June is the last month to visit our very successful show Regeneration Black Cinema 1898 – 1971. Almost 50,000 people have already seen it, and many school field trips have flooded the galleries to experience this extraordinary story of struggle and success. Thanks to the great work of our DIA team and Board of Directors, we are able to offer this exhibition free of charge with general admission to the museum, which is free for residents of Wayne, Macomb and Oakland counties. 

I have personally learned so much from this show. Perhaps the most inspiring moment was when I learned that one of the artists featured in the exhibition —considered in the 1950s to be the “Eighth Wonder of the World,”— is a lifelong Detroiter and currently lives in our very own neighborhood. His name is Frank “Sugar Chile” Robinson, and he was a “child star in the 1940s, reminiscent of the actress Shirley Temple. He was immensely popular, even living and playing in Europe as a child. He was born in Detroit, and his gift as a pianist was obvious early on. He was a child prodigy and appeared in Hollywood films […]. Over time, he vanished from the national scene, although he played in churches in Detroit.” 

DIA board member, artist and Detroit living legend Marsha Battle Philpot (aka Marsha Music) wrote these words of praise. She was the one who pointed out to me the Detroit connections in the Regeneration promotional poster that reads: “ALL AMERICAN NEWS! SUGAR CHILE ROBINSON, THE EIGHTH WONDER OF THE WORLD.” Furthermore, she shared with me that she knew Frank and that it would be an extraordinary moment to bring him to the DIA and walk through the exhibition with him. She was right. In April, with the help of Marsha’s friend, Larry King, we welcomed Sugar Chile and some of his family members to the museum to visit the Regeneration exhibition. It was a magical moment when Sugar Chile posed next to his promotional poster and smiled, sharing with us some thoughts about his musical gift and his world-famous performances. We were all transported back in time, bringing the exhibition to life like no one else has experienced it.

“When my mother and father came up [to Detroit] from the south, they brought an upright piano with them,” he shared. “While my mother was cooking and cleaning the house, I would always bang on the piano, until finally, when I was listening to the radio, I could copy whatever I heard.” 

Between taking photos and video to immortalize the moment, we heard his insights, stories and jokes. At one point, someone asked him, “Why did they call you the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World?” Without missing a beat, he replied: “Because there were already seven.” 

Following Masha Music’s advice, we have invited Sugar Chile Robinson to perform at the DIA’s auditorium. On June 22 at 7 p.m. he will be performing before we play the film Stormy Weather. It will be the last weekend that Regeneration will be on view at the DIA. And to celebrate this magnificent show and history, we will have no less than “The Eighth Wonder of the World” on stage. It only happens in Detroit.

Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898 – 1971 is organized by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. 

At the Detroit Institute of Arts, lead support is generously provided by The Gilbert Family Foundation. Major support is provided by JPMorgan Chase & Co. Additional support is provided by the DTE Foundation and Amazon.

My favorite science documentaries are hosted by British theoretical physicist Jameel Sadik ‘Jim’ Al-Khalil. At the beginning of his 2011 docuseries Everything and Nothing,  standing on a deserted sandy beach, Al-Khalil says:

“Imagine that our sun is just the size of a single grain of sand. Our sun is just one of a multitude of stars, it is surrounded by about 200 billion of them, in our Milky Way galaxy alone. Our sun is just a speck in the vast beach of stars. The Milky Way galaxy is, in itself, one of 100 billion galaxies scattered throughout the cosmos. It has been estimated that there are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on all the beaches in all the world. Just think about that for a moment.”

Sometimes, during a museum visit, one can be transported into similar thoughts. For example, at the DIA we show one of the earliest European depictions of the stars at night, The Agony in the Garden. Sassetta, a Sienese painter, created this work representing the biblical story of the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane on a starry night. He used a dark background to paint the night sky, in which he drilled tiny holes, later filled with silverleaf, that reflect the light creating the shiny glitter of the stars in the distance: The Milky Way galaxy. This is a remarkable representation for an artist of the 1400s.  

In and out of the museum, stars mesmerize us, and we travel short and long distances to see them at different times of the year. On April 8, the moon passed between our “local star”, the sun, and the Earth, producing a total solar eclipse. This stellar spectacle provided us all with a moment of community connection that was unlike anything we experience in our day-to-day lives. DIA staff joined so many others in gathering on the museum grounds to witness the historic moment when the moon’s shadow was cast on Earth. Total solar eclipses happen over time and the next one will be in August 2026 and visible from Spain! 

In preparation for April’s eclipse, the DIA team looked at the museum’s history and found that another famous solar eclipse had been visible in Detroit on August 31, 1932. Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, both working on their art at the DIA at that time, witnessed it from the roof of the museum. Ford Motor Company photographer WJ Stettler captured this moment of wonder in a now famous image. Inspired by this photograph, the DIA team recreated the Kahlo-Rivera scene with another image taken during the April 8 solar eclipse, featuring James Burts, Museum Maintenance, Ani Garabedian, Community Engagement Programs Manager, Phil Rivera, Volunteer Services Director, and Alesha Hamilton and Sherri Barnes, Museum Security Officers. DIA’s photographer, Eric Wheeler, immortalized this moment for posterity. This was a brilliant DIA initiative. 

As the sun warms the Earth’s northern hemisphere over the upcoming months, the summer is a great time for both stargazing and visiting the DIA. Be ready for special art experiences including the opening of the exhibition, 7 Mile + Livernois, by a Detroit star: interdisciplinary artist Tiff Massey. 

As the warmer months of spring settle in, I am reminded of a Spanish proverb: “Marzo ventoso y Abril lluvioso sacan a Mayo florido y hermoso,” which in other words means: “A windy March and a rainy April, make May a month of bounty blooms.” This proverb stems from the traditional wisdom of Spanish farmers, who looked to the weather needed during these months to ensure abundant harvests later in the year. It also reminds me of a painting on view in the DIA galleries that tells the story of a farmer, the love for flowers, and the ability to capture them with intense realism. 

On the DIA’s the second-floor south spine, we display one of the greatest Spanish still-life paintings of the 17th century. On a long-term loan to the museum from a private collection for decades, this work painted on a panel represents an austere vase with flowers. Spanish artist Juan Fernández painted this circular painting in 1636. We do not know much about his personal life, except that he was nicknamed “El Labrador” or “The Farmer,” implying that he cultivated land. Nothing is known of his training as a painter, and it is very possible that he was a self-taught artist who lived as a recluse, farming his land away from the buzzing life of the Court of Madrid. Most information we have about his artistic activities is from the 1630s, including the commissions he received from English diplomats in Madrid on behalf of King Charles I of England. It is interesting to note that El Labrador was one of the first Spanish artists recognized internationally and his most coveted works were still-life paintings representing bunches of grapes and vases with flowers. In fact, King Charles I had some of Labrador’s still-life paintings in his famous collection. 

The painting at the DIA, Vase of Flowers, shows a bouquet of flowers — including roses, irises, narcissuses, and retamas, among others — in an arrangement that fits the panel’s circular shape. The bouquet sits on a ledge against a dark background. It is illuminated by a dramatic light from the left side, which modulates every petal and leaf, creating a three-dimensional effect throughout the composition. Each flower is painted with the attention of a botanist, and to indicate the masterful rendering, a butterfly with orange and brown wings — perhaps a Monarch — poses on a pink rose to the left. The flowers are set inside a worn pottery jar. This humble object aligns well with the idea of the modest life of this farmer painter, who chose such a jar instead of depicting a Venetian crystal vase or any other luxurious vessel as was the custom of the Madrid flower painters of the time. The dry, humble material of the jar juxtaposes the fresh satin-smooth delicacy of the surrounding petals, triggering our imagination. 

This magical painting by El Labrador is perhaps his masterpiece and could certainly hang in the permanent display of the most famous museums around the world, from the Prado in Madrid to the Louvre in Paris. It has a superb artistic quality equal to any works by the celebrated Caravaggio, and it is also extraordinarily modern. It almost feels as if this painter farmer, on one given morning, collected some flowers from his backyard, put them inside an everyday kitchen jar, and painted them, as though he was meditating on the beauty of creation. I am pretty sure that like every Spanish farmer, El Labrador wished for a windy March and rainy April, so he could paint these amazing flowers later in May. From the fields of Spain to the galleries of the DIA, we can all enjoy art and nature coming together, as we welcome the season of flowers in Michigan.  

This piece originally ran as an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal.

Nearly four years after the Covid-19 pandemic began, art museums in the U.S. continue to struggle. According to the American Alliance of Museums’ annual survey of museum-goers, published in November 2023, visitation at two-thirds of them remains below pre-2020 levels. Pandemic relief funds are depleted, and other forms of government support are being scaled back. In addition, inflation is driving up operating costs.

Some museums have responded by raising ticket prices, curtailing programming and cutting staff. Unfortunately, the Dallas Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum have all implemented layoffs. Earlier this month, New York’s Rubin Museum announced plans to sell its building and transition to a “museum without walls” approach.

At the Detroit Institute of Arts, we know what it is to face financial uncertainty. Between the Great Depression and 2012, we lived with it. The year after the 2008 recession, for example, the leadership was forced to lay off nearly 90 employees. Struggling with minimal public funding, an insufficient $62 million operating endowment, and a $26 million operating budget, our days seemed to be numbered. We had a $25 million line of credit and relied on private donors and corporations to raise the necessary funding for us to break even at the end of the year. It felt as if our mission was simply to survive.

Yet since 2012 the DIA has been on a path to financial self-sufficiency using a new business model. We believe it could serve as a framework for other institutions in today’s difficult economic climate.

That year, the residents of Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties, which surround and include the DIA, voted in support of a millage, a property tax whose proceeds would be collected and transferred to the DIA to be used for the support and operation of the museum for a period of 10 years. Thus, a property owner with a home value of $200,000 pays approximately $20 per year in additional taxes.

The millage gave the DIA something it never had: revenue predictability. Every year for a decade the museum was able to count on enough revenue to provide about two-thirds of its operating budget. The remaining third came primarily from fundraising and earned income. Any additional funds raised were invested in our operating endowment to secure the museum’s future. Our business model helped to ensure that during the pandemic, the DIA could operate without layoffs or furloughs.

The millage laid the groundwork for a partnership between the museum and the Tri-County communities that keeps the DIA fully engaged and relevant to our diverse audiences. Residents receive unlimited free general admission to the museum and the majority of our temporary exhibitions. Furthermore, we provide free field trips for all K-12 school groups and local senior organizations, including the cost of group transportation. We also partner with municipalities and nonprofits to bring museum experiences outside of the building and directly into the community.

Yet this hard-won progress was nearly lost in 2013 when Detroit filed for bankruptcy. Because the city owned the museum building, its grounds and the art collection—one of the best encyclopedic collections in the country, one that includes the first Van Gogh and Matisse paintings to enter an American museum, the celebrated Diego Rivera murals and one of the top collections of African-American art in the world—there was a real possibility that all or part of our holdings would be sold to satisfy the city’s creditors.

Fortunately, through the generosity of foundations, corporations, individuals and city pensioners, that didn’t happen. And today, no longer owned by the city of Detroit, the DIA operates as an independent nonprofit holding the museum’s assets in a perpetual charitable trust. But that near-death experience confirmed the wisdom of our long-term plan.

In 2020 Tri-County residents voted to renew the millage through 2032. And so, thanks to this support, plus our fiscal responsibility and fundraising, the DIA is now in the best financial position in its history and carries no debt. This fiscal year, the millage is expected to provide $28.6 million—68% of the museum’s annual $41.8 million operating budget. The remainder of our budget continues to be supported primarily by fundraising and earned income.

Consequently, we are able to maintain full staffing levels, robust community engagement, a growing reputation for our world-class exhibitions, meaningful educational programs and new opportunities for emerging artists. Visitation levels are now very close to pre-pandemic levels, with over 600,000 visitors coming to the DIA in 2023.

Just as important, we have the breathing room to continue executing the long-range plan of building our operating endowment, currently valued at $385 million. Our goal is to reach $500 million by 2027 and about $800 million by the time the millage ends. We currently don’t withdraw funds from our operating endowment, but instead reinvest its income. Once we reach our goal, this endowment will generate enough revenue to replace what the museum annually receives from the millage, allowing us to weather economic uncertainty while continuing to deliver world-class art and educational experiences.

Though our model may not be replicable in every community, we believe it illustrates how creative partnerships can form between the public and cultural institutions. It is through this unique funding model that we can find an alternative path to sustainability for cultural institutions. We still have a lot of work to do to get our operating endowment to the level that we need to achieve financial independence, but we have a realistic path to accomplish this goal. We are very grateful for the support we receive from our Tri-County communities and we look forward to continuing to serve them at the highest possible level.

Mr. Salort-Pons has served as the director of the Detroit Institute of Arts since 2015.

A Message from DIA Board Chair Lane Coleman

Every time I step into the Detroit Institute of Arts, I immediately sense that I’m in a place that is both a haven for art enthusiasts around the world and a hub of engagement for our community members here in Metro Detroit. And now, as I enter a new role as the museum’s board chair, I feel prouder than ever of the legacy we’re continuing to build as a place where everyone can find meaning in art.

The Detroit Institute of Arts is more than just a museum; it is a place for everyone in our community: A Clinton Township high school student looking for inspiration for art class; a Southgate mom looking for something free to do with her kids on a rainy day; grandparents introducing their grandchildren to art; first dates; Kresge Cafe study sessions; a tourist destination.

Art has the power to unite, inspire, and provoke thought, and we are committed to ensuring that the DIA remains a welcoming space where every member of our community feels a sense of belonging.

Though I’m not a native Detroiter, my roots in this community run deep, and I know the DIA plays a vital role in enhancing the cultural fabric of our city. We will continue to collaborate with local artists, educators, and community leaders to foster creativity, education, and engagement. Together, we will strengthen our ties with the community and ensure that the DIA remains a beacon of inspiration for generations to come.

I want to thank our outgoing board chair, Gene Gargaro, as well as the rest of our board, for trusting me to carry on the important work happening at the DIA. This is a continuation of a remarkable story shaped by the brushstrokes of our predecessors and the collective heartbeat of a community in love with art.

While we take pride in the past, we also look to the future. The DIA has earned a stellar reputation, and I am determined to uphold and build upon it. Our commitment is not only to maintain the excellence that defines the DIA but also to explore innovative ways to enhance our offerings, expand accessibility, and embrace new forms of artistic expression.

As we embark on this exciting journey together, I am confident that, with your continued support, we will navigate the path ahead with grace and resilience. Together, let us write the next chapter in the storied history of the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Lane Coleman
Board Chairman
Detroit Institute of Arts

The past year has been an extraordinary one for the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA). We've expanded our collections, showcased beautiful exhibitions, and connected with communities near and far. As we step into the new year and say goodbye to 2023, let's take a moment to look back at some of the highlights from the past year. 

In 2023, we welcomed 600,000 visitors to the DIA — including more than 50,000 students from our local schools and more than 170 senior groups from the community. 

The fact that so many families, individuals and groups made visits to the DIA part of their lives in the past year speaks to the incredible works housed in our permanent collection, as well as the exhibitions we hosted — including a retrospective of the work of James Barnor, an exploration of printmaking in the modern era, our After Cubism show celebrating modern art in Paris post-World War I, Masterpieces of Early Italian Renaissance Bronze Statuettes, and our popular Ofrendas exhibition, including creations from members of our community. 

But the DIA is not just about the art within our walls; it's about engaging with our communities. Our Inside|Out program saw more than 170 reproductions of works of art enjoyed by community members across the region, and we collaborated on the creation of four new public art murals. Meanwhile, the DIA studio hosted artmaking at more than 40 local fairs and festivals, bringing the DIA experience to your neighborhoods. 

As we look ahead to 2024, we want to express our deep gratitude to our patrons and supporters, especially those from Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties. Your passion for art and culture continues to drive our mission. 

On behalf of all of us at the DIA, thank you for being a part of our journey. We look forward to sharing more art, inspiration, and creativity with you in your galleries and throughout our community in the coming year. 

Let's embark on this new year with enthusiasm and a shared love for the power of art to enrich our lives. 

As we look forward to serving you better every year, we wish you a Happy 2024! 

As we approach the end of another very fruitful year, I would like to take a moment to celebrate the extraordinary contributions of our outgoing board chair, Gene Gargaro, Jr. In his 20 years as chair, Gene left an indelible mark on the Detroit Institute of Arts and our communities. His tireless dedication and unwavering support have been instrumental in shaping the museum's recent successful history, present and future. 

You can read more about Gene Gargaro's incredible journey and his retirement from the position of board chair in the official announcement on our website.

To commemorate Gene's outstanding leadership and commitment, I invite you to click on the link below to watch a heartwarming video in which Gene shares his insights and reflections on his time as the head of the DIA’s Board of Directors: 

In this video, Gene takes us on a journey through his experiences, highlighting the transformative moments, the challenges, and the inspiring stories that have shaped the DIA's growth over the years. It's a testament to his passion for art, culture, and for our communities. 

Gene's unwavering dedication to our institution has been instrumental in securing the DIA's place as one of the nation's leading art museums. His leadership has paved the way for countless exhibitions, educational programs, and community initiatives that continue to enrich the lives of the residents of our local communities and visitors from all around the world. 

As we reflect on Gene Gargaro's outstanding legacy and tireless efforts, let us also celebrate the power of art to inspire, unite, and transform lives. This December, I encourage you to visit the Detroit Institute of Arts and experience the beauty and wonder of our collections. Gene's legacy lives on through the art that he has helped nurture and protect. 

Join us in celebrating Gene’s incredible journey and the impact he has had on the Detroit Institute of Arts and our communities. Thank you, Gene, for your invaluable contributions, and we look forward to continuing your legacy for generations to come. 

Warmest wishes for a joyful and art-filled December! 

One of my favorite places at the Detroit Institute of Arts is the museum’s Research Library, Archives, and Collection Information department. Open to the public, it is a place to visit and learn about the museum’s past and present, researching historical documentation and accessing its thousands of beautifully illustrated art books. During a recent visit to this department, I was brought up to date on an ongoing project that includes the digitization of a collection of existing 8 x 10-inch (large format) nitrate photo negatives, which were taken in 1932–33 to document the making of Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry Murals at the DIA. Nitrate negatives decay with time and pose some difficult preservation challenges. Their digitization will help preserve the history of the murals and make the images accessible to everyone through our website.*

The DIA team and I talked about the project and marveled at the extraordinary efforts that were taken to document Rivera’s work during 1932 and 1933. It appears that Edsel Ford had asked Ford Motor Company photographer W. J. Stettle to take photos of Rivera’s mural progress daily. In addition, Ford Motor Company’s team filmed the artist at work, and today that film footage is accessible on the National Archives website. Filming and photographing Rivera’s work with the latest technologies of the time was a very expensive activity, but more importantly, it was an indication of the awareness that a masterpiece for posterity was in the making—today some refer to the Detroit Industry murals as the “Sistine Chapel of Detroit.”

The value and interest that Rivera and Frida Kahlo placed on these large images underscores this photographic campaign’s rarity and uniqueness. As a matter of fact, soon after leaving Detroit, they requested a copy of the set of mural photographs and, in exchange, allowed the museum to keep the large drawings that Rivera used to paint his magnificent frescoes. To this regard, on Oct. 21, 1933, Kahlo wrote the following letter from New York City to Clyde Burroughs, then-secretary of the DIA:

Dear Mr. Burroughs,

Diego Rivera received your letter asking that the drawings remain in Detroit. He is perfectly willing to have you keep them there provided you can send him copies of the large photographs of the frescoes, which were made by the Ford photographer.

We were very glad to hear from you. Greetings to all our mutual friends and to your family.

Sincerely,

Frida Kahlo de Rivera

While the set of photographs was a unique testament to the murals in 1933, the museum was very lucky to keep these phenomenal drawings, which are one the great treasures of the collection. They were on view at the DIA in 1933, then packed and stored. Because of the size of our building and its different periods of renovation, we sort of lost track of them for many years. It was only around 1979 when two DIA archivists, Marilyn Ghausi and Claudia Hommel, rediscovered the Rivera drawings in a storage area rolled up in brown paper where, fortunately, they had remained seemingly untouched for almost 45 years.

The discovery by Ghausi and Hommel aligns well with the work that our current director of the Research Library, Archives, and Collection Information department, Maria Ketcham, and her team are doing today. They continue to find, preserve, and digitize our documentary treasures so we can share the institution’s history with present and future generations of scholars as well as the public. With the recent establishment of our brand-new Digital Division, we are providing new talent and resources to do this important work. I am always amazed and very grateful for the extraordinary effort that takes place behind the scenes at the DIA. We are lucky to have such a committed and passionate team as well as a world-class collection for the benefit of our communities.

*Special thanks to Jim Prest, a DIA volunteer who has been working diligently on the digitization of these negatives and photos. 

The Detroit Institute of Arts staff works passionately to provide the audiences with a visit that is welcoming and comfortable, in a beautiful space, where art and community come together to inspire memorable personal experiences. These experiences do not emerge only from the extraordinary art collection, our diverse and inclusive learning programs and fun activities we offer, but also from the sum of many thoughtful details, all carefully created behind the scenes and placed by our talented team members. From the planters in Rivera Court to the windows in Kresge Court, the features of our museum that patrons know and love are sometimes more than meets the eye. Even as the director of the museum, I was amazed recently by a DIA team member who kindly gave me a tour of the inconspicuous and yet important work he has done throughout our space.

Over the last eight months, led by the DIA’s operations team and in collaboration with other departments, the museum has fully renovated our beloved Marvin and Betty Danto Lecture Hall with partial support from a 2021 Michigan Arts and Culture Council Capital Improvements Grant. The infrastructure has been upgraded and—perhaps most important for our visitors, performers, and speakers—the space is now fully compliant with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Changes included. the construction of a new accessible seating platform at the back, transfer and companion seating, the installation of a lift for stage accessibility, and a new audio-visual system, among other crucial improvements.

The next time you attend an event there, I encourage you to take a moment to enjoy the details. One that may go unnoticed is the decoration on the front of the newly raised stage. At a distance, it appears to be ornate, veined marble; however, if you get close and look at it with an eagle eye, you will discover the marble is not real, but painted with extraordinary skill to make it look authentic—a technique called trompe l’oeil, which, translated from French, means “deceiving the eye.”

James Burts, the creator of this virtuoso work, is one of our team members who works in maintenance and is also a highly skilled painter. For decades, he has helped the DIA create optical illusions such as this throughout the building. They are both a visual delight and an innovative solution.

A Detroiter, James graduated in 1972 from the Art School of the Society of Arts and Crafts, which later became the College for Creative Studies. After a few jobs, he eventually settled at General Motors where he worked in the Shipping and Receiving department. Soon, colleagues noticed his artistic talent, and GM appointed him as a photo retoucher and illustrator. In that position, he used the airbrush technique to retouch both color and black-and-white photography—in other words, he did photoshop before it even existed. James worked at GM for 28 years; the DIA hired him for our maintenance team 21 years ago. Since then, he has been helping his team with regular duties, as well as doing this amazing specialty work.

James’ personal artistic touch goes purposely “hidden” throughout the building, enhancing our visitors’ visual experience. A couple of weeks ago, he gave me a tour. We visited Rivera Court, where he pointed out the planters around the space that help protect the murals. At first glance, they appear to be made of travertine stone, the same material used by DIA architect Paul Cret to decorate this space in 1927. In fact, James has meticulously painted them to create the illusion of the creamy colored stone sprinkled with little pits and grooves. I have worked at the DIA for almost 16 years and have always thought those planters were travertine.

James and I walked around the galleries, and he drew my attention to many of his subtle creations (big and small!), before ending at Kresge Court, where he has built and painted a large window to cover an empty space. His design replicates the original windows that enclose the Schwartz Galleries of Prints and is covered with his imitation of the leaded glass window, made with amazing skill and keen attention to all details and its materiality. This window effectively provides visual and spatial unity to Kresge Court.

James was smiling as he showed me his many creations, and I was thinking to myself that he is both an artist and a magician with a sense of humor, as our eyes are deceived by his brushes. His talent and passion are remarkable and we at the DIA are fortunate to have him on the team. He showed me many more fascinating works that aren’t included here due to the newsletter’s length limitations. Perhaps we should consider offering a trompe l’oeil tour in the museum? You would be amazed at what you see, or rather, what you don’t really see.