Each year at the Detroit Institute of Arts, we create experiences for visitors to connect with art by fostering joy and culture through our exhibitions, events, and community programming. Join me in looking back at the incredible moments and milestones of 2024.
For the second consecutive year, the DIA was voted the best art museum in the nation by USA TODAY readers in 2024. Our award-winning drone video tour of the museum, which continues to generate excitement and serve as a source of pride among Detroiters, has been viewed thousands upon thousands of times around the globe.
In 2024, more than 500,000 visitors walked through our doors. That includes 70,000 K-12 students and members from over 240 senior groups. Every day, we see the faces of our community’s youngest learners and eldest residents as they discover something new about art and experience a new installation at the DIA.
Throughout the year, guests explored a captivating array of exhibitions, such as Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898 – 1971, the first of its kind offering a research-driven, in-depth look at the history of Black cinema in America; The Art of Dining: Food Culture in the Islamic World (concludes Jan. 5) exploring connections between art and cuisine from ancient times to the present day; and Tiff Massey: 7 Mile + Livernois (on view through May 11, 2025) featuring sculptures that celebrate Detroit’s evolving neighborhoods.
We also invite you to experience Painted with Silk: The Art of Early American Embroidery (Dec. 13, 2024 – June 15, 2025). The exhibit highlights around 80 pieces that feature the cultural significance of needlework among schoolgirls from 1600 to 1830.
Every year, our community exhibitions celebrate local student and community artists, building upon the DIA's commitment to serve as a hub for connection through art. In 2024, these exhibitions included Ofrendas: Celebrating Día de los Muertos, the Wayne County High School Art Exhibition, and the 87th Annual Detroit Public Schools Community District Student Exhibition. The Community Group Exhibition is currently on view through Jan. 5 and highlights art produced through long-standing partnerships with Detroit area human services agencies. Pieces for this exhibition — such as wall hangings, printmaking, ceramic footprints, and more — were created in collaboration with the DIA’s Artmaking Studio.
But you do not have to step foot in the museum to see a masterpiece. We are making art accessible to all through programs such as Inside|Out, which installed reproductions of artworks in more than 25 cities and public spaces throughout the Tri-County area and on Mackinac Island. And thanks to our Partners in Public Art program, new community-driven murals were unveiled in Clinton Twp., Center Line, Harrison Twp., Hazel Park, and Farmington.
In 2024, we are also celebrating one year of outstanding leadership from Lane Coleman, Board Chair of the DIA. His tireless efforts reinvigorated the museum’s annual gala and uplifted the Center for African American Art, which will undergo a major reinstallation in 2025.
As we close out the year, I want to thank every visitor and patron who brought such vibrancy and excitement to the DIA in 2024. To the residents of Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties, I am especially appreciative for your unwavering support.
I look forward to an equally incredible 2025!
