Events Calendar

Many people doodle as a fun, spontaneous way to express ideas. Grab some drawing materials and see where your creativity takes you! Experiment with Paint markers, Color Pencils, Gel Pens and more-to make something truly unique.

It’s awards night at the Detroit Film Theatre! Walk the red carpet into the Scarab Club for pre-film hors d'oeuvres and drinks ahead of the first screening of the Oscar-nominated Live Action and Animated Short Films.

Purchase includes:

Create a pencil drawing to take home while taking a closer look at the collection. No experience is necessary, and all supplies are provided. For ages 6 to adult (children 12 and younger should be accompanied by an adult). Space is limited.

New members are invited to a brief welcome and orientation, offering an introduction to the benefits, programs, and experiences that come with museum membership.

All members, both new and longtime, are then encouraged to gather in CafeDIA, which will serve as the Member Lounge, for a relaxed reception. Enjoy flatbread pizza, connect with fellow members, and raise a glass at the cash bar featuring signature cocktails created just for the evening.

Join us for a complimentary DIA tour and reception during our Friday night programming!

Formed in 2020, the Anzû Quartet is an ensemble dedicated to the music of our time and the evolving contemporary canon. A collaboration between internationally renowned performers of new music, the quartet pays homage to Olivier Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la fin du temps by actively commissioning and performing new works for this iconic instrumentation alongside Messiaen’s original masterpiece.

The DFT’s most popular annual program brings together all of this year’s nominees in both the short animation and short live-action categories into one spectacularly entertaining event. Experiencing the Oscar® Shorts on the big screen is an astonishing reminder of how cinema can tell boldly imagined stories through the unbridled creativity of emerging filmmakers. Advance ticket purchase guarantees admission.

Join Detroit-based artist and Memory Engineer Elonte Davis for an immersive workshop that transforms memory into art.

Through the lens of love, thoughtfulness, and appreciation, participants will reimagine personal stories, found photographs, and fragments of everyday life into a collective visual narrative.

Experience the audience favorites from the latest edition of the New York International Children’s Film Festival! These amazing short films from around the world are sure to inspire curiosity and conversation for viewers big and small. Celebrating Black Stories spotlights narratives that transcend national boundaries, culture, and language.

Join Detroit-based artist and Memory Engineer Elonte Davis for an immersive workshop that transforms memory into art.

Through the lens of love, thoughtfulness, and appreciation, participants will reimagine personal stories, found photographs, and fragments of everyday life into a collective visual narrative.

Create a pencil drawing to take home while taking a closer look at the collection. No experience is necessary, and all supplies are provided. For ages 6 to adult (children 12 and younger should be accompanied by an adult). Space is limited.

The Detroit Institute of Arts’ Friends of African and African American Art Auxiliary will honor multimedia artist Alison Saar with the 33rd annual Alain Locke Award on February 22nd, 2026. Saar’s lecture, “Hither and Yon” and will draw from her 45-year career in making art in response to struggles of women and African Americans in their pursuit of equity and justice.

All five of this year’s Academy Award®-nominated shorts in the documentary category will be presented in this special program. While feature-length documentaries continue to enjoy a high profile in theaters and online, short documentaries can be just as powerful and surprising as their longer counterparts. 

The term collage, derived from the French word coller, meaning “to glue,” describes artwork made from a mix of different materials. Using this distinctive process, create a neighborhood scene with a variety of paper materials.

Create a pencil drawing to take home while taking a closer look at the collection. No experience necessary and all supplies are provided. For ages 6 to adult (children 12 and younger should be accompanied by an adult). Capacity is limited.

A three-time Grammy nominee, ELEW has solidified his place as one of the most electrifying and innovative pianists of his generation. 

Trained in and inspired by European classical counterpoint, he draws on wide-ranging historical references while maintaining the idiosyncratic Afrocentric timing at the core of jazz improvisation. 

All five of this year’s Academy Award®-nominated shorts in the documentary category will be presented in this special program. While feature-length documentaries continue to enjoy a high profile in theaters and online, short documentaries can be just as powerful and surprising as their longer counterparts. 

The term collage, derived from the French word coller, meaning “to glue,” describes artwork made from a mix of different materials. Using this distinctive process, create a neighborhood scene with a variety of paper materials.

This Guest Artist Workshop with Judy Bowman has been postponed - please join the DIA staff for a Drop-In Workshop inspired by collage artwork in the DIA collection by artists like Judy Bowman, Romare Bearden, Charles McGee and more.

Celebrate Hinamatsuri (Japanese Girls’ Day) at the DIA. Enjoy beloved traditions such as a tea ceremony, a display of hina dolls, ikebana flower arrangements, and soothing koto music, along with new programs for 2026.

The term collage, derived from the French word coller, meaning “to glue,” describes artwork made from a mix of different materials. Using this distinctive process, create a neighborhood scene with a variety of paper materials.

Create a pencil drawing to take home while taking a closer look at the collection. No experience necessary and all supplies are provided. For ages 6 to adult (children 12 and younger should be accompanied by an adult). Capacity is limited.

Join the Detroit Institute of Arts for Gabriele Münter’s Worlds, an FMCA lecture by Megan Fontanella, Curator of Modern Art and Provenance at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, at 5:30 PM in the Marvin and Betty Danto Lecture Hall, followed by a Friends of Modern and Contemporary Art member reception.

See "The Rooster's Crow" Automaton Clock come to life in the DIA's European Medieval & Renaissance galleries during its once-monthly day of operation! Throughout the day, visitors can see this rare 16th-century clock's mechanical rooster flap its wings and open its beak every fifteen minutes, and witness the figures of seven princes parade around an enthroned emperor as the clock strikes each hour.

Create a pencil drawing to take home while taking a closer look at the collection. No experience is necessary, and all supplies are provided. 

Recommended for ages 6 and up; children 16 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Capacity is limited.

Award-winning singer-songwriter Audra Kubat will share new and past material in a special night of music. Her ability to weave story and melody draws listeners into songs that uplift and open the heart. From stripped-down solos to expansive choral arrangements created by a team of talented musicians from Detroit and beyond, it promises to be a memorable evening of music-making.

All five of this year’s Academy Award®-nominated shorts in the documentary category will be presented in this special program. While feature-length documentaries continue to enjoy a high profile in theaters and online, short documentaries can be just as powerful and surprising as their longer counterparts. 

Create a pencil drawing to take home while taking a closer look at the collection. No experience is necessary, and all supplies are provided. 

Recommended for ages 6 and up; children 16 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Capacity is limited.

All five of this year’s Academy Award®-nominated shorts in the documentary category will be presented in this special program. While feature-length documentaries continue to enjoy a high profile in theaters and online, short documentaries can be just as powerful and surprising as their longer counterparts. 

Create a pencil drawing to take home while taking a closer look at the collection. No experience necessary and all supplies are provided. For ages 6 to adult (children 12 and younger should be accompanied by an adult). Capacity is limited.

A mobile has width, height, depth, and parts that move. Gentle air currents keep the separate elements in graceful motion. Create your own simple mobile using yarn, lightweight colorful board, and markers.

Natural Harmonics Trio consists of Phyllis Chen (piano, electronics), Zach Layton (21-string guitar), and Hamir Atwal (drums). The trio performs music improvised around natural harmonics, exploring instruments in unique and unusual ways. 

Teachers, please join the DIA for the Women’s History Month Educator Workshop! This event is a collaboration between the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Detroit Historical Museum.

The Teen Arts Council is excited to invite you to the 2026 Annual Teen Summit! This year, teens will explore the DIA's African and African American art collections, with a chance to walk through the newly reinstalled Reimagining African American Art exhibition.

A mobile has width, height, depth, and parts that move. Gentle air currents keep the separate elements in graceful motion. Create your own simple mobile using yarn, lightweight colorful board, and markers.

Create a pencil drawing to take home while taking a closer look at the collection. No experience necessary and all supplies are provided. For ages 6 to adult (children 12 and younger should be accompanied by an adult). Capacity is limited.

A mobile has width, height, depth, and parts that move. Gentle air currents keep the separate elements in graceful motion. Create your own simple mobile using yarn, lightweight colorful board, and markers.

In this two-hour session led by a DIA Artmaking Studio instructor, you’ll use clay slabs to create a one-of-a-kind ceramic mask. By draping clay over forms and experimenting with a variety of texture tools, you’ll bring your mask to life by adding features with basic clay tools and finishing with liquid underglaze colors.

The masks will then be kiln-fired and available for pickup in two to three weeks—ready to add a fun, decorative touch to your home.

Create a pencil drawing to take home while taking a closer look at the collection. No experience necessary. All supplies provided. For ages 6 and up (children ages 12 and younger should be accompanied by an adult). Capacity is limited.

Proportioned Orchestra began as an ensemble in June 2016. Initially, the group was comprised of drums, vocals, and double bass. Dr. Professor Leonard King — drummer, vocalist, arranger, and founder of the ensemble — gradually expanded the lineup to include four double bassists, guitar, drums, and vocals. 

Countermapping is a practice that uses maps and mapmaking to challenge traditional, often dominant, historical and social narratives. It asks: Whose story is told? Whose land, perspectives, and experiences are centered or erased? By creating alternative “maps,” which can be visual, conceptual, or physical, we can highlight marginalized voices, reveal hidden histories, and question the systems of power embedded in conventional representations.

The Improv Project Showcase is a must-see event for comedy fans and anyone curious about improvised theater. Laugh along with the incredible talent of Detroit’s newest improvisers and seasoned professionals from The Second City, Planet Ant, and Go Comedy! Improv Theater. 

Whether you’re an improv fan or new to the art form, this afternoon promises plenty of laughter and fun.

Create a pencil drawing to take home while taking a closer look at the collection. No experience necessary. All supplies provided. For ages 6 and up (children ages 12 and younger should be accompanied by an adult). Capacity is limited.

Join author Diana Darke for this illustrated talk exploring connections between Syria and Europe. We will begin by examining the Christian art and architecture still extant on the hillsides of Syria, where thousands of fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-century churches can be studied and explored. 

Create a pencil drawing to take home while taking a closer look at the collection. No experience necessary. All supplies provided. For ages 6 and up (children ages 12 and younger should be accompanied by an adult). Capacity is limited.

Create a pencil drawing to take home while taking a closer look at the collection. No experience necessary. All supplies provided. For ages 6 and up (children ages 12 and younger should be accompanied by an adult). Capacity is limited.

Detroit Poet Laureate Jessica Care Moore and award-winning illustrator Dare Coulter bring their poetic visual masterpiece to life in an interactive crown-making workshop, poetry reading, book signing, and writing workshop for children ages 12 and under. 

Be ready to have fun, create art, use your imagination, and dream big! (90 minutes)

Member Exclusive: Last Chance to See Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation After Hours at the DIA.

The Italian Film Festival USA returns to the DFT with a selection of contemporary Italian films. Discover new filmmakers and the variety of films they create for Italian audiences. Films are in Italian with English subtitles. Screenings are free—visit italianfilmfests.org in March for the complete schedule.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Morton Feldman, who was associated with the New York School alongside John Cage, Earle Brown, and Christian Wolff. 

Within this musical environment, his ideas were also profoundly shaped by his close ties to abstract expressionist painters Mark Rothko, Philip Guston, and Jackson Pollock. 

A welcoming, inclusive art-making experience for neurodivergent children, teens, adults, and their families and friends. Each session features a thoughtfully designed project in a comfortable, supportive environment.

This session’s project: Artist Trading Cards

Artist trading cards are miniature works of art created on 2½ × 3½-inch card stock. Make your own card to trade with friends!

Body Watani Dance Project will share a performance followed by a workshop that invites participants to both observe and actively engage in learning how stories of home are expressed through movement. 

BEYOND dares to imagine what lies ahead. Showcasing a bold new commission from Maxine Doyle and works by Tess Voelker and Stephanie Pizzo, this forward-looking performance charts a path toward the future of dance, untethered, expansive, and full of possibility.

Tickets are $35, with limited Pay-What-You-Can options ($1–34). Purchase tickets at eisenhowerdance.org.

Composer, trumpeter, santur player, vocalist, and bandleader Amir ElSaffar has been described by The New York Times as “the celebrated trumpeter and composer who explores vital connections between jazz and Arabic music.” 

BEYOND dares to imagine what lies ahead. Showcasing a bold new commission from Maxine Doyle and works by Tess Voelker and Stephanie Pizzo, this forward-looking performance charts a path toward the future of dance, untethered, expansive, and full of possibility.

Tickets are $35, with limited Pay-What-You-Can options ($1–34). Purchase tickets at eisenhowerdance.org.

Experience the highlights of the Detroit Institute of Arts on a free, guided tour with American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation.

Explore some of the museum’s most beloved works of art while learning about the stories, history, and artists behind them.

Tours meet in the Great Hall at 1 p.m. and last approximately 45 to 60 minutes.

Celebrate Arab American Heritage Month with a family-friendly demonstration and display that bring art, history, and creativity together. This special program introduces visitors to the beauty of Islamic calligraphy and illumination through the work of two internationally recognized artists whose practices honor tradition while inviting curiosity and wonder.

Explore the rich visual language and cultural meaning of one of the world’s most enduring art forms through the work and insight of master calligrapher Nihad Dukhan.

The Italian Film Festival USA returns to the DFT with a selection of contemporary Italian films. Discover new filmmakers and the variety of films they create for Italian audiences. Films are in Italian with English subtitles. Screenings are free—visit italianfilmfests.org in March for the complete schedule.

Blues and boogie-woogie pianist Mark Lincoln Braun has become one of the premier purveyors of a vanishing art. Having learned his craft firsthand from the early masters, he is a rare living link to the first generation of blues and boogie pianists. 

Steeped in the rich legacy of this tremendously exciting music, Mr. Braun studied directly with blues and boogie legends such as Little Brother Montgomery, Boogie Woogie Red, and Blind John Davis.

Now in its 58th year, this juried annual festival presents the best of Michigan’s K–12 student films in a celebratory awards program featuring short films, animation, and documentaries. For families with children ages 10 and up. Free with museum admission.

Now in its 58th year, this juried annual festival presents the best of Michigan’s K–12 student films in a celebratory awards program featuring short films, animation, and documentaries. For families with children ages 10 and up. Free with museum admission.

Detroit industrialist Charles Lang Freer (1854–1919), founder of the Freer Gallery of Art at the Smithsonian, is best known for his collection of James McNeill Whistler’s etchings, ancient Chinese jades and bronzes, and Japanese paintings. 

The Italian Film Festival USA returns to the DFT with a selection of contemporary Italian films. Discover new filmmakers and the variety of films they create for Italian audiences. Films are in Italian with English subtitles. Screenings are free—visit italianfilmfests.org in March for the complete schedule.

This year’s Mopper Lecture will feature Dr. Jonathan Fine, Director General of the KHM-Museumsverband in Vienna, Austria.

More details coming soon!

Join Menno Hoencamp, horologist and director at Mentink & Roest, and Dr. Chaz Kirchhoff as they share the story of the discovery and conservation of The Rooster’s Crow Clock, along with new clues about its origins and history.

Narcissus blooms, tasty dim sum dishes, bowing to elders, and lucky red envelopes filled with money. These images reflect puppeteer Tom Lee’s childhood memories of celebrating Lunar New Year in Hawai’i. 

Join us in the evening for a public lecture by Professor Meredith Martin and Professor Hannah Williams on their project Mapping Colonial Networks.

The film that single-handedly kindled a generation’s awareness of the limitless possibilities of nonfiction filmmaking was Barbara Kopple’s 1976 Oscar® winner Harlan County USA, an unflinching, brilliantly filmed portrait of a coal miners’ strike in a small Kentucky town. Through unprecedented access, Kopple and her crew captured the miners’ struggles—sometimes procedural, often violent—with strikebreakers, local police, and armed company thugs. 

Join the DIA and the Friends of Asian Arts and Cultures (FAAC) in celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

Join the DIA and the Friends of Asian Arts and Cultures in celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with our annual ensemble Celebration Show, featuring community groups and professional artists presenting a blend of traditional and contemporary dance, music, and more from diverse cultures. 

The film that single-handedly kindled a generation’s awareness of the limitless possibilities of nonfiction filmmaking was Barbara Kopple’s 1976 Oscar® winner Harlan County USA, an unflinching, brilliantly filmed portrait of a coal miners’ strike in a small Kentucky town. Through unprecedented access, Kopple and her crew captured the miners’ struggles—sometimes procedural, often violent—with strikebreakers, local police, and armed company thugs. 

A welcoming, inclusive art-making experience for neurodivergent children, teens, adults, and their families and friends. Each session features a thoughtfully designed project in a comfortable, supportive environment.

This session’s project: Pet Portraits

Use a variety of drawing and collage materials to create a portrait of your favorite pet or animal.

Experience the highlights of the Detroit Institute of Arts on a free, guided tour with American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation.

Explore some of the museum’s most beloved works of art while learning about the stories, history, and artists behind them.

Tours meet in the Great Hall at 1 p.m. and last approximately 45 to 60 minutes.

Experience the highlights of the Detroit Institute of Arts on a free, guided tour with American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation.

Explore some of the museum’s most beloved works of art while learning about the stories, history, and artists behind them.

Tours meet in the Great Hall at 1 p.m. and last approximately 45 to 60 minutes.