Detroit Institute of the Arts and Black Art History
The Detroit Institute of the Arts, one of the leading public museums for how we use art to challenge how we see and interact with the world. Over the years, they have curated a multitude of exhibits that seek to provide opportunities for Black artists to share their stories. In 1943, DIA began collecting African-American art after accepting a donation of prints from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and over the years they’ve increased their efforts to diversify the collections.
This year for Black History Month, DIA put on a slew of curated events to cultivate leadership in young Black artists, spark conversations surrounding leaders in Black history, showcase up-and-coming local artists and more. We had the opportunity to speak with Visitor Communications Specialist Syretta Simpson and learn about the various programs and partnerships the museum hosted as part of its Black History Month celebration.
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Interview with DIA
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Detroit Institute of the Arts Virtual Events
Studio Visit: Phillip Simpson
Art Talk: The Ultimate Art Museum
Tour: New Black Vanguard Part I
Tour: New Black Vanguard Part II
Film: Daughters of the Dust
Lecture: Paradise Now with Tyler Mitchell
Wimee's Words: Shirley Woodson, Flight with Mirror
Streaming films
Feb 1 – 7 | Documentary Films of Madeline Anderson
Feb 8 – 14 | The Last Angel of History
Feb 22 – 28 | Seven Songs for Malcolm X
Exhibits Amplifying Black Voices
Friends of African and African-American Art
“Detroit Collects: Selections of African-American Art from Private Collections,”
Detroit Artists to Know
A City’s History of Art
The Great Migration is the reason for many stories about exponential growth in Black communities in northern cities across the US and Detroit is no different. It’s notably one city that has consistently been woven into stories about Black history and has emerged as a modern day hub for emerging Black artists. Over the past few years, more and more visual artists have been claiming their space and putting Detroit on the map with their unique story telling works of art.
In July of 2021, the Black-led event, BLKOUT Walls, invited 19 muralists to create colorful stories across the city’s central North End neighborhood. Attracting over 8,000 viewers in one day, this project livened communities and brought color to our doorsteps.
Valerie Mercer, first curator of African American art and Head of the General Motors Center for African American Art at DIA, has used her platform to bring artists of all backgrounds together in innovative and welcoming ways. The General Motors Center for African American Art has explored tough topics like rebellion through art during the Civil Rights Movement in Detroit through the utilization of innovative mediums. It’s her ability to curate these exhibits that strike a personal chord without feeling forced, that continues to draw people in.
DIA’s first painting created by an African-American artist was Robert S. Duncanson’s The Drunkard’s Plight.