Detroit Institute of Arts honoring veterans, active service members and families with free admission and special programs Nov. 13 Tours, film, art-making workshops and more part of the festivities

Updated Oct 26, 2016

October 26, 2016 (Detroit)—The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), in collaboration with Wayne County, is offering free museum admission and a variety of special programs to veterans, active service members and their families on Sunday, Nov. 13 in recognition of the Nov. 11 Veterans Day holiday. Attendees should come in through the museum’s John R St. group entrance and sign in at the registration table to take advantage of the day’s offerings. The first 300 participants will receive a 10 percent discount in the museum shop and a free coffee or soft drink with purchase in Café DIA. 



The following programs will be offered as part of the festivities: 

  • Art-making workshops: travel journals and personal flags, noon–4 p.m. (all ages)
  • Film: “Where Soldiers Come From,” 1 p.m. (ages 13 and older)

    “Where Soldiers Come From” is an intimate look at a group of close friends’ four-year journey as they grow and change from reckless teenagers in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to soldiers looking for roadside bombs in Afghanistan, to 23-year-old veterans dealing with the silent war wounds of traumatic brain Injury and posttraumatic stress disorder.
  • Tours: patriotic artwork in the American galleries, 1 and 3 p.m. (all ages)

Visitors can also view works created by local veterans in the DIA’s eighth annual Community Group Exhibition, on view from Thursday, Nov. 10 to Sunday, Dec. 4 in the Walter Gibbs Learning Center. A variety of projects will be on display, including preparatory drawings and individual paintings made as studies for the Masco Veterans Park mural, painted this summer by veterans and DIA studio staff at the Southwest Solutions Piquette Square housing facility in Detroit. The DIA’s Community Group Program, which is generously supported in part by the Ford Motor Company Fund, has been serving social service agencies in the Detroit area for 20 years, providing meaningful experiences through art with gallery tours and art-making projects. 



“Our veterans have made extraordinary contributions and sacrifices for our country, and they are a vital part of the DIA community,” said DIA Director Salvador Salort-Pons. “The DIA offers veterans opportunities for rejuvenation, creativity and connection with friends and family through art, and we are very pleased to honor them on this special day.”

October 26, 2016 (Detroit)—The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), in collaboration with Wayne County, is offering free museum admission and a variety of special programs to veterans, active service members and their families on Sunday, Nov. 13 in recognition of the Nov. 11 Veterans Day holiday. Attendees should come in through the museum’s John R St. group entrance and sign in at the registration table to take advantage of the day’s offerings. The first 300 participants will receive a 10 percent discount in the museum shop and a free coffee or soft drink with purchase in Café DIA. 



The following programs will be offered as part of the festivities: 

  • Art-making workshops: travel journals and personal flags, noon–4 p.m. (all ages)
  • Film: “Where Soldiers Come From,” 1 p.m. (ages 13 and older)

    “Where Soldiers Come From” is an intimate look at a group of close friends’ four-year journey as they grow and change from reckless teenagers in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to soldiers looking for roadside bombs in Afghanistan, to 23-year-old veterans dealing with the silent war wounds of traumatic brain Injury and posttraumatic stress disorder.
  • Tours: patriotic artwork in the American galleries, 1 and 3 p.m. (all ages)

Visitors can also view works created by local veterans in the DIA’s eighth annual Community Group Exhibition, on view from Thursday, Nov. 10 to Sunday, Dec. 4 in the Walter Gibbs Learning Center. A variety of projects will be on display, including preparatory drawings and individual paintings made as studies for the Masco Veterans Park mural, painted this summer by veterans and DIA studio staff at the Southwest Solutions Piquette Square housing facility in Detroit. The DIA’s Community Group Program, which is generously supported in part by the Ford Motor Company Fund, has been serving social service agencies in the Detroit area for 20 years, providing meaningful experiences through art with gallery tours and art-making projects. 



“Our veterans have made extraordinary contributions and sacrifices for our country, and they are a vital part of the DIA community,” said DIA Director Salvador Salort-Pons. “The DIA offers veterans opportunities for rejuvenation, creativity and connection with friends and family through art, and we are very pleased to honor them on this special day.”