Cultural demonstrations, live performances, films and more this March at the Detroit Institute of Arts
Updated Dec 29, 2016
December 28, 2016 (Detroit)—This March, the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) presents the popular cultural demonstration Japanese Girls Day, the 2017 Academy Award® Nominated Short Films at the Detroit Film Theatre, along with drop-in workshops and live music. Don’t forget, March marks the last chance to see “Bitter|Sweet: Coffee, Tea and Chocolate,” on view until Sunday, March 5.
Programs are free with museum admission and free for residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties unless otherwise noted. For more information, call (313) 833-7900 or visit www.dia.org.
Exhibitions:
“Bitter|Sweet: Coffee, Tea & Chocolate” on view through March 5
“The Edible Monument: The Art of Food for Festivals” on view through April 16
“Detroit After Dark” on view through April 23
General Guided Tours: Tuesdays–Thursdays, 1 p.m.; Fridays, 1 & 6 p.m.
Enjoy a guided tour of select galleries for an overview of the collection.
General and Family Guided Tours: Saturdays & Sundays, 1 & 3 p.m.
Enjoy a guided tour of select galleries or enjoy family and kid-friendly tours.
55+ Thursdays: 1 p.m.
The first Thursday of the month features a guided gallery tour; the second a talk; the third an art-making activity; and the fourth a film. In months with a fifth Thursday, a second gallery tour will be offered.
Detroit City Chess Club: Fridays, 4–8 p.m.
The club’s mission is to teach area students the game and life lessons. Members have won state, regional and national competitions. People wanting to learn to play chess should show up between 4 and 6 p.m. There will be no teaching between 6 and 8 p.m., but visitors can play chess.
Drawing in the Galleries (for all ages): Fridays, 6–9 p.m.; Sundays, Noon–4 p.m.
Drop-In Workshops (for all ages)
Hours: Fridays, 6–9 p.m., Saturdays & Sundays, Noon–4 p.m.
Response to Thalassa: Friday–Sunday, March 3–5
Inspired by the installation of “Thalassa,” created by artist Caledonia Curry, known as Swoon, this community art project will be created and displayed in the DIA’s Learning Center.
Japanese Stab-Bound Books: Friday–Sunday, March 10–12
Create a simple book using a traditional form of stitching.
Milagros: Friday–Sunday, March 17–19
A milagro is a small item people offer to saints that they feel have assisted them. Use air-drying clay and make one of your own.
Asafo Flags: Friday–Sunday, March 24–26
Asafo flags were created by the people of Ghana during the 17th century to illustrate proverbs. Make one of your own.
Open Studio: Friday, March 31
Create something uniquely personal with a variety of art-making materials in this free-form workshop.
Friday, March 3
Detroit Film Theatre: The 2017 Academy Award® Nominated Short Films: 7 p.m.
The 2017 Oscar® Shorts program presents the five nominees in both the live-action and animated short film categories, with an intermission between the two. Advance ticket purchase is strongly recommended. Tickets: $9.50 for general admission and $7.50 for members, seniors and students.
Friday Night Live: Invisible Anatomy: 7 & 8:30 p.m.
Invisible Anatomy incorporates elements from classical, jazz, experimental rock, performance art and theater.
Saturday, March 4
Detroit Film Theatre: The 2017 Academy Award® Nominated Short Films: 7 p.m.
See March 3 for description.
Sunday, March 5
Cultural Demonstration: Japanese Girls' Day: 1 p.m.
Celebrate Japanese Girls’ Day, or Hinamatsuri, with demonstrations of ikebana flower arranging, tea ceremonies, furoshiki wrapping and kimono-sash tying.
Detroit Film Theatre: The 2017 Academy Award® Nominated Short Films: 1 & 6 p.m.
See March 3 for description.
Sunday Music Bar: Elden Kelly: 1–4 p.m.
Elden Kelly, known for classically influenced jazz and world music, plays the Glissentar, an 11-string fretless guitar.
Thursday, March 9
Arts + Minds: “Stuart Davis: In Full Swing”: 6:30 p.m.
Harry Cooper, co-curator of the 2016 Whitney Museum of American Art exhibition, presents “Stuart Davis: In Full Swing,” providing an insider’s view of the exhibition, combining biography with close readings of several key paintings. He pays particular attention to Davis’s preference for working in series and the occasions the artist used older works as a springboard for new ones.
Friday, March 10
Detroit Film Theatre: “The Brand New Testament”: 7 p.m.
Nominated for a Golden Globe® for Best Foreign Film, “The Brand New Testament,” a dark, witty comedy, explores people’s response when a text message is sent to each person on earth containing a date of death. In French with English subtitles. Tickets: $9.50 for general admission and $7.50 for members, seniors and students.
Friday Night Live: Grand Band: 7 & 8:30 p.m.
Grand Band is a piano sextet from New York City featuring pianists Vicky Chow, David Friend, Paul Karekis, Blair McMillen, Lisa Moore and Isabelle O’Connell.
Saturday, March 11
DFT Animation Club: “Ocean Waves”: 2 p.m.
Taku and his best pal are headed back to school, but find their friendship tested by the arrival of Rikako, a beautiful new transfer student. When Taku joins her on a trip to Tokyo, rumors abound throughout the school, and the three friends are forced to come to terms with their changing relationships. Suggested for audiences 12 and older. In Japanese with English subtitles. Tickets: $5 for general admission, free for DIA members.
Detroit Film Theatre: “The Brand New Testament”: 7 p.m.
See March 10 for description.
Sunday, March 12
Sunday Music Bar: Mike Monford: 1 & 3 p.m.
Jazz composer, arranger and alto saxophonist Mike Monford and his trio perform jazz.
DFT Animation Club: “Ocean Waves”: 2 p.m.
See March 11 for description.
Detroit Film Theatre: “The Brand New Testament”: 4:30 p.m.
See March 10 for description.
Friday, March 17
Detroit Film Theatre: “Kedi”: 7 p.m.
“Kedi” is a documentary about cats that have freely roamed through Istanbul for centuries, bringing joy and purpose to their chosen individuals. In Turkish with English subtitles. Tickets: $9.50 for general admission and $7.50 for members, seniors and students.
Friday Night Live: Mike Monford & Detroit Effervescence featuring Marc Cary: 7 & 8:30 p.m.
Mike Monford, Detroit Effervescence and Marc Cary perform music from Monford’s latest album, “The Cloth I’m Cut From.”
Saturday, March 18
Artist Demonstration: Society of American Period Furniture Markers: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Members of the Society of American Furniture Makers demonstrate traditional construction techniques. Enjoy a guided tour of the DIA’s 18th-century furniture collection and participate in a tool-box building workshop. Tours run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every half hour, departing from the Great Hall; the workshop runs from noon to 3 p.m. or as supplies last. Recommended for children ages 5 to 12.
Detroit Film Theatre: “Kedi”: 7 p.m.
See March 17 for description.
Sunday, March 19
Artist Demonstration: Society of American Period Furniture Markers: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
See March 18 for description.
Sunday Music Bar: Buddy Budson: 1–4 p.m.
Detroit pianist Buddy Budson performs jazz and pop standards.
Detroit Film Theatre: “Kedi”: 2 p.m.
See March 17 for description.
Friday, March 24
Arts + Minds: “Better Living Through Criticism”: 7:30 p.m.
Author and journalist A. O. Scott believes we are all critics. Using his career as chief film critic for the New York Times as a starting point, he illuminates how critical thinking informs almost every aspect of artistic creation, civil action and our interpersonal lives.
Friday Night Live: Art Lab J: 7 & 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 25
Detroit Film Theatre: A. O. Scott Selects: “Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One”: 3 p.m.
Director William Greaves presides over a film crew in New York’s Central Park documenting screen test of two actors performing a break-up scene over and over. A second crew films the first while locals wander into the frame. New York Times film critic A. O. Scott introduces this fiction/nonfiction hybrid in person. Tickets: $9.50 for general admission and $7.50 for members, seniors and students.
Sunday, March 26
Detroit School of Rock & Pop: Time to be determined
Join the Detroit School of Rock and Pop for a concert showcasing the musical talents of Metro Detroiters. Sponsored by Live the Music Foundation. Recommended for families with children of all ages.
Sunday Music Bar: Spencer Barefield: 1-4 p.m.
Guitarist/composer A. Spencer Barefield performs contemporary works.
Thursday, March 30
Arts + Minds: Coleman Mopper Memorial Lecture: “Cultural Heritage or Humanity’s Heritage: What’s the Difference?”: 6:30 p.m.
The destruction of temples in Palmyra in present-day Syria, mausoleums in Mali, West Africa and the Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan have been decried as acts against global “cultural heritage.” President and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust James Cuno raises question about whether cultural property belongs to an individual nation’s cultural heritage or instead should be thought of as humanity’s heritage.
Friday, March 31
Detroit Film Theatre: 2017 Freep Film Festival: TBA
Documentaries with strong connections to Detroit and Michigan is the focus of this year’s Freep Film Festival. To see the full lineup, visit freepfilmfestival.com, @freep_film_fest, Freep Film Festival on Facebook or dia.org. Tickets: $9.50 for general admission and $7.50 for members, seniors and students.
Friday Night Live: Danilo Brito: 7 & 8:30 p.m.
Mandolin player Danilo Brito performs choro, the first characteristically Brazilian genre of popular music.
December 28, 2016 (Detroit)—This March, the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) presents the popular cultural demonstration Japanese Girls Day, the 2017 Academy Award® Nominated Short Films at the Detroit Film Theatre, along with drop-in workshops and live music. Don’t forget, March marks the last chance to see “Bitter|Sweet: Coffee, Tea and Chocolate,” on view until Sunday, March 5.
Programs are free with museum admission and free for residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties unless otherwise noted. For more information, call (313) 833-7900 or visit www.dia.org.
Exhibitions:
“Bitter|Sweet: Coffee, Tea & Chocolate” on view through March 5
“The Edible Monument: The Art of Food for Festivals” on view through April 16
“Detroit After Dark” on view through April 23
General Guided Tours: Tuesdays–Thursdays, 1 p.m.; Fridays, 1 & 6 p.m.
Enjoy a guided tour of select galleries for an overview of the collection.
General and Family Guided Tours: Saturdays & Sundays, 1 & 3 p.m.
Enjoy a guided tour of select galleries or enjoy family and kid-friendly tours.
55+ Thursdays: 1 p.m.
The first Thursday of the month features a guided gallery tour; the second a talk; the third an art-making activity; and the fourth a film. In months with a fifth Thursday, a second gallery tour will be offered.
Detroit City Chess Club: Fridays, 4–8 p.m.
The club’s mission is to teach area students the game and life lessons. Members have won state, regional and national competitions. People wanting to learn to play chess should show up between 4 and 6 p.m. There will be no teaching between 6 and 8 p.m., but visitors can play chess.
Drawing in the Galleries (for all ages): Fridays, 6–9 p.m.; Sundays, Noon–4 p.m.
Drop-In Workshops (for all ages)
Hours: Fridays, 6–9 p.m., Saturdays & Sundays, Noon–4 p.m.
Response to Thalassa: Friday–Sunday, March 3–5
Inspired by the installation of “Thalassa,” created by artist Caledonia Curry, known as Swoon, this community art project will be created and displayed in the DIA’s Learning Center.
Japanese Stab-Bound Books: Friday–Sunday, March 10–12
Create a simple book using a traditional form of stitching.
Milagros: Friday–Sunday, March 17–19
A milagro is a small item people offer to saints that they feel have assisted them. Use air-drying clay and make one of your own.
Asafo Flags: Friday–Sunday, March 24–26
Asafo flags were created by the people of Ghana during the 17th century to illustrate proverbs. Make one of your own.
Open Studio: Friday, March 31
Create something uniquely personal with a variety of art-making materials in this free-form workshop.
Friday, March 3
Detroit Film Theatre: The 2017 Academy Award® Nominated Short Films: 7 p.m.
The 2017 Oscar® Shorts program presents the five nominees in both the live-action and animated short film categories, with an intermission between the two. Advance ticket purchase is strongly recommended. Tickets: $9.50 for general admission and $7.50 for members, seniors and students.
Friday Night Live: Invisible Anatomy: 7 & 8:30 p.m.
Invisible Anatomy incorporates elements from classical, jazz, experimental rock, performance art and theater.
Saturday, March 4
Detroit Film Theatre: The 2017 Academy Award® Nominated Short Films: 7 p.m.
See March 3 for description.
Sunday, March 5
Cultural Demonstration: Japanese Girls' Day: 1 p.m.
Celebrate Japanese Girls’ Day, or Hinamatsuri, with demonstrations of ikebana flower arranging, tea ceremonies, furoshiki wrapping and kimono-sash tying.
Detroit Film Theatre: The 2017 Academy Award® Nominated Short Films: 1 & 6 p.m.
See March 3 for description.
Sunday Music Bar: Elden Kelly: 1–4 p.m.
Elden Kelly, known for classically influenced jazz and world music, plays the Glissentar, an 11-string fretless guitar.
Thursday, March 9
Arts + Minds: “Stuart Davis: In Full Swing”: 6:30 p.m.
Harry Cooper, co-curator of the 2016 Whitney Museum of American Art exhibition, presents “Stuart Davis: In Full Swing,” providing an insider’s view of the exhibition, combining biography with close readings of several key paintings. He pays particular attention to Davis’s preference for working in series and the occasions the artist used older works as a springboard for new ones.
Friday, March 10
Detroit Film Theatre: “The Brand New Testament”: 7 p.m.
Nominated for a Golden Globe® for Best Foreign Film, “The Brand New Testament,” a dark, witty comedy, explores people’s response when a text message is sent to each person on earth containing a date of death. In French with English subtitles. Tickets: $9.50 for general admission and $7.50 for members, seniors and students.
Friday Night Live: Grand Band: 7 & 8:30 p.m.
Grand Band is a piano sextet from New York City featuring pianists Vicky Chow, David Friend, Paul Karekis, Blair McMillen, Lisa Moore and Isabelle O’Connell.
Saturday, March 11
DFT Animation Club: “Ocean Waves”: 2 p.m.
Taku and his best pal are headed back to school, but find their friendship tested by the arrival of Rikako, a beautiful new transfer student. When Taku joins her on a trip to Tokyo, rumors abound throughout the school, and the three friends are forced to come to terms with their changing relationships. Suggested for audiences 12 and older. In Japanese with English subtitles. Tickets: $5 for general admission, free for DIA members.
Detroit Film Theatre: “The Brand New Testament”: 7 p.m.
See March 10 for description.
Sunday, March 12
Sunday Music Bar: Mike Monford: 1 & 3 p.m.
Jazz composer, arranger and alto saxophonist Mike Monford and his trio perform jazz.
DFT Animation Club: “Ocean Waves”: 2 p.m.
See March 11 for description.
Detroit Film Theatre: “The Brand New Testament”: 4:30 p.m.
See March 10 for description.
Friday, March 17
Detroit Film Theatre: “Kedi”: 7 p.m.
“Kedi” is a documentary about cats that have freely roamed through Istanbul for centuries, bringing joy and purpose to their chosen individuals. In Turkish with English subtitles. Tickets: $9.50 for general admission and $7.50 for members, seniors and students.
Friday Night Live: Mike Monford & Detroit Effervescence featuring Marc Cary: 7 & 8:30 p.m.
Mike Monford, Detroit Effervescence and Marc Cary perform music from Monford’s latest album, “The Cloth I’m Cut From.”
Saturday, March 18
Artist Demonstration: Society of American Period Furniture Markers: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Members of the Society of American Furniture Makers demonstrate traditional construction techniques. Enjoy a guided tour of the DIA’s 18th-century furniture collection and participate in a tool-box building workshop. Tours run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every half hour, departing from the Great Hall; the workshop runs from noon to 3 p.m. or as supplies last. Recommended for children ages 5 to 12.
Detroit Film Theatre: “Kedi”: 7 p.m.
See March 17 for description.
Sunday, March 19
Artist Demonstration: Society of American Period Furniture Markers: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
See March 18 for description.
Sunday Music Bar: Buddy Budson: 1–4 p.m.
Detroit pianist Buddy Budson performs jazz and pop standards.
Detroit Film Theatre: “Kedi”: 2 p.m.
See March 17 for description.
Friday, March 24
Arts + Minds: “Better Living Through Criticism”: 7:30 p.m.
Author and journalist A. O. Scott believes we are all critics. Using his career as chief film critic for the New York Times as a starting point, he illuminates how critical thinking informs almost every aspect of artistic creation, civil action and our interpersonal lives.
Friday Night Live: Art Lab J: 7 & 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 25
Detroit Film Theatre: A. O. Scott Selects: “Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One”: 3 p.m.
Director William Greaves presides over a film crew in New York’s Central Park documenting screen test of two actors performing a break-up scene over and over. A second crew films the first while locals wander into the frame. New York Times film critic A. O. Scott introduces this fiction/nonfiction hybrid in person. Tickets: $9.50 for general admission and $7.50 for members, seniors and students.
Sunday, March 26
Detroit School of Rock & Pop: Time to be determined
Join the Detroit School of Rock and Pop for a concert showcasing the musical talents of Metro Detroiters. Sponsored by Live the Music Foundation. Recommended for families with children of all ages.
Sunday Music Bar: Spencer Barefield: 1-4 p.m.
Guitarist/composer A. Spencer Barefield performs contemporary works.
Thursday, March 30
Arts + Minds: Coleman Mopper Memorial Lecture: “Cultural Heritage or Humanity’s Heritage: What’s the Difference?”: 6:30 p.m.
The destruction of temples in Palmyra in present-day Syria, mausoleums in Mali, West Africa and the Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan have been decried as acts against global “cultural heritage.” President and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust James Cuno raises question about whether cultural property belongs to an individual nation’s cultural heritage or instead should be thought of as humanity’s heritage.
Friday, March 31
Detroit Film Theatre: 2017 Freep Film Festival: TBA
Documentaries with strong connections to Detroit and Michigan is the focus of this year’s Freep Film Festival. To see the full lineup, visit freepfilmfestival.com, @freep_film_fest, Freep Film Festival on Facebook or dia.org. Tickets: $9.50 for general admission and $7.50 for members, seniors and students.
Friday Night Live: Danilo Brito: 7 & 8:30 p.m.
Mandolin player Danilo Brito performs choro, the first characteristically Brazilian genre of popular music.