to conceal troop positions. In May 1944, he was deployed to Europe. After World War II, he enrolled at the Boston Museum School and in 1948 he traveled to France where he spent the first six years of his professional life as an artist. He had his first solo exhibition in Paris in 1951. Within two years of returning to the United States, he had his first solo exhibition in New York City. It was not until 1964 that Kelly began his first large series of prints, Twenty-Seven Color Lithographs, which has been called his aesthetic vocabulary. At the same time, he worked on his first botanical series Suite of Plant Lithographs. Both series were completed in Paris and are represented in the exhibition.

Support for this exhibition is provided by Jordan D. Schnitzer and the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation, Portland, Oregon, with additional support in Detroit provided by Dede and Oscar Feldman, Marjorie & Maxwell Jospey Foundation, Lisa and Robert Katzman, Marianne and Alan Schwartz, Marc Schwartz, Lori and J. Patrick Stillwagon, Ileane and Bruce Thal, and the City of Detroit. The exhibition was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Hours and Admission
Museum hours are 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Tuesdays–Thursdays, 9 a.m.–10 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors ages 62+, $4 for ages 6–17, and free for residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties and DIA members. For membership information, call 313-833-7971.

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The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), one of the premier art museums in the United States, is home to more than 60,000 works that comprise a multicultural survey of human creativity from ancient times through the 21st century. From the first Van Gogh painting to enter a U.S. museum (Self-Portrait, 1887), to Diego Rivera's world-renowned Detroit Industry murals (1932–33), the DIA’s collection is known for its quality, range, and depth. The DIA’s mission is to create opportunities for all visitors to find personal meaning in art.

Programs are made possible with support from the City of Detroit and residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.

Contact: Pamela Marcil  313-833-7899  pmarcil@dia.org  www.dia.org]]> Mon, 22 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Detroit Institute of Arts presents 76th annual "Detroit Public Schools Student Exhibition" - Paintings, drawings, pottery, jewelry, photography and more by students in grades K–12]]> Detroit Public Schools Student Exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA). The exhibition, on view April 27–June 2, is free with museum admission. An opening reception for students and their families will be held Saturday, April 27, from 1 to 3 p.m.

Students from dozens of schools in grades K–12 submitted paintings, prints, drawings, photography, ceramics, videos, jewelry and other work to a jury of local artists, DPS officials and a DIA representative, which determined the works that will be in the show.

Every year entries are chosen for feature on exhibition promotional materials. Here are this year’s selections:

Poster
Peacock, watercolor. Oxvaldo Martinez, Grade 1, Earhart Elementary/Middle School

Postcard/Banner
Untitled, mixed media. Khristyn Richardson, Grade 12, Renaissance High School
Tree, painting. Braulio Castillo, Grade 7, Clippert Academy
Self-Portrait, painting. Demetrious Robinson, Grade 12, Davis Aerospace Technical High School
Untitled, jewelry. Anna Lyles, Grade 12, Cass Technical High School
Untitled, jewelry. Ariana Wilson, Grade 12, Cass Technical High School

Checklist
Boy King, drawing. Matthew Lewis, Grade 9, Cass Technical High School
Untitled, fiber. Janaysha Hamilton, Grade 11, Cass Technical High School

Bookmark
Untitled, mixed media. Andrea Maldonado, Grade 4, Academy of the Americas

The 76th Detroit Public Schools Student Exhibition was organized by the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Detroit Public Schools and is made possible with support from the Ruth T. T. Cattell Education Endowment Fund.

Hours and Admission
Museum hours are 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Tuesdays–Thursdays, 9 a.m.–10 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors ages 62+, $4 for ages 6–17, and free for residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties and DIA members. For membership information, call 313-833-7971.

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The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), one of the premier art museums in the United States, is home to more than 60,000 works that comprise a multicultural survey of human creativity from ancient times through the 21st century. From the first Van Gogh painting to enter a U.S. museum (Self-Portrait, 1887), to Diego Rivera's world-renowned Detroit Industry murals (1932–33), the DIA’s collection is known for its quality, range, and depth. The DIA’s mission is to create opportunities for all visitors to find personal meaning in art.

Programs are made possible with support from the City of Detroit and residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.

Contact: Pamela Marcil  313-833-7899  pmarcil@dia.org  www.dia.org]]> Thu, 04 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Detroit Institute of Arts to debut “Cultural Living Room” June 14 - Museum’s signature Kresge Court, front lawn to be transformed into community spaces]]>
One of the museum’s most inviting spaces, Kresge Court, will close Tuesday, April 16, to undergo a makeover that includes new seating, ambient lighting and easy technology access for visitors. Light fare, coffee and cocktails will be available during public museum hours. Additionally, a new “cultural concierge” will be on hand to provide information on the DIA and Midtown happenings.

“We envision Kresge Court becoming a sort of town square, where people can gather informally,” said Graham W. J. Beal, DIA director. “The project will restore the dignity of Kresge Court and provide a comfortable place to sit, sip, and contemplate in one of this country’s finest interior spaces.”

Local designer Patrick Thompson was hired to help the museum rethink its indoor and outdoor spaces in collaboration with the DIA’s ArtPlace partners, including NBS/Steelcase, Midtown Detroit Inc., the Detroit Creative Corridor Center and Cultural Source.

The second phase of the project will begin this July and includes new seating on the south lawn and programming from July to September. The museum sees the lawn as a place to have innovative seasonal events, including new community-based programs and performances, and connections with local businesses, from food trucks to pop-up stores.

The project is made possible by a $268,500 grant from ArtPlace America, a new national collaboration of 11 major national and regional foundations, six of the nation’s largest banks, and eight federal agencies, including the National Endowment for the Arts, to accelerate creative placemaking across the United States. To date, ArtPlace has raised almost $50 million to work alongside federal and local governments to transform communities with strategic investments in the arts.

Hours and Admission
Museum hours are 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Tuesdays–Thursdays, 9 a.m.–10 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors ages 62+, $4 for ages 6–17, and free for residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties and DIA members. For membership information, call 313-833-7971.

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The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), one of the premier art museums in the United States, is home to more than 60,000 works that comprise a multicultural survey of human creativity from ancient times through the 21st century. From the first Van Gogh painting to enter a U.S. museum (Self-Portrait, 1887), to Diego Rivera's world-renowned Detroit Industry murals (1932–33), the DIA’s collection is known for its quality, range, and depth. The DIA’s mission is to create opportunities for all visitors to find personal meaning in art.

Programs are made possible with support from the City of Detroit and residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.

Contact: Pamela Marcil 313-833-7899 pmarcil@dia.org www.dia.org]]> Thu, 28 Mar 2013 04:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[June Activities at Detroit Institute of Arts - Upgraded Kresge Court debuts June 14, first stage of museum’s new Cultural Living Room]]>
One of the museum’s most inviting spaces, the stately Kresge Court is undergoing a makeover that includes new lighting, seating, light food fare and beverages. The second phase of the program will debut in July on the museum’s front lawn.

Exhibitions currently on view are Shirin Neshat, Ellsworth Kelly: Prints and Motor City Muse: Detroit Photographs, Then and Now, which ends June 16.

Programs are free with museum admission unless otherwise noted. For more information, call (313) 833-7900 or visit www.dia.org.

Guided Tours: Tuesdays–Fridays, 1 p.m.; Saturdays–Sundays, 1 & 3 p.m.

Detroit City Chess Club: Fridays, 4–8 p.m.
The club’s mission is to teach area students the game and life lessons. Members have won state, regional and national competitions. People wanting to learn how to play chess should show up between 4 and 6 p.m. There will be no teaching between 6 and 8 p.m., but visitors can play chess.

Drawing in the Galleries (for all ages): Fridays, 6–9 p.m., Sundays, noon–4 p.m.

Beginning June 23, Music in Kresge Court: Sundays, 1–4 p.m.
Instrumental soloists perform acoustic music.

Drop-In Workshops (for all ages)
Fridays, 6–9 p.m.
Saturdays, Noon–4 p.m.
Sundays, Noon–4 p.m.

Family Sunday, June 2
Sunday Music Bar: Paul Keller Quartet featuring Sarah D’Angelo: 1 & 3 p.m.
Jazz bassist, composer, arranger and bandleader Paul Keller has been a favorite with Detroit and Ann Arbor jazz fans for years. His ensembles have covered a range of jazz styles, with arrangements for groups ranging from trio to big band. The quartet is joined by singer Sarah D’Angelo.

Lecture: Heels Over Head: Mr. Freer, Swami Vivekananda, and the Art of Yoga: 2 p.m.
Debra Diamond, associate curator of South and Southeast Asian Art, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, provides a sneak preview of Yoga: The Art of Transformation, opening at the Freer and Sackler Galleries this fall. Diamond links the DIA’s 10th-century sculpture of a yogini, Thomas Edison’s film Hindoo Fakir, and Swami Vivekananda’s visits to Detroit and Charles Freer’s home in 1894. Sponsored by The Freer House, Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute/WSU, and Asian and Islamic Art Forum

Wednesday, June 5
Lecture: Trompe L’oeil and the Politics of Food: 6:30 p.m.
Judith A. Barter, Field-McCormick Chair and Curator of American Art of the Art Institute of Chicago talks about the political and cultural meaning of rabbits, chickens, peanuts, potatoes and other edibles in 19th-century paintings by William Harnett, DeScott Evans and John Haberle. And she provides recipes! Sponsored by Associates of the American Wing and supported by the Ida Conrad H. Smith Fund, which was established by the Raymond C. Smith Foundation Fund of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan

Friday Night Live, June 7
Music: Stephanie Trick: 7 & 8:30 p.m.
Award-winning pianist Stephanie Trick is one of today's leading interpreters of stride piano. One of the few pianists to command mastery of this technically and physically demanding jazz piano style, she has been called “the next rising star in the stride world” and one of the finest interpreters of the music of James P. Johnson, Fats Waller, Willie “The Lion” Smith, Art Tatum and Donald Lambert.

Ford Second Sunday, June 9 – free general museum admission
Sunday Music Bar: Gabe Bolkosky and Michelle Cooker: 1 & 3 p.m.
Violinist Gabriel Bolkosky is equally at home with jazz and classical, klezmer, Nuevo tango and contemporary classical music. He is a much sought-after guest artist, performer and teacher at schools and workshops throughout North America, including Harvard, Dartmouth, Brandeis and Princeton. Boklosky is joined by pianist Michele Cooker, who has performed for concert series and participated in festivals throughout North America. She has appeared on PBS and has performed programs broadcast live for WFMT-radio in Chicago and CBC in Canada.

Friday Night Live, June 14
Music: Kaki King: 7 & 8:30 p.m.
Hailed by Rolling Stone as “a genre unto herself,” and the only woman named to its list of top 20 ‘New School Guitarist,’ Kaki King is a true iconoclast, a visionary musician. The Brooklyn-based guitarist/composer has recorded five extraordinarily diverse and distinctive LPs, where her emblematic usage of imaginative tunings, rare instruments, and idiosyncratic percussive techniques are all featured to their fullest effect.

Family Sunday, June 16
Sunday Music Bar: Musicians from the Great Lakes Music Festival: White Nights: 1 & 3 p.m.
The 20th annual Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival presents the finest music in the chamber music repertoire performed by world-class musicians. Led by Artistic Director James Tocco, this year’s festival celebrates 20 years of musical magnificence.

Friday Night Live, June 21
Music: Musicians from the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival: 7 & 8:30 p.m.
The 20th annual Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival presents the finest music in the chamber music repertoire performed by world-class musicians. Led by Artistic Director James Tocco, this year’s festival celebrates 20 years of musical magnificence. This performance will feature music played by the Claremont Trio with members of the Parker Quartet.

Sunday, June 23
Music in Kresge Court: 1–4 p.m.
Instrumental soloists perform acoustic music.

Friday Night Live, June 28
Music: Appleseed Collective: 7 & 8:30 p.m.
The Appleseed Collective plays a mix of Hot Club of Paris jazz with the sweaty soul of Dixieland, a bit of bluegrass, ragtime, and a little western swing swagger. Having released their debut album Baby to Beast in 2012, the band has put the pedal to the metal, touring across the United States.

Sunday, June 30
Music in Kresge Court: 1–4 p.m.
Instrumental soloists perform acoustic music.

Hours and Admission
Museum hours are 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Tuesdays–Thursdays, 9 a.m.–10 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors ages 62+, $4 for ages 6–17, and free for residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties and DIA members. For membership information, call 313-833-7971.

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The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), one of the premier art museums in the United States, is home to more than 60,000 works that comprise a multicultural survey of human creativity from ancient times through the 21st century. From the first Van Gogh painting to enter a U.S. museum (Self-Portrait, 1887), to Diego Rivera's world-renowned Detroit Industry murals (1932–33), the DIA’s collection is known for its quality, range, and depth. The DIA’s mission is to create opportunities for all visitors to find personal meaning in art.

Programs are made possible with support from the City of Detroit and residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. 

Contact: Pamela Marcil  (313) 833-7899  pmarcil@dia.org  www.dia.org]]> Tue, 26 Mar 2013 04:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Authors Rayya Elias and Elizabeth Gilbert at Detroit Institute of Arts - Former Michigander Elias to read from her new memoir HARLEY LOCO, followed by a discussion with Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love]]> (Detroit)—The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) hosts author Rayya Elias, who will read from her new book, HARLEY LOCO: A Memoir of Hard Living, Hair, and Post-Punk, from the Middle East to the Lower East Side. The event is on Thursday, April 18, at 7 p.m. Following the reading, Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, will join Elias for a discussion, and both authors will sign books. The event is hosted by 100 Women for the Arts, and is free with required advance reservations. To reserve a seat, visit www.dia.org/rayyaelias.

HARLEY LOCO is a dynamic and moving chronicle of Elias’ hard-won search for self, during which she came to realize that no matter what, people can eventually change their lives for the better without regret for the past. The book is published by Viking and is scheduled to be in stores in early April.

In Elizabeth Gilbert’s introduction to the book, she says Elias had “experienced wealth, homelessness, brushes with fame, rehab (and more rehab), a million blown second chances, a dozen broken hearts, and one bloody-knuckled, ultimate spiritual redemption.”

Born in Aleppo, Syria, in 1960, Elias left with her family at the age of seven to escape rising religious and political tensions and settled first in Royal Oak, then in Warren, Michigan, only to discover herself newly embedded in a different kind of hostile landscape. Bullied in school for everything from not being cool enough (her mother made her clothes) to her language barrier, and caught between the worlds of her traditional family and her tough American classmates, she rebelled early.

Elias moved to New York City in 1983 to become a musician and supported herself with her uncommon talent for cutting hair. At the height of the punk and new wave movements, life on the Lower East Side was full of adventure, creative inspiration and temptation. But before long, her passionate affairs with lovers of both sexes went awry, her drug recreation became drug addiction, and if she wasn’t living on the streets, she was in jail.

HARLEY LOCO chronicles Elias’ early life, her time in Michigan, and her path from harrowing loss and darkness to a place of peace and redemption. Elias lives in New York where she is a musician, hairdresser, filmmaker, and also sells real estate to make some extra money. She has been clean since August 8, 1997.

100 Women for the Arts is hosting a reception with Elias and Gilbert at 6 p.m. with proceeds going to the DIA’s operating endowment. Tickets are $300 and include cocktails, light hors d’oeuvres, a signed copy of HARLEY LOCO and valet parking. This event brings together the area’s best and brightest female business and community leaders to support the growth of the DIA’s endowment to a sustainable level. For tickets, call 313-833-4005 or visit www.dia.org/rayyaelias.

About 100 Women for the Arts
Conceived of and lead by Barbara Gucfa, a director with AlixPartners, 100 Women for the Arts first came together in 2012 around the Detroit Institute of Arts’ successful millage initiative. The aim was to bring together 100 female business and community leaders to support the DIA, a beacon of culture for the Detroit area for well over a century. With further leadership provided by the 2012 Host Committee, more than 100 women came together to demonstrate their collective power, harnessing their philanthropic spirit to set the DIA on a path toward a sustainable future.

Event Host Committee: Tina Bassett, Karen Cullen, Rebecca Donnini, Nicole Eisenberg, Sharon Eisenshtadt, Mary Anne Gargaro, Jennifer Gilbert, Mary Ann Gorlin, Maha Jano, Bonnie Larson, Julie Rothstein

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The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), one of the premier art museums in the United States, is home to more than 60,000 works that comprise a multicultural survey of human creativity from ancient times through the 21st century. From the first Van Gogh painting to enter a U.S. museum (Self-Portrait, 1887), to Diego Rivera's world-renowned Detroit Industry murals (1932–33), the DIA’s collection is known for its quality, range, and depth. The DIA’s mission is to create opportunities for all visitors to find personal meaning in art.

Programs are made possible with support from the City of Detroit and residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.

Contact: Pamela Marcil    313-833-7899     pmarcil@dia.org      www.dia.org]]> Thu, 21 Mar 2013 04:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[The Royal Collection on Show: Henry VIII to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II topic of talk by director of the Royal Collection, London - Jonathan Marsden this year’s speaker for Dr. Coleman Mopper Memorial Lecture]]>
Marsden will use the half-centenary of The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, as the starting point for an exploration of how, where and by whom the collection of nearly one million objects has been displayed and appreciated. The lecture will also reveal some of the challenges of presenting this collection to the public in the past, present and future.

The Royal Collection is one of the largest and most important art collections in the world, and one of the last great European royal collections to remain intact. Comprising almost all aspects of the fine and decorative arts, the Royal Collection is a unique and valuable record of the personal tastes of kings and queens over the past 500 years. It is displayed within some 13 royal residences and former residences across the United Kingdom. In addition, there are more than 3,000 objects from the Collection on long-term loan and works lent to short-term exhibitions in museums and galleries around the world.

Marsden joined the Royal Household in 1996 as deputy surveyor of The Queen's Works of Art, responsible for curating decorative arts in all the British royal palaces. He became surveyor of The Queen's Works of Art and director of the Royal Collection—the most senior position in the Royal Collection—in 2010. As director, Marsden is responsible for the Collection’s care and conservation throughout the British royal palaces, exhibitions at the Queen’s Galleries in London and Edinburgh, loans to and partnerships with other institutions and the management of public access to the palaces.

As a curator, Marsden has specialized in sculpture and is currently working on a catalogue of European sculpture in the Royal Collection. He has published widely in this area and on architectural history and the history of collecting. Prior to joining the Royal Household in 1996, Marsden worked for the National Trust for 12 years as a curator responsible for groups of historic houses and their contents in North Wales and Southern England.

This lecture is sponsored by the Dr. Coleman Mopper Memorial Endowment Fund in conjunction with the DIA auxiliaries Visiting Committee for European Sculpture and Decorative Arts and European Paintings Council

About the Dr. Coleman Mopper Memorial Lecture
The Dr. Coleman Mopper Memorial Lecture was established in 1997 in memory of Dr. Coleman Mopper, who passed away in 1996. Dr. Mopper and his late wife, Shirley, were founding members of The Visiting Committee for European Sculpture and Decorative Arts and had been longstanding members and patrons of the DIA. The Moppers were avid collectors of European paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts, and made numerous gifts to the museum. They were recognized with a DIA Lifetime Service award in 1996. In Dr. Mopper’s memory, friends generously endowed an annual lecture on European art to be given by an internationally recognized specialist.

Hours and Admission
Museum hours are 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Tuesdays–Thursdays, 9 a.m.–10 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, $4 for ages 6–17, and free for DIA members and residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. For membership information call 313-833-7971.

###

The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), one of the premier art museums in the United States, is home to more than 60,000 works that comprise a multicultural survey of human creativity from ancient times through the 21st century. From the first Van Gogh painting to enter a U.S. museum (Self-Portrait, 1887), to Diego Rivera's world-renowned Detroit Industry murals (1932–33), the DIA's collection is known for its quality, range, and depth. The DIA’s mission is to create opportunities for all visitors to find personal meaning in art.

Programs are made possible with support from the City of Detroit and residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.

Contact: Pamela Marcil  313-833-7899  pmarcil@dia.org  www.dia.org]]> Tue, 19 Mar 2013 04:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[April at Detroit Institute of Arts features Authors Elizabeth Gilbert and Rayya Elias, Iranian films, Global Imaginaries lecture series and more - Special exhibition Shirin Neshat opens April 7]]> (Detroit)—April at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) brings an Iranian film series, a Global Imaginaries lecture series, and a discussion with authors Elizabeth Gilbert and Rayya Elias, live music, exhibitions and more. Motor City Muse: Detroit Photographs, Then and Now is currently on view and the special exhibition Shirin Neshat, opens April 7. Both exhibitions are free with museum admission. Be sure to see one of Vincent van Gogh’s most famous paintings, Van Gogh’s Bedroom at Arles, on loan from the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, on view in the Dutch galleries.

Programs are free with museum admission unless otherwise noted. For more information, call (313) 833-7900 or visit www.dia.org.

Guided Tours: Tuesdays–Fridays, 1 p.m.; Saturdays–Sundays, 1 & 3 p.m.

Detroit City Chess Club: Fridays, 4–8 p.m.
The club’s mission is to teach area students the game and life lessons. Members have won state, regional and national competitions. People wanting to learn how to play chess should show up between 4 and 6 p.m. There will be no teaching between 6 and 8 p.m., but visitors can play chess.

Drawing in the Galleries (for all ages): Fridays, 6–9 p.m. Sundays, noon–4 p.m.

Drop-In Workshops (for all ages)
Wednesday, April 3 & 10, 11a.m.–3 p.m., Book Arts: Travel Journals: Record your spring-break adventures and travels in this easy to make book using heavy card stock, paper and a rubber band.
Thursday, April 4 & 11, 11 a.m.–3 p.m., Miniature Paper Masks: Create a miniature mask using tag board, markers and a variety of art-making materials, then learn how masks are used in different cultures.
Friday, April 5 & 12, 11 a.m.–3 p.m., Folk Art Toys: Spinners: Make this simple toy using tag board, markers and a tooth pick.
Fridays, 6–9 p.m., Simple Adornment: Create jewelry using common materials in unusual ways.
Saturdays, Noon–4 p.m., Patterns, Symbols & Designs: Find your own personal meaning as you use rubber stamps and fabric markers to decorate a piece of silk fabric.
Sundays, Noon–4 p.m., Printmaking: Use foam printing plates and water-based ink to create beautiful, one-of-a-kind hand pulled prints on paper.

Wednesday, April 3
Global Imaginaries|Individual Realities Lecture Series: Alfredo Jaar: 7 p.m.
Artist, architect, and filmmaker Alfredo Jaar investigates ways that art can be used as a tool to awaken consciousness about social and global conditions and advance justice, and how his multimedia installations solicit empathetic responses. In conjunction with Shirin Neshat, which opens April 7. Sponsored by Friends of Modern and Contemporary Art and the Center for the Study of Citizenship at Wayne State University

Thursday, April 4
Detroit Film Theatre: Iranian Cinema: A Separation: 7 p.m.
A Separation is a family drama that morphs into a gripping legal thriller. Married couple Simin and Nader obtain coveted visas to leave Iran for a life in the United States, where Simin hopes to provide a more promising future for their 11-year-old daughter. Academy Award® Winner, Best Foreign Language Film. In Persian with English subtitles. Admission: $5. Free to DIA Members. For a detailed description, visit www.dia.org/dft/schedule.asp. In conjunction with the exhibition Shirin Neshat, opening April 7

Friday Night Live, April 5
Music: No program scheduled due to Shirin Neshat opening events

Detroit Film Theatre: Iranian Cinema: Women Without Men: 7 p.m.
Set in Iran in 1953 during the political turmoil that resulted in the overthrow of the Mossadegh government and the establishment of the shah’s dictatorship, Shirin Neshat’s Women Without Men interweaves the stories of four loosely connected Iranian women and their relationships with the men in their lives. In Farsi with English subtitles. Admission: $5. Free to DIA Members. For a detailed description, visit www.dia.org/dft/schedule.asp. In conjunction with the exhibition Shirin Neshat, opening April 7

Saturday, April 6
Lecture: Dr. Coleman Mopper Memorial Lecture: The Royal Collection on Show: Henry VIII to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II: 2 p.m.
Jonathan Marsden, director of the Royal Collection, London, uses the half-centenary of the Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, as the starting point for an exploration of the Royal Collection. He will also reveal some challenges in presenting this collection to the public in the past, present and future. Sponsored by the Dr. Coleman Mopper Memorial Endowment Fund in conjunction with the Visiting Committee for European Sculpture and Decorative Arts and the European Paintings Council

Detroit Film Theatre: Julie Dash Presents: Black Orpheus: 3 p.m.
Winner of the Academy Award® for best foreign-language film, Marcel Camus’ Black Orpheus brings the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice to the 20th-century madness of Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. In addition to its popularity on movie screens, the soundtrack of Black Orpheus kicked off the bossa nova craze of the 1960s. In Portuguese with English subtitles. Admission: $5. Free to DIA Members. For a detailed description, visit www.dia.org/dft/schedule.asp.

Detroit Film Theatre: Celine and Julie Go Boating: 7 p.m.
Farce, puzzle, fairy tale, Alice in Wonderland, Alfred Hitchcock and female buddy picture all at once, Jacques Rivette’s 1974 masterwork Celine and Julie Go Boating may well be the most entertaining experimental movie ever made. Céline and Julie do go boating, but the original French title also means “taken for a ride.” In French with English subtitles. For a detailed description, visit www.dia.org/dft/schedule.asp. Tickets: $7.50; DIA members, seniors and students, $6.50.

Family Sunday, April 7
Sunday Music Bar: TBA: 1 & 3 p.m.

Family Sunday: No program scheduled due to Shirin Neshat opening events

Global Imaginaries|Individual Realities Lecture Series: Shirin Ebadi: 5:30 p.m.; Conversation between Shirin Neshat and Shirin Ebadi: 7 p.m.
Nobel Peace Prize recipient Shirin Ebadi discusses her pioneering efforts to support democracy and human rights in Iran for the past 50 years. Her lecture is followed by a conversation about art and justice between Ebadi and artist Shirin Neshat, whose exhibition is on view, moderated by cultural anthropologist Hamid Dabashi. In conjunction with Shirin Neshat. Sponsored by Friends of Modern and Contemporary Art and the Center for the Study of Citizenship at Wayne State University

Detroit Film Theatre: Celine and Julie Go Boating: 7 p.m.
(See April 6 for details)

Wednesday, April 10
Global Imaginaries|Individual Realities Lecture Series: Esther Shalev-Gerz: 7 p.m.
Esther Shalev-Gerz, born in Lithuania, educated in Israel, and now living in Paris, uses photographs, videos, and multimedia installations to investigate the relationships between cultural memory, citizenship, and public space. In conjunction with Shirin Neshat. Sponsored by Friends of Modern and Contemporary Art and the Center for the Study of Citizenship at Wayne State University

Thursday, April 11
Detroit Film Theatre: Iranian Cinema: Close-Up: 7 p.m.
Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami has created some of the most transcendent films of the past 30 years, and his 1990 Close-up remains his most brilliant work. This fiction-documentary hybrid uses a real-life event—the arrest of a man on charges that he impersonated the filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf—as the basis for a multilayered investigation into movies and identity. In Persian with English subtitles. Admission: $5. Free to DIA Members. For a detailed description, visit www.dia.org/dft/schedule.asp. Presented in conjunction with the DIA special exhibition Shirin Neshat

Friday, April 12
Music: No program scheduled due to Art X Detroit events
Art X Detroit: Kresge Arts Experience will celebrate Detroit’s arts scene April 10-14, 2013 throughout more than a dozen venues in Midtown. The free, five-day arts experience is funded by The Kresge Foundation. A complete schedule of events is available at www.artxdetroit.com.

Saturday, April 13
Lecture: Masquerades, Myth, and History: Kuba Masks in the DIA: 2 p.m.
Elisabeth Cameron, Patricia and Rowland Rebele Chair in the History of Art and Visual Culture, University of California, Santa Cruz, examines three visually captivating Kuba royal masks that were usually used on occasions commemorating and recounting the founding of the dynasty. Sponsored by Friends of African and African American Art

Ford Second Sunday, April 14 – free general museum admission
Sunday Music Bar: The Mighty Funhouse: 1 & 3 p.m.
The Mighty Funhouse is made up of musicians who have worked with a wide range of artists, including Dave Matthews, The Neville Brothers, Bob James, The Brothers Groove and King Konga. Funhouse features bassist Damon Warmack, Kris Kurzawa on guitar, Phil Hale on keyboards and Skeeto Valdez on drums.

Family Sunday: No program scheduled due to Art X Detroit events
(See April 12 for details)


Thursday, April 18
Author Rayya Elias: Reading, Music, Book Signing and Discussion moderated by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love: 7 p.m.
When she was seven, Rayya Elias and her family fled the political conflict in their native Syria, settling in Detroit. Bullied in school and caught between the world of her traditional family and her tough American classmates, she rebelled early, sang with several start-up punk rock bands, partied at now-legendary clubs in Detroit and New York City, then lost it all to a debilitating drug habit, eventually living on the streets of New York or in the New York prison system. Elias’ new memoir, Harley Loco, charts four decades of a life lived in and for the moment, and a path from harrowing loss and darkness to a place of peace and redemption that is supported by a cast of unforgettable characters, both famous and not.

Elias will read selections from Harley Loco, followed by a discussion with Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love. Admission is free, but advance reservations are required at www.dia.org

Friday Night Live, April 19
Music: Bill Meyer and the Detroit New Orleans Blues Band: 7 & 8:30 p.m.
Bill Meyer’s New Orleans Blues Band performs a wide mixture of music styles that originated in New Orleans. You will hear traditional jazz, shuffle and rock and the music of Louis Prima, Meade Lux Lewis and Dr. John. The band features trumpeter David Greene, guest vocalist DJ Holiday, trombonist Steve Hunter, Jim Wyse on clarinet and saxophone, Butter Hawkins on drums and Ibrahim Jones on bass.

Detroit Film Theatre: Nicky’s Family: 7 & 9:30 p.m.
This movie is a portrait of Nicholas Winton, now 102 years old, an Englishman who organized the rescue of 669 Czech and Slovak children just prior to the outbreak of World War II. For more than 50 years, Winton didn’t speak of these events, but when his wife discovered a suitcase full of documents and transit plans, his extraordinary history came to light. The descendants of those he saved number more than 6,000. For a detailed description, visit www.dia.org/dft/schedule.asp. Tickets: $7.50; DIA members, seniors and students, $6.50.

Saturday, April 20
Detroit Film Theatre: Julie Dash presents: The Cool World: 3 p.m.
Shirley Clarke directed this documentary-style look at 1964 Harlem ghetto life, a world filled with drugs, violence and the deep despair that permeates those touched by racism in American society. Admission: $5. Free for DIA Members. For a detailed description, visit www.dia.org/dft/schedule.asp.

Detroit Film Theatre: Nicky’s Family: 7 & 9:30 p.m.
(See April 19 for details)

Family Sunday, April 21
Artist Demonstration: Laith Karmo, ceramicist: Noon-4 p.m.
Join us as we hear about the creative process behind the ceramic works of artist Laith Karmo, who creates pieces inspired by narratives, architectural trends and contemporary design.

Sunday Music Bar: Speakeasy Quartet: 1 & 3 p.m.
The Speakeasy Quartet plays vintage hot jazz, swing and pop music from the 1920s and ‘30s. The band consists of saxophonist Ray Manzerolle, cellist Mike Karoub, pianist Mike Karloff and guitarist Hugh Leal.

Lecture: “I Expect to Make a Fortune by Washington Alone”: Gilbert Stuart’s Portraits: 2 p.m.
Between 1795 and 1796, Gilbert Stuart painted three life portraits of George Washington, including the one featured on the dollar bill. Ellen Miles, curator emeritus of painting and sculpture at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, discusses these images and the numerous copies the artist made over the next 30 years. Sponsored by Associates of the American Wing and supported by the Ida and Conrad H. Smith Fund

Detroit Film Theatre: Nicky’s Family: 2 & 4:30 p.m.
(See April 19 for details)

Wednesday, April 24
Global Imaginaries|Individual Realities Lecture Series: Trenton Doyle Hancock: 7 p.m.
Celebrated for his complex installations that include absurdist parables, Houston-based artist Trenton Doyle Hancock makes paintings that address his roots as a black artist. His newest efforts show domestic settings that are set on end by a satirical take on life. In conjunction with Shirin Neshat. Sponsored by Friends of Modern and Contemporary Art and the Center for the Study of Citizenship at Wayne State University

Friday Night Live, April 26
Music: Kathryn Goodson and DSO soloists perform the music of Charles Ives: 7 & 8:30 p.m.
The DSO teams up with Katherine Goodson to perform Charles Ives’ Four Sonatas for violin and piano.

Exhibition Tour: Shirin Neshat: 7 p.m.
Enjoy the special exhibition Shirin Neshat, the artist’s mid-career retrospective with organizing curator Rebecca Hart and educator Swarupa Anila. They will introduce the show and be available in the galleries to answer questions.

Detroit Film Theatre: Max et les Ferrailleurs: 7 & 9:30 p.m.
Max, a Paris detective, is hell bent on justice at any cost after watching one too many criminals slip through his fingers. In French with English subtitles. For a detailed description, visit www.dia.org/dft/schedule.asp. Tickets: $7.50; DIA members, seniors and students, $6.50.

Saturday, April 27
Detroit Film Theatre: DFT 101: The Seventh Seal: 4 p.m.
As the Black Death wipes out much of Europe’s population, a knight recently returned from the Crusades is confronted by the figure of Death. In hopes of extending his life, the knight challenges Death to a game of chess. In Swedish with English subtitles. Admission: $5. Free for DIA Members.

Detroit Film Theatre: Max et les Ferrailleurs: 7& 9:30 p.m.
(See April 26 for details)

Family Sunday, April 28
Artist Demonstration: Choreographer Joanne McNamara: 1-3 p.m.
Choreographer Joanne McNamara will conduct an open rehearsal for her new piece, to be filmed later in the week in Rivera Court, before giving a public presentation about the multiple processes involved in creating a video dance. Rehearsal from 2pm-3pm, with presentation from 3-4pm.

Sunday Music Bar: A. Spencer Barefield Trio: 1 & 3 p.m.
Detroit guitarist A. Spencer Barefield leads his quartet in a performance of jazz standards mixed with his own compositions. Barefield has toured and recorded with a wide range of jazz legends, including Oliver Lake, Roscoe Mitchell and Andrew Cyrille. He is joined by bassist David Young and drummer Djallo Djakate.

Detroit Film Theatre: Max et les Ferrailleurs: 2 & 4:30 p.m.
(See April 26 for details)

Hours and Admission
Museum hours are 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Tuesdays–Thursdays, 9 a.m.–10 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors ages 62+, $4 for ages 6–17, and free for residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties and DIA members. For membership information, call 313-833-7971.

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The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), one of the premier art museums in the United States, is home to more than 60,000 works that comprise a multicultural survey of human creativity from ancient times through the 21st century. From the first Van Gogh painting to enter a U.S. museum (Self-Portrait, 1887), to Diego Rivera's world-renowned Detroit Industry murals (1932–33), the DIA’s collection is known for its quality, range, and depth. The DIA’s mission is to create opportunities for all visitors to find personal meaning in art.

Programs are made possible with support from the City of Detroit and residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.

Contact: Pamela Marcil   (313) 833-7899    pmarcil@dia.org]]> Thu, 14 Mar 2013 04:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Preview Celebration of Shirin Neshat Exhibition at Detroit Institute of Arts - Artist Shirin Neshat at VIP reception; singer Sussan Deyhim to perform]]> @import url(http://www.dia.org/CuteSoft_Client/CuteEditor/Load.ashx?type=style&file=SyntaxHighlighter.css); March 12, 2013 (Detroit)—The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is hosting a preview celebration of the exhibition Shirin Neshat on Saturday, April 6 at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Shirin Neshat will be in attendance and Iranian vocalist and composer Sussan Deyhim will perform. The event is sponsored by the DIA auxiliary Friends of Modern and Contemporary Art (FMCA).

The exhibition, which opens to the public on Sunday, April 7, is a mid-career retrospective of Iranian-born artist Shirin Neshat, who is known for her exceptional photography, films and video installations that deal with issues of gender, politics and identity. Her art explores the spaces between her personal aspirations, extraordinary life story, and socio-political situation in Iran, and, by extension, the Muslim world. Though deeply rooted in her Iranian background, Neshat’s work also incorporates universal themes of empowerment, loss, sacrifice and the human desire for expression.

Iranian singer and composer Sussan Deyhim has received international acclaim for her eclectic vocal textures that mix traditional Iranian a influences with western classical, jazz and electronic music. She is featured on the soundtracks of The Kite Runner and The Last Temptation of Christ and, most recently, on the soundtrack of Argo, which was nominated for an Academy Award for original score, and won the Oscar for Best Picture.

There are two ticket levels for the April 6 preview, and tickets are limited:

6 p.m. Premier Celebration, $250 (includes $100 donation to FMCA)
This VIP reception includes an exclusive exhibition viewing, cocktails, dinner, desserts and entertainment featuring Sussan Deyhim. Valet parking at the Farnsworth St. entrance.

8 p.m. Dessert Regale, $85
Enjoy desserts, cocktails and entertainment featuring Sussan Deyhim. Valet parking at the Woodward Ave. entrance.

To purchase tickets or for more information, visit http://tickets.dia.org/eventperformances.asp?evt=75&c=1&pg= or contact Tarya Stanford at 313-833-4020 or tstanford@dia.org.
Shirin Neshat is organized by the Detroit Institute of Arts. Generous support has been provided by the MetLife Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation and Marjorie & Maxwell Jospey Foundation.

About FMCA
Friends of Modern and Contemporary Art (FMCA), the museum’s oldest and largest auxiliary, supports and enhances the DIA’s James Pearson Duffy Department of Contemporary Art by promoting a better understanding of modern and contemporary art and creating fund-raising initiatives for the purchase of important new works of art in diverse mediums.


###

The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), one of the premier art museums in the United States, is home to more than 60,000 works that comprise a multicultural survey of human creativity from ancient times through the 21st century. From the first Van Gogh painting to enter a U.S. museum (Self-Portrait, 1887), to Diego Rivera's world-renowned Detroit Industry murals (1932–33), the DIA's collection is known for its quality, range, and depth. The DIA’s mission is to create opportunities for all visitors to find personal meaning in art.

Programs are made possible with support from the City of Detroit and residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.


Contact: Pamela Marcil      313-833-7899       pmarcil@dia.org        www.dia.org]]> Tue, 12 Mar 2013 04:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Detroit Institute of Arts’ Detroit Film Theatre presents Iranian Cinema - Award-winning movies present look at Iranian culture, politics]]> (Detroit)—The Detroit Institute of Arts’ (DIA) Detroit Film Theatre (DFT) hosts a series of award-winning movies that illuminates the culture and politics of modern-day Iran. Included is A Separation, which won the Academy Award® for Best Foreign Language Film in 2012. The movies are presented in conjunction with the upcoming exhibition Shirin Neshat, which opens April 7.

Tickets are $5 for nonmembers and free for DIA members. They can be purchased by phone at 313-833-4005, online at www.tickets.dia.org or at the DIA Box Office.

Schedule:
Thursday, March 7, 7 p.m.
Persepolis
Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novels about her family life as a rebellious young woman in and out of Iran, both before and after Khomeini’s rule, have been adapted into a magical, daringly honest animated movie. The visual style perfectly matches the irrepressible spirit of Marjane, who as a teenager rebels at the restrictions of living in a theocracy while also wrestling with adolescence, American pop culture and first love, ultimately embarking on a search for her true place in the world. In French with English subtitles.

Thursday, March 14, 7 p.m.
Secret Ballot
A soldier is unhappy to discover that he’s obliged to obey the orders of a young female election agent charged with collecting votes in a remote region, by accompanying her on her rounds with jeep and rifle. Not happy with taking orders from a woman, the young man is deeply stressed by the events of the day, and yet, as they get to know each other, they grudgingly begin to form a bond of respect. Only when the election is over does the soldier uncover the most surprising fact of all. In Persian with English subtitles.

Thursday, April 4, 7 p.m.
A Separation
A Separation is a family drama that morphs into a gripping legal thriller. Married couple Simin and Nader obtains coveted visas to leave Iran for a life in the United States, where Simin hopes to provide a more promising future for their 11-year-old daughter. But Nader isn’t comfortable abandoning his sick father. To help him care for the old man, Nader hires a deeply religious woman who takes the job unbeknownst to her husband; almost immediately there are complications, culminating in an incident that challenges perceptions of who (if anyone) is to blame, what really happened, and what the legal and moral implications may be. Academy Award® Best Foreign Language Film. In Persian with English subtitles.

Friday, April 5, 7 p.m.
Women Without Men
Set in Iran in 1953 during the period of political turmoil that resulted in the overthrow of Iran’s Mossadegh government and the establishment of the shah’s dictatorship, Shirin Neshat’s Women Without Men interweaves the stories of four loosely connected Iranian women and their relationships with the men in their lives. Winner of the Silver Lion for Best Director at the 2009 Venice Film Festival, Neshat brings an extraordinary sense of design, emotional control and political insight to her storytelling, resulting in a rich, haunting and powerful sense of time and place.

Thursday, April 11, 7 p.m.
Close-Up
This fiction-documentary hybrid uses a sensational real-life event—the arrest of a young man on charges of fraudulently impersonating the well-known Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf—as the basis for a multilayered investigation into movies, identity, artistic creation, and the nature of existence, in which the real people from the case portray themselves on screen. In Persian with English subtitles.

Hours and Admission
Museum hours are 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Tuesdays–Thursdays, 9 a.m.–10 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, $4 for ages 6–17, and free for DIA members and residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. For membership information, call 313-833-7971.

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The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), one of the premier art museums in the United States, is home to more than 60,000 works that comprise a multicultural survey of human creativity from ancient times through the 21st century. From the first Van Gogh painting to enter a U.S. museum (Self-Portrait, 1887), to Diego Rivera's world-renowned Detroit Industry murals (1932–33), the DIA's collection is known for its quality, range, and depth. The DIA’s mission is to create opportunities for all visitors to find personal meaning in art.

Programs are made possible with support from the City of Detroit and residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.

Contact:     Pamela Marcil        313-833-7899         pmarcil@dia.org        www.dia.org]]> Mon, 25 Feb 2013 05:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[ May brings Flowers, Puppets, and More to Detroit Institute of Arts - Four exhibitions free with museum admission on view in May; Ellsworth Kelly Prints opens May 24 ]]> (Detroit)—May at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) features a talk and demonstration on floral arrangements, a lecture on a stunning recent acquisition called Black Moorish Woman, puppet shows and more. Free with museum admission are the exhibitions Motor City Muse: Detroit Photographs, Then and Now; Shirin Neshat; Detroit Public Schools Student Exhibition; and Ellsworth Kelly Prints, which opens May 24. Vincent van Gogh’s Van Gogh’s Bedroom in Arles, on loan from the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, is on view through May 28.

Programs are free with museum admission unless otherwise noted. For more information, call (313) 833-7900 or visit www.dia.org.

Guided Tours: Tuesdays–Fridays, 1 p.m.; Saturdays–Sundays, 1 & 3 p.m.

Detroit City Chess Club: Fridays, 4–8 p.m.
The club’s mission is to teach area students the game and life lessons. Members have won state, regional and national competitions. People wanting to learn how to play chess should show up between 4 and 6 p.m. There will be no teaching between 6 and 8 p.m., but visitors can play chess.

Drawing in the Galleries (for all ages): Fridays, 6–9 p.m. Sundays, noon–4 p.m.

Drop-In Workshops (for all ages)
Fridays, 6–9 p.m., Musical Instruments: Wrist/Ankle Rattles: Use leather, beads, wire and markers to create a whimsical percussion instrument.
Saturdays, Noon–4 p.m., Papel Picado: Have fun as you try this Mexican art of cutting paper.
Sundays, Noon–4 p.m., Puppets: Tongue Depressor: Bring characters from your imagination to life as you learn to make a simple puppet using tongue depressors and a variety of art making materials.

Wednesday, May 1
Elizabeth Sites Kuhlman Lecture/Demonstration: Floral Art, Flowering the World: 10:30 a.m.
Jim Johnson, director and Benz Endowed Chair, Benz School of Floral Design, teaches floral design and has lectured nationally and internationally. His book Flowers: Creative Design is widely considered the floral designer’s bible. Johnson will create floral arrangements in response to works of art in the DIA. A luncheon follows the program. Tickets: $25 for lecture only, $50 for lecture and luncheon. For tickets, visit www.tickets.dia.org or call 313.833.4005. Sponsored by Friends of Art and Flowers

Friday Night Live, May 3
Music: Bonjour: 7 & 8:30 p.m.
Bonjour crosses the boundaries of pop, minimalist and classical music and features the eccentric talents of Florent Ghys (bass), Eleonore Oppenheim (bass), Ashley Bathgate (cello), James Moore (guitar) and Own Weaver (percussion).

Family Sunday, May 5
Sunday Music Bar: TBA: 1 & 3 p.m.

Puppet Performance: Puppet ART presents The Crane Maiden: 2 p.m.
The Crane Maiden is based on the ancient Japanese folktale of a poor but honest young man who saves the life of a wounded crane. This exquisite puppet show for all ages includes the spiritual mystery of Japanese music, the delicate and touching lyricism of Haiku poetry and symbolic visual elements by Puppet Art Detroit.

Friday Night Live, May 10
Music: Bridget Kibbey Music Box: 7 & 8:30 p.m.
Music Box is a multi-media performance of eight newly commissioned works for solo harp. Bridget Kibbey commissioned music by eight composers from other countries that now call the United States home. The inspiration for these compositions is based on folk music from each composer's country of origin.

Saturday, May 11
Lecture: It’s All About Beauty, People, and Color: 2 p.m.
Focusing on the DIA’s recently acquired Mauresque Noire (Black Moorish Woman), Laure de Margerie, head, Census of French Sculpture in American Public Collections, University of Texas, Dallas will discuss Charles Cordier’s masterful approach to the beauty and identity of the non-European subjects he sculpted. His bold move away from white marble to incorporate colorful materials diversified his repertoire and influenced his contemporaries in the19th century. Sponsored by Visiting Committee for European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Ford Second Sunday, May 12 – free general museum admission
Artist Demonstration: Great Lakes Lace Society: Noon-4 p.m.
Come see a demonstration of the varieties of lace making techniques by the Great Lakes Lace group, as they walk us through bobbin lace, tatted, knitted, crocheted, and needle lace production methods.

Sunday Music Bar: Bridget Kibbey Music Box: 1 & 3 p.m.
(See May 10 for details)

Lecture: “China”=Porcelain: The Importance of Chinese Ceramics on Global Traditions: 2 p.m.
Chinese ceramics tell many stories. Some are technological; others are cultural and illustrate historic trends, such as the rise of maritime trade. Denise Patry Leidy, curator of Chinese Sculpture and Decorative Arts, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, explores the impact of Chinese ceramics on global history from the eighth through the 18th century, focusing largely on works in the DIA’s collection. Sponsored by Asian and Islamic Art Forum

Friday Night Live, May 17
Music: Two Man Gentleman Band: 7 & 8:30 p.m.
A hot swing duo in the tradition of Slim & Slam, The Two Man Gentleman Band has developed a reputation as a must-see live act. They have a long-standing affair with the song styles of the 1920s and 30s, but a decidedly contemporary approach to lyric writing.

Saturday, May 18
Meet Me at the DIA: A Program for People with Early-Stage Dementia and Their Caregivers: 10:30 a.m.–noon
People with early-stage dementia (including Alzheimer’s) and their caregivers can participate in gallery discussions about art led by DIA staff and volunteers with expertise in this area. Participants are made to feel welcome and comfortable, and discussions are based on the observations and connections made by the group. The program provides opportunities for social engagement and intellectual stimulation in a safe, inspiring environment. Participants are given small prints of DIA artworks to take home so conversations can be continued. The program is free with museum admission, but registration is required. To register, go to tickets.dia.org. Sponsored by HealthPlus of Michigan

Family Sunday, May 19
Storyteller Performance: Corinne Stavish: 2 p.m. 
Join us as storyteller Corinne Stavish explores characters from fairy tales, popular culture and history. 

Sunday Music Bar: Wendell Harrison’s Swing Band: 1 & 3 p.m.
Wendell Harrison’s new project is the Detroit Swing Ensemble, a collaboration with rhythm guitarist Niko Pittman and lead guitarist Vaughn Klugh. The dual guitars provide a dance foundation to their 1920’s swing covers, and Harrison's clarinet and charisma exemplify the classic bands of the era.

Lecture: The Invention of African Art: Colonial Fantasies and the Formation of an Art Historical Canon: 2 p.m.
Christopher Steiner, Lucy C. McDannel ’22 professor of Art History and Anthropology and director of Museum Studies Connecticut College, discusses the history of early 20th-century European collecting of African art. He explores how the recirculation of the so-called masterworks through museum exhibitions has led to the reproduction of accepted styles in the form of tourist art or neotraditional copies. Sponsored by Friends of African and African American Art

Friday Night Live, May 24
Music: TBA: 7 & 8:30 p.m.

Lecture: The Prints of Ellsworth Kelly: 7 p.m.
Rick Axsom, curator at Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, offers an overview of Ellsworth Kelly’s prints and suggests their pivotal role in the artist’s paintings, sculptures, and drawings. He gives special attention to the Rivers project, a series of three monumental prints and eight state editions. Sponsored by Forum for Prints, Drawings, and Photographs

Family Sunday, May 26
Puppet Performance: Puppet ART presents The Crane Maiden: 2 p.m.
Based on the ancient Japanese folktale of a poor but honest young man who saves the life of a wounded crane, this exquisite puppet show for all ages includes the spiritual mystery of Japanese music, the delicate and touching lyricism of Haiku poetry and symbolic visual elements as brought to life by Puppet Art Detroit.

Friday Night Live, May 31
Music: The Rayse Biggs Quartet: 7 & 8:30 p.m.
Master trumpeter Rayse Biggs leads a group of the hottest jazz players in the Detroit area. A veteran of the Detroit jazz scene, Biggs performs his highly charged style of Motown jazz while exploring the music of past trumpet masters Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard.

Lecture: Devils and Demons at the DIA: 7 p.m.
Images of hell, the devil, and demons make for fascinating and compelling artworks. Robert Schindler, DIA Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial Fellow, will showcase some of these fantastic works from the DIA’s collection and place them within their religious and art historical context. Sponsored by European Paintings Council

Hours and Admission
Museum hours are 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Tuesdays–Thursdays, 9 a.m.–10 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors ages 62+, $4 for ages 6–17, and free for residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties and DIA members. For membership information, call 313-833-7971.

###

The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), one of the premier art museums in the United States, is home to more than 60,000 works that comprise a multicultural survey of human creativity from ancient times through the 21st century. From the first Van Gogh painting to enter a U.S. museum (Self-Portrait, 1887), to Diego Rivera's world-renowned Detroit Industry murals (1932–33), the DIA’s collection is known for its quality, range, and depth. The DIA’s mission is to create opportunities for all visitors to find personal meaning in art.

Programs are made possible with support from the City of Detroit and residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.

Contact:     Pamela Marcil      (313) 833-7899      pmarcil@dia.org]]> Fri, 22 Feb 2013 05:00:00 GMT