Events Calendar

Please join us for the Native American Heritage Month Guest Artist Demonstration, featuring special guest Kelly Church. Church is a Pottawatomi/Ottawa/Ojibwe artist and educator whose work is part of the DIA’s permanent collection.

Taking inspiration from the DIA collection, use a variety of materials to create a multimedia relief artwork depicting a memorable landscape or favorite nature scene.

Create your own pencil drawing to take home while exploring the collection up close. No experience necessary, and all supplies are provided. Open to ages 6 and up (children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult). Space is limited.

Please join us for the Native American Heritage Month Educator Workshop, featuring special guest Kelly Church. Church is a Pottawatomi/Ottawa/Ojibwe artist and educator whose work is part of the DIA’s permanent collection.

On Saturday, November 8, the Detroit Institute of Arts will be transformed for an unforgettable evening of exceptional dining, fine wine, live entertainment, and music.

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!

DIA Members: Enjoy Exclusive 20% Savings!

November 14–23

DIA Members are invited to take advantage of a special 20% discount on all purchases from November 14 through 23.

Don't Miss the First Look Soiree Event on Nov.13 from 4:30PM-8:30PM:

Create your own pencil drawing to take home while exploring the collection up close. No experience necessary, and all supplies are provided. Open to ages 6 and up (children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult). Space is limited.

Use your own initials and colorful art materials to create a unique work of art to take home. Inspired by the vibrant geometric pieces in the newly reopened African American galleries!

Grammy-winning fiddler and vocalist for the Lost Bayou Ramblers, Louis Michot has long interpreted tradition through a modern lens. His 2023 solo debut, Rêve de Troubadour, is a spectral, shape-shifting album steeped in Louisiana French. 

Iran/France/Luxembourg/2025 — directed by Jafar Panahi | 101 min.

Vahid, an unassuming mechanic, is suddenly reminded of his time in an Iranian prison when a random traffic accident leads to a chance encounter with a man he thinks he recognizes—one he suspects was once his sadistic jailhouse captor. 

Please join us for this educator-exclusive morning of relaxation and refreshment. Detroit Yoga Lab will lead a yoga session in the historic Rivera Court—no experience necessary. Afterward, participants can enjoy a complimentary smoothie bar and an art-making activity.

Join the Teen Arts Council for a fun day of exploring Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation

Get ready for an afternoon of music, culture, and laughter with Helen Peltier Fuhst! Helen reimagines classic hits by artists like Elvis, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, and Tom Petty by interpreting the intentions of their lyrics into Anishinaabemowin, the Indigenous language of the Great Lakes.

Stephanie L.

This lecture explores Land Identity through the lens of personal experience, federal policies, and material culture. It examines how Indigenous people navigate cultural hybridity, assimilation, and the systemic forces that have sought to sever their ties to the land.

Create your own pencil drawing to take home while exploring the collection up close. No experience necessary, and all supplies are provided. Open to ages 6 and up (children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult). Space is limited.

Make a simple book using heavy cardstock, paper, and a rubber band. It’s perfect for sketching and taking notes around the museum!

A Collaborative Arts Initiative Bringing Together the Detroit Institute of Arts & The Carr Center

Gnote~7 is an energetic soulful band with expertise in many genres including funk, jazz, blues and old-school R & B. This performance will explore all of these genres in Gnote’s infectious style. Come prepared for a rollicking good time with high energy provided by a band that embodies what makes Detroit music special.

USA/2025 — directed by Ira Sachs | 76 min.

In 1974, writer Linda Rosenkrantz embarked on an experimental journalism project in which an emerging artist would have a conversation with her—and her tape recorder—about the day-to-day reality of an artist’s life in New York. 

USA/1978 - directed by Sidney Lumet | 134 min.

Ease on Down the Road as you prepare for Thanksgiving with a chance to see The Wiz on the big screen!

Bring the whole family to the DIA for a delicious dinner before enjoying a special screening of Ratatouille. Make it an evening of great food, fun, and film, and create lasting memories with your loved ones at the museum.

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

Create your own pencil drawing to take home while exploring the collection up close. No experience necessary, and all supplies are provided. Open to ages 6 and up (children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult). Space is limited.

The River Raisin Ragtime Revue (R4) is a professional theater orchestra dedicated to educating and entertaining via the performance, preservation and restoration of significant American music. R4 highlights the development of our country’s original popular musical style – ragtime. 

Back by popular demand and landing right in the middle of Thanksgiving weekend, CatVideoFest is the ideal way to shake off the tryptophan and share a few laughs with family, friends, and fellow feline fans.

Please join us for an evening lecture featuring Rollo Whately, founder and director of Rollo Whately Ltd, one of London’s leading practices for historic frames, as he discusses how to identify original frames and the many considerations that go into selecting the right ones.

About the lecturer:

Heraldry emerged during the Middle Ages as a way to visually represent lords and knights. Learn more as you create a miniature coat-of-arms of your own design, inspired by works in the DIA collection.

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

The marvelously creative “adverts” of British TV continue to dazzle and delight. Annually recognized with the prestigious British Arrows awards, these tiny national treasures are brought together in a celebratory touring compilation that has become a cult favorite in cinemas worldwide, including the DFT.

Join us for a heartwarming celebration as singer-songwriter Joe Reilly and the All Nations Dancers welcome the winter season with music and movement rooted in Anishinaabe tradition.

A Night to Reimagine and Rejoice.

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

Make a collage using magazines, colorful scrap papers, and photos you take yourself, using a mini digital camera that instantly prints out your photos.

Hong Kong/2000 — directed by Wong Kar Wai | 99 min.

Briand Morrison loves performing for audiences in and around the shores of Lake Superior and Grand Portage, Minnesota. While jazz is his primary focus, he also plays a wide range of styles, including big band jazz, rock, and folk. 

It’s a Hanukkah emergency! A fuzzy troll has stolen the Rabbi’s menorah, and only the most unlikely hero can save the day. Performed in a traditional puppet booth, this whimsical adventure is a silly yet heartwarming celebration of problem-solving, empathy, mindfulness, and friendship.

USA/2010 — produced by John Whitehead | 57 min.

As recently as World War II, Ojibwemowin was the everyday language of the Anishinaabe people. Today, with fewer than one thousand fluent speakers left in the United States, Ojibwe elders and educators are racing against time to preserve it.

Bring the beauty of winter indoors by making old-fashioned paper snowflakes. Perfect for adding a handmade touch to your seasonal decor.

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

Italy/2025 — directed by Paolo Sorrentino | 131 min.

The World Premiere of the extraordinary new love story from Oscar® winner Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty) will take place as the Opening Night selection of the 2025 Venice Film Festival on August 27.

Two revolutionary musicians join forces to create extreme possibility! Rob Schwimmer is a triple-threat composer-pianist, thereminist, and Haken Continuum player who has performed and recorded throughout the world. 

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

Use fabric, yarn, and felt to transform a tongue depressor into a character ready for its own puppet show! Get creative as you design and bring your puppet to life, adding personality and charm with every detail.

These two short films demonstrate the remarkable growth of Chaplin as a cinematic artist. Both have their origins in Chaplin’s vaudeville days with Fred Karno. 

Chaplin starred in and directed A Night in the Show in 1915 at Majestic Studio in Los Angeles. The film was based on a turn-of-the-century English music hall play called Mumming Birds, which Chaplin often performed during his touring days with Fred Karno’s pantomime troupe.

Enjoy National Marionette Theatre’s adaptation of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf—a beloved classic that has enchanted audiences since its 1936 premiere, following the adventures of a boy determined to capture a wolf.

USA/1926 — directed by William Beaudine | 109 min.

USA/1925 — directed by Buster Keaton | 88 min.

Filmed on location in the Arizona desert, Go West stars Keaton as a young Midwestern man named Friendless, who takes the advice of newspaper publisher Horace Greeley and hops a freight train bound for the West.

Explore endless patterns and colors by layering tissue paper onto a simple glass jar, which you can later illuminate at home with a small candle, such as a tea light.

Nellie McKay has released a diverse collection of critically acclaimed albums, with songs that range from jazz to pop to the delightfully undefinable.

Please join us for this educator-exclusive morning of relaxation and refreshment. Detroit Yoga Lab will lead a yoga session in the historic Rivera Court, no experience necessary. Participants will also enjoy a complimentary smoothie bar and an art-making session.