Black History At Detroit Institute Of Arts

DETROIT – In honor of Black History Month, The Detroit Institute of Arts offers activities for all ages. Enjoy films, live music, storytelling, drop-in workshops, lectures, and great art. Programs are free with museum admission unless otherwise noted.

Drop-In Workshops (for all ages)
Fridays, February 4, 11, 18 and 25, 6–9 p.m. – Miniature Paper Masks: Create a miniature mask using paper, markers and other art-making materials, then learn how masks are used in different cultures.
Sundays, February 6, 13, 20 and 27, Noon–4 p.m. – Senufo Painting: Explore this West African form of painting on fabric using markers and muslin, a loosely woven cotton fabric.

Friday Night Live, February 4
Music: Carmen Lundy: 7 & 8:30 p.m.
Carmen Lundy is known for her vocal artistry and is highly regarded for her jazz innovation. Lundy, a multi-instrumentalist and gifted composer, performs music from her latest CD, Solamente, on which she arranged, produced, recorded, mixed and played every instrument. Joining Lundy are pianist Anthoney Wonse, Kenny Davis on bass and Jamison Ross on drums.

Family Sunday, February 6
Artist Demonstration: Painting and Mixed Media: Noon–4 p.m.
Over the past few years, painter and mixed media artist Senghor Reid has been working on a series entitled The Burden of Dreams. The series documents the lives of people in an urban setting ravaged and altered by the relentless imprint of human activity on the earth in a post-industrial age. Expanding on this concept, Reid is now exploring the human brain and the thought processes of these subjects.

Friday Night Live, February 11
Music: The Rayse Biggs Quintet: 7 and 8:30 p.m.
Master trumpeter Rayse Biggs leads a group assembled from some 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 trumpet master Freddie Hubbard and others.

Saturday, February 12
Detroit Film Theatre: Soundtrack for a Revolution: 4 p.m.
The freedom songs of the Civil Rights movement performed on picket lines and in jail cells are brought to life by artists including John Legend, The Roots, Joss Stone and Wyclef Jean. The importance of the songs, which enabled an oppressed population to sing words they could not say, is illuminated through archival footage of interviews with Harry Belafonte, Julian Bond and Andrew Young, and the skill and diligence of executive produce Danny Glover. Tickets are $7.50, and $6.50 for DIA members, seniors and students with I.D. Call 313-833-4005 for information.

Family Sunday, February 13
Storytelling: Ivory Williams: 2 p.m.
Ivory D. Williams, president of the Detroit Association of Black Storytellers, presents highly interactive and entertaining stories designed for both youth and adults.

Nineteenth Annual Alain Locke Award and Lecture: “Merging Life and Art in Abstraction” by William T. Williams: 2 p.m.
In his 40-year career, this year’s Alain Locke Award recipient, William T. Williams, has created numerous series of abstract paintings and prints reflecting personal memories, variations on themes, technical innovations, mastery of color and diverse approaches. He is acknowledged as an initiator in 1968 of the Studio Museum in Harlem’s renowned Artists-in-Residence program, which continues to jumpstart the careers of many artists of African descent. Since 1971, Williams has been a professor of art at Brooklyn College, the City University of New York. He will speak on the development of his art and career.

Friday Night Live, February 18
Music: Fun House: 7 and 8:30 p.m.
Detroit master drummer Skeeto Valdez brings together musical collaborators from his past—bassist Damon Warmack, guitarist Kris Kurzawa and keyboardist Phil Hale—for an evening of jazzy funk.

Family Sunday, February 20
Brunch with Bach: Jade Simmons: 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Pianist Jade Simmons performs an eclectic collection of variations for solo piano by Rachmaninoff, Corelli and Muczynski. Tickets: 11 a.m., Continental breakfast and concert, $20; 1:30, brunch and concert, $35; concert only, $15. Call 313-833-4005.

Family Performance: A World of Music and Stories: 2 p.m.
Audrey and Bob Allison will present an upbeat program that includes humorous interactive stories, audience participation, hands-on fun, beautiful music and musical instruments from all over the world.

Friday Night Live, February 25
Music: Johnnie Bassett: 7 & 8:30 p.m.
Legendary Detroit guitarist and singer Johnnie Bassett performs music from his latest CD, The Gentleman is Back. Bassett’s playing was described by the All Music guide as a unique combination of jump blues and delta stylings. He will be joined by Brothers Groove members Chris Codish on keyboards, James Simonson on base, Keith Kaminski on saxophone and Michael Gibbs on drums.

Family Sunday, February 27
Family Performance: Paul Mesner Puppets Presents Anansi the Spider: 2 p.m.
Anansi the Spider is a live telling of four classic folk tales from Africa and the Caribbean performed by Paul Mesner Puppets. These humorous stories feature a trickster spider that sometimes gets tricked himself. In “How the Stories came to the World,” “Tiger Becomes a Riding Horse,” “The Magic of Five,” and “Dinner for Two,” Anansi the Spider offers universal lessons of wit and cleverness.



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. As the DIA celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2010, it does so with renewed commitment to its visitor-centered experience and to its mission of creating opportunities for all visitors to find personal meaning in art.

Programs are made possible in part with support from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, National Endowment for the Arts and the City of Detroit.