May 2, 2018—The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) offers a variety of programs both in the museum and out in the community. In July, enjoy an extravaganza of classic sci-fi movies, that coincide with the “Star Wars™ and the Power of Costume” exhibition. July also brings outdoor concerts and movies.

The DIA thanks its sponsors for the following programs: Friday Night Live! is supported by the DTE Energy Foundation; the Detroit Film Theatre is generously supported by Buddy's Pizza.

IN THE MUSEUM

Exhibitions

“Play Ball! Baseball at the DIA” through Sept. 16

“Star Wars™ and the Power of Costume” through Sept. 30

“Star Wars” Exhibition Additional Hours

Thursdays, 4–8 p.m., exhibition and South Wing open    

Saturdays, 9–10 a.m., museum open      

Saturdays, 5–8 p.m., exhibition and South Wing open     

Sundays, 9–10 a.m., museum open

Summer Sci-Fi Film Series

Summer Sci-Fi is a series of classic and international sci-fi feature films presented free (unless otherwise noted) throughout the summer, coinciding with the exhibition “Star Wars™ and the Power of Costume.” Some are movies that George Lucas has cited as his favorites, others are among the vast variety of pre-Star Wars fantasy, science fiction and adventure that fired the imaginations of young audiences in the 1950s and earlier. Each feature film will be preceded by one chapter from the three original “Flash Gordon” serials of the 1930s.

Ongoing

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 a family and kid-friendly tour.

Thursdays at the Museum, 1 p.m.

Special programs, including light refreshments, for adults 55+, featuring tours, talks, movies and artmaking. The DIA offers free transportation for groups of 25 or more from Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. To book a visit, call 313-833-1292. Support for Thursdays at the Museum is provided by the tri-county millage.

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.; Saturdays & Sundays, Noon–4 p.m.

Drop-In Artmaking (for all ages): Summer Hours: Tuesdays–Wednesdays, 11 a.m.–3 p.m.; Thursdays 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; Fridays, Noon–9 p.m.; Saturdays, Noon–7 p.m.; Sundays, Noon–4 p.m. 

Sunday, July 1

Detroit Film Theatre: Summer Sci-Fi: “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (1951) 3 p.m.

A wise, humanoid alien named Klaatu arrives in Washington D.C. to deliver a message of universal peace, yet he’s accompanied by the supremely menacing Gort, a robot so deadly he’s capable of “reducing the Earth to a burned-out cinder.”

Tuesday, July 3

Detroit Film Theatre: Summer Sci-Fi: “Fantastic Planet” (1973) 3 p.m.

This animated movie is set on a distant planet where enslaved humans are the playthings of giant blue native inhabitants, and is a politically minded and visually inventive work of science fiction. This Cannes prizewinner and counterculture classic, with a jazz score by Alain Goraguer, remains a compelling statement against oppression and conformity. 

Wednesday, July 4

MUSEUM CLOSED

Thursday, July 5

Thursdays at the Museum: Highlights of the Permanent Collection Tour 1 p.m.

Saturday, July 7

Puppet Performance: How to Build a Flying Machine - Test Flight 2 p.m. - DIA South Lawn

Featuring bunraku-style puppets, MoonBull Studio's newest work-in-progress tells the story of Wilbur and Orville Wright as they dream, experiment, fail and succeed on their path to solving the problem of human flight. As a show in development, audiences can be part of the process that turns a puppeteer's dream into reality. Audience reactions will influence the final shape of the show and they’ll get to see the simple forms that are the center of a polished production. For families of all ages.

Sunday, July 8

Puppet Performance: How to Build a Flying Machine - Test Flight 2 p.m. - DIA South Lawn

(see July 7 for description)

Tuesday, July 10

Detroit Film Theatre: Summer Sci-Fi: “Things to Come” (1936) 3 p.m.

H.G. Wells adapted his novel for this lavish screen spectacle about the destruction and rebuilding of human society, leaving viewers to ponder questions about rationality, fear, war, human emotion and the costs and rewards of scientific progress. For its day, “Things to Come” set a new standard for visual boldness and conceptual daring; it remains an essential work of cinematic science fiction.

Wednesday, July 11 

Detroit Film Theatre: Summer Sci-Fi: “Destination Moon” (1950) 3 p.m.

With America’s post-war government ignoring space research, it’s up to private industry to beat the Russians to the moon, and the stakes are high. The industrialists believe that the first nation on the moon can control the Earth by using the lunar surface to launch nukes. Despite the cold war intrigue, this was a scientifically grounded effort to portray what space travel might really look like.

Concert of Colors: Detroit Film Theatre: “The Wasmopolitan All-Star Film Revue” 7:30 p.m.

Join Grammy Award-winning producer Don Was and WDET Essential Music host Ann Delisi for an evening of rarely seen video recordings made since 2008 of legendary Detroit artists that participated in the annual Concert of Colors All-Star Revue. Was and Delisi will discuss and screen performances by Marcus Belgrade, Juan Atkins, Marion Hayden, James Carter, Mack Davis, Mitch Ryder and many more.

Thursday, July 12

Thursdays at the Museum:  Art Talk: African Art 1 p.m.

Nii Quarcoopome, DIA curator of African art, gives a talk about the DIA’s outstanding African art collection.

Detroit Film Theatre: Summer Sci-Fi: “20 Million Miles to Earth” (1957) 3 p.m.

A space mission to Venus returns to Earth carrying a new life form: a tiny lizard-like creature that thrives in Earth’s atmosphere, soon swelling to gigantic proportions and stomping through the streets of Rome, making the ancient ruins even more ruinous!

Detroit Film Theatre: Summer Sci-Fi: “The Brother from Another Planet” (1984) 7 p.m.

Smart, sweet and altogether ahead of its time, this film stars Joe Morton as a lonely alien who crash lands in a bewildering New York. Though mute, he tries his best to communicate in hopes of understanding the city, the human race, and the strange phenomenon earthlings know as racism. Tickets: $9.50 general admission; $7.50 seniors, students and DIA members.

Friday, July 13

Puppet Performance: 5P1N0K10 3 p.m.

5P1N0K10 is a puppet theatre Hip Hopera about a robot-boy who wants to become human. In the distant future, when robots are used for war, engineer Jeghetto built 5P1N0K10—an android who fights for humanity through b-boying and hip hop. This Afro-Futuristic re-imagining of Carlo Collodi’s classic ‘Pinocchio’ includes hand-crafted puppets, live music, and projections. For all ages.

Concert of Colors: James Carter Organ Trio 9 p.m.

The organ combo reigned for decades as jazz’s meat-and-potatoes mainstay. Virtuoso saxophone player James Carter elevates the organ combo to a rarefied realm defined by delectable soul, a gourmet repertoire, and consistently inspired group interplay. Featuring Gerard Gibbs on keyboards and Alex White on drums.

Saturday, July 14

Puppet Performance: 5P1N0K10 3 p.m.

(see July 13 for description)

Detroit Film Theatre: Summer Sci-Fi: “Sun Ra: Space is the Place” (1974) 7 p.m.

Sun Ra is reported lost since his European tour in June 1969, but actually has landed on a new planet with his space-faring crew The Arkestra. He decides to settle the planet with African Americans, transporting them away from earth with the power of musical sound waves. To complete this quest Sun Ra must first travel back in time, to the 1943 Chicago strip club where he once played piano, and beat The Overseer in a card game for the fate of the Black race. Tickets: $9.50 general admission; $7.50 seniors, students and DIA members.

Sunday, July 15

Puppet Performance: 5P1N0K10 3 p.m.

(see July 13 for description)

Free Concert of Colors screening @ Detroit Film Theatre: “Rumble” 4:30 p.m.

This documentary highlights the overlooked influence of Indigenous people on popular music in North America. Focusing on icons like Link Wray (whose 1958 single, Rumble, provided Pulp Fiction’s power chords), Jimi Hendrix, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Taboo, Charley Patton, Mildred Bailey, Jesse Ed Davis, Robbie Robertson and Randy Castillo, “Rumble” shows how these pioneering Native American musicians helped shape the soundtrack of the world. Winner of a Special Jury Prize for Masterful Storytelling at the Sundance Film Festival, “Rumble” features interviews with musicians and historians including Buddy Guy, Steven Van Zandt, Wayne Kramer, Taj Mahal, Quincy Jones, John Trudell, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Monk Boudreaux, Jackson Browne, Joy Harjo and Robert Trujillo.  

Tuesday, July 17

Detroit Film Theatre: Summer Sci-Fi: “Seven Samurai” (1954) 3 p.m.

Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece is the story of seven unemployed 16th-century samurai who band together to defend a village of impoverished farmers against a devastating annual raid by vicious bandits. This full-length, three-and-a-half hour version is an immersive, unforgettable experience, and one that George Lucas lists among his favorites. 

Wednesday, July 18

Detroit Film Theatre: Summer Sci-Fi: “When Worlds Collide” (1951) 3 p.m.

As a star and a planet approach Earth on a certain collision course, a team of scientists works feverishly to construct a rocket they hope will become a space age Noah’s Ark, taking a handful of humans and animals to the new planet to restart civilization. 

Thursday, July 19

Thursdays at the Museum: Artmaking – Watercolor Postcards 1 p.m.

Detroit Film Theatre: Summer Sci-Fi: “It Came from Outer Space” (1953) 3 p.m.

In this unusually thoughtful sci-fi hit based on a Ray Bradbury story, an alien spaceship lands on Earth to make emergency repairs, hoping to leave the planet without being discovered. The aliens understand that their physical form will appear so horrible to humans that prejudice and unfounded fear will result in violence and death to their people.

Friday, July 20

Detroit Film Theatre: Summer Sci-Fi: “Fahrenheit 451” (1966) 3 p.m.

Ray Bradbury wrote of an authoritarian future in which the written word is banned and where curiosity, knowledge and ideas are considered so dangerous that the job of “fireman” is no longer to extinguish flames, but rather to burn all books. One of the glories of François Truffaut’s screen version is the haunting score by Bernard Herrmann. 

Drawing on the Steps of the DIA 6–9 p.m.

Take a closer look at the architecture and outdoor sculpture collection of the DIA and create a drawing to take home. DIA Studio assistants will guide you through making your own work of art while you enjoy the outdoor Friday Night Live music performance. Drawing materials and paper are provided.

Detroit Film Theatre: Summer Sci-Fi: “Crumbs” (2005) 7 p.m.

Crumbs is set against the background of spectacular post-apocalyptic Ethiopian landscapes, and its main character is a strange-looking scrap collector called Gagano. Alternately gripped by daydreams and constant fears, the diminutive Gagano has had enough of collecting the priceless crumbs of decayed civilization, including the most valuable: merchandise from Michael Jackson and Michael Jordan. When a spaceship that has been hovering in the sky for years starts showing signs of activity, Gagano—who believes he is an extraterrestrial—thinks the spaceship has come to take him back “home.” He begins a journey to find answers, overcoming along the way fears that include a witch, Santa Claus and second-generation Nazis, and discovers that things aren't quite the way he thought. Tickets: $9.50 general admission; $7.50 seniors, students and DIA members.

Friday Night Live!: Huun Huur Tu 7 and 8 p.m. – DIA North Lawn

Huun Hurr Tu is from the Russian republic of Tuva near the Mongolia-Russia border. The most distinctive characteristic of their music is throat singing, in which the singers sing both the note and the note's overtones, producing two or three notes simultaneously. The group primarily uses native Tuvan instruments and plays mostly indigenous Tuvan folk music, but is also known to experiment with western instruments and electronic music.

Saturday, July 21

Artist Demonstration: Ellen Rutt Creations Noon-4 p.m.

Known for her energetic mixed-media paintings, murals and wearables, local artist Ellen Rutt invites participants to help her create an installation of shapes and colors.

Detroit Film Theatre: Summer Sci-Fi: “Them!” (1954) 3 p.m.

A classic example of sci-fi’s obsession with radiation in the 1950s, “Them!” is one of the first major-studio films to envision giant, mutated insects—in this case, ants—threatening the existence of humankind as a result of being exposed to radioactive fallout from atom bomb tests.

Detroit Film Theatre: Summer Sci-Fi: “The Last Angel of History” (1996) and “Afronauts” (2014) 7 p.m.

“The Last Angel of History”—part documentary, part science-fiction—examines the origins of the genre of Afrofuturism, with George Clinton, Nichelle Nichols, Ishmael Reed, DJ Spooky and others as guides. In the Afrofuturist short “Afronauts,” a group of Zambian exiles races to beat American astronauts to the moon in 1969. Tickets: $9.50 general admission; $7.50 seniors, students and DIA members.

Sunday, July 22

Detroit Film Theatre: Summer Sci-Fi: “Forbidden Planet” (1956) 3 p.m.

The lone survivor of an expedition to a distant planet discovers that the scientific achievements of its long-extinct civilization may be the most astounding and dangerous in the universe. Featuring the first screen appearance of the beloved Robby the Robot.

Artist Demonstration: Ellen Rutt Creations Noon-4 p.m.

(see July 21 for description)

Tuesday, July 24

Detroit Film Theatre: Summer Sci-Fi: “The Hidden Fortress” (1958) 3 p.m.

A general guards his defeated clan’s princess in a journey across enemy territory accompanied by two bickering, bumbling peasants. If the plot of director Akira Kurosawa’s exhilarating 16th-century Japanese swordplay adventure seems familiar, it may be because it’s not only one of George Lucas’s favorite films, but one he cites as a primary influence on Star Wars. In Japanese with English subtitles.

Wednesday, July 25

Detroit Film Theatre: Summer Sci-Fi: “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968) 3 p.m.

When a mysterious object found on the moon emits a radio signal aimed at the planet Jupiter, a team of astronauts is dispatched to discover what is waiting on the receiving end. Directed by Stanley Kubrick and written by Arthur C. Clarke, “2001” may be the most profound of all science fiction films. 

Thursday, July 26

Thursdays at the Museum: Movie: "Steamboat Bill, Jr." 1 p.m.

When rough-and-ready captain “Steamboat” Bill Campbell is visited by his unknown son, Bill, Jr. (Buster Keaton), the elder Campbell takes it upon himself to make his “fussy” son seaworthy enough to earn the name “Steamboat Bill, Jr.” One of Keaton’s greatest silent comedies features jaw-dropping sight gags and stunts, topped by an incredible cyclone sequence that made cinema history.

Detroit Film Theatre: Summer Sci-Fi: “The Thing from Another World” (1951) 3 p.m.

Investigating a mysterious crash at the North Pole, a handful of scientists and Air Force personnel find themselves at war with an alien life form: a humanoid creature made of plant matter that lives on blood and aims to reproduce itself into an invading army.

Detroit Film Theatre: Summer Sci-Fi: “World on a Wire” (1973) 7 p.m.

Originally made for German television, this noir-spiked tale of a reluctant hero and cybernetics engineer who uncovers a massive corporate conspiracy is a satiric and surreal look at the world of tomorrow. This rediscovered, three-and-a-half-hour labyrinth is a gloriously paranoid, boundlessly inventive take on the future. Tickets: $9.50 general admission; $7.50 seniors, students and DIA members.

Friday, July 27

Detroit Film Theatre: Summer Sci-Fi: “The Time Machine” (1960) 3 p.m.

On the last day of 1899, the inventor of a time machine propels himself thousands of years into the future, where he discovers a civilization comprised of lethargic slaves and their cannibal masters, who hide underground. H.G. Wells’ classic tale of humans’ past and possible future is one of the most visually rich sci-fi movies of its time.

Detroit Film Theatre: Summer Sci-Fi: “Jodorowsky's Dune” (2013) 7 p.m.

In the 1970s, legendary cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky dreamed of creating a 15-hour film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel “Dune.” It was to feature designs by H.R. Giger, music by Pink Floyd and a cast that included Salvador Dalí and Orson Welles. This documentary is the story of that uncompleted quest, a fascinating portrait of an epic that never was. Tickets: $9.50 general admission; $7.50 seniors, students and DIA members.

Friday Night Live!: DhakaBraka 7 and 8:30 p.m. – DIA North Lawn

DhakaBraka taps into the roots of their native Ukrainian language, tradition, fable and song, adding their own instrumentation and arrangements of songs they uncovered during travels around their country.

Saturday, July 28

Family Program: We Remain, Detroit—Cube Project Noon and 2 p.m. - DIA North Lawn

ArtLab J invites the whole family to an interactive experience designed to broaden one's perception of Detroit through arts-based play and creative activity. “We Remain, Detroit—Cube Project” encourages families to interpret Detroit's history through three six-foot cubes. Guided by images, written accounts and music, each cube is a blank canvas on which families can draw, paint or craft their perceptions of the rebellious revolts of Detroit's past, the current energy of its present and imagine its dreams for the future. Each program begins with a short storytelling and dance performance followed by guided movement activities in the cubes. Bring blankets and chairs for a creative afternoon outdoors.

Detroit Film Theatre: Summer Sci-Fi: “The Blob” (1958) 3 p.m.

The police don’t believe teenager Steve (billed as Steven) McQueen when he reports that a shapeless mass from outer space is devouring local residents. Eventually they do, but first it’s up to hot-rodding teens to figure out how to contend with the invader. This surprise hit packed America’s drive-ins in the autumn of 1958.

Detroit Film Theatre: Summer Sci-Fi: “Timecrimes” (2007) 7 p.m.

This Spanish ci-fi thriller is about a man who becomes part of a time loop and must stop his other selves from continuing to exist. In Spanish with English subtitles. Tickets: $9.50 general admission; $7.50 seniors, students and DIA members.

Sunday, July 29

Family Program: We Remain, Detroit – Cube Project Noon & 2 p.m. - DIA North Lawn

 (see July 28 for description)

Detroit Film Theatre: Summer Sci-Fi: “THX 1138” (1971) 3 p.m.

George Lucas’s first feature tells the story of a future human race sedated and controlled by an all-powerful governmental order. But when one worker (Robert Duvall) goes off his meds, comes to his senses and tries to escape, a robot police force pursues him until they exceed their allotted budget. 

Tuesday, July 31

Detroit Film Theatre: Summer Sci-Fi: “The Adventures of Robin Hood” (1938) 3 p.m.

When a treacherous prince turns his cruelty toward England’s peasants, it’s up to the good-hearted Sir Robin of Locksley, aka Robin Hood, to lead a crew of Merry Men in a rebellion against the evil Prince John. Errol Flynn stars in one of Hollywood’s greatest swashbucklers, packed with rousing action filmed in Technicolor. Fun fact: The sound of Robin’s arrow appears in almost every Star Wars film.

IN THE COMMUNITY 

DIA Away: Think Like an Artist

DIA Away is a fully furnished, vibrantly designed, 53' double-expandable trailer. Inside, families and visitors of all ages will discover some of the ways artists think, then have the opportunity to try out creative thinking skills at digital and hands-on stations. Visitors will be surprised and inspired to discover the connections between themselves and the ways artists think and work.

Saturday, July 14

DIA Away: Concert of Colors, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, 305 Parsons St, Detroit 10 a.m.–6 p.m.

Wednesday, July 18

DIA Away: Warren Civic Center Library, 1 City Square, Warren Noon–6 p.m.

Thursday, July 19

DIA Away: Royal Oak Summer Concert Series, 300 S Center St, Royal Oak 5:30–9 p.m.

Saturday, July 21

DIA Away: Leonard Strawberry Festival, Leonard 11 a.m.–9 p.m.

Drop-in Artmaking

Offsite Drop-In Art-Making activities are offered at numerous art fairs and festivals throughout the Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties. Art projects rotate throughout the year, focusing on current exhibitions, creative work from different cultures, various techniques, and concepts of identity. 

Thursday–Sunday, July 19–22

Drop-in Artmaking: Stabiles, Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, 881 N University, Ann Arbor 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Thursday–Saturday, Noon–6 p.m. Sunday

Create a freestanding geometric sculpture. Find the activity in the Art Activity Zone on Ingalls Mall.

Friday–Saturday, July 19–20

Drop in Artmaking: Marionettes, Detroit Parks and Recreation Splash Party & Family Activities & STAY Fit for Health 3K Walk and 5K Run and Walk, Rouge Park, 21415 Plymouth Rd., Detroit 12:30–7:30 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m.–noon, Sunday

Friday–Saturday, July 26–28

Drop in Artmaking: Wrist and Ankle Rattles, Sterlingfest Art and Music Fair, 40555 Utica Rd., Sterling Hts. Friday, 1–5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.

Museum Hours and Admission

9 a.m.–4 p.m. Tuesdays–Thursdays, 9 a.m.–10 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. General admission (excludes ticketed exhibitions) is free for Wayne, Oakland and Macomb county residents and DIA members. For all others, $14 for adults, $9 for seniors ages 62+, $8 for students, $6 for ages 6–17. For membership information, call 313-833-7971.