On her daily walks, Grosse Pointe resident Elaine Nesom often stops to admire Mary Cassatt’s In the Garden, one of 14 reproductions installed throughout the Grosse Pointes as part of the Detroit Institute of Arts’ Inside|Out program. As a mixed media artist, Nesom believes even a brief encounter with art can brighten someone’s day. 

“Art in public places is important because not everyone takes time to visit a museum,” she says. “When you happen to walk past a piece, it might speak to you—it can take you away from reality, even for a little bit."
 
Since 2010, the DIA’s Inside|Out program has brought inspiring works to residents across Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties In 2025, the DIA partnered with almost 30 communities, including several college campuses. Inside|Out is all about making art a shared experience with our neighbors, friends, and family. 
 
Grosse Pointe Park resident Sarah Miller and her three young children—Billy, Artie, and Brooks—experienced exactly that when they discovered Van Gogh’s Bank of the Oise at Auvers outside their city library. 

“I read about how Van Gogh used different strokes to show the water ripples versus the boat’s longer pieces,” Miller says. “My kids also admired how he portrayed the reflection of the boats in the water. My boys love canoe rides and boats (if you ask them, they are pirates), so it was an easy painting for them to understand and reflect on.” 
 
In Madison Heights, Harley Mordarski, assistant to the city manager, has seen how the city’s 11 Inside|Out works have built community. “The Arts Board hosted two Paint in the Park nights (titled Bring your Inside Artist OUT), an art cruise, and we’ll be wrapping up the season with an upcoming art show in partnership with our library this September,” she says. 
 
Maria Lucido, an office clerk at the Clinton Twp Senior Center, doesn’t often make it to the DIA, so she appreciates that Odilon Redon’s Evocation of Butterflies is installed right outside her workplace. Seniors at the center enjoy experiencing the magic of the DIA every day—right in their own community. The installation even inspires some to attend senior-focused programs like Memories and Melodies, Lucido says. Thanks to the tri-county millage, both admission and transportation are free. 
 
“Art should be accessible to all and putting it in our neighborhoods helps that,” Miller says. “Sometimes fine art can get the reputation that it’s only for adults or only for art history majors, but these types of installations debunk that narrative and serve as a great reminder that kids can enjoy and get something out of it too. My kids absolutely love to create, draw, and paint, and I have barely ever considered a trip to the DIA with them. This experience makes me want to go!” 
 
For more info about the DIA’s Inside|Out program, visit dia.org/insideout