Welcome to Inside|Out on Mackinac Island! Experience the magic of art in unexpected places as we transform this historic island into an outdoor gallery. Brought to you by the Detroit Institute of Arts, Inside|Out has been turning Metro Detroit into a giant, outdoor gallery every year from May to October since 2010. Now, we're bringing this exciting initiative to Mackinac Island, showcasing high-quality reproductions from the museum's art collection in the streets, parks, and public spaces.

Immerse yourself in art as you stroll through the charming streets of Mackinac Island, where each corner reveals a new masterpiece. Inside|Out makes art easy and fun to explore, right where people live, work, and play. It's a unique opportunity to connect with art in a friendly, accessible way, showing that art is for everyone and everywhere.

Need a walking map? Check out our Inside|Out Mackinac Google Maps!

Join us in celebrating the beauty and history of Mackinac Island through the lens of art. Inside|Out on Mackinac Island is more than just an exhibition; it's a testament to our mission of bringing art out into the community and making it a shared experience that brings us all closer together.

Come discover art in a new light on Mackinac Island and learn more about the program here!

Now in its 15th year, the Inside|Out program brings high-quality reproductions of the DIA’s collection to outdoor venues throughout metro Detroit to increase engagement between the museum and its diverse audience.

From now through October, residents of Macomb, Wayne, and Oakland counties will be able to enjoy a piece of the DIA outside in their own community. Each community will display a number of reproductions outdoors clustered within walking or biking distance. Learn more about the program here!

2024 Communities

Wayne

• City of Wayne
• Dearborn
• Detroit - Grandmont Rosedale
• Northville Township
• Redford Township
• Romulus
• North Rosedale Park (Detroit)
• Wayne County Community College

Macomb County

• Fraser
• Richmond
• St Clair Shores
• Sterling Heights
• Utica
• Macomb Community College
• Freedom Hill
• Henry Ford Hospital

Oakland County

• Highland Township
• Huntington Woods
• Novi
• Pontiac
• Rochester
• Oakland Community College
• Clinton River Trail
• Orion Township Parks
• Oakland County Parks

Follow the DIA on Facebook and Instagram (@DIADetroit) for updates on Inside|Out 2024 and share your photos using the hashtag #DIAInsideOut for a chance to be featured on the DIA's social media accounts!

The Detroit Institute of Arts' Inside|Out program is made possible by Tri-County millage support and Ford Philanthropy.

Noel Night is an open house of the Midtown Detroit and Cultural Center districts that celebrates diverse holiday traditions amid the state’s premier arts and cultural institutions, historic churches, galleries, and a growing number of small businesses. Noel Night is the perfect backdrop for an evening packed with performances and holiday experiences—all free of charge.

Hours

• The Cultural Center (North of Woodward) 5–9 p.m.
• Midtown Detroit (South of Woodward) 5–10 p.m.

At the DIA

Detroit Film Theatre 

• Mosaic Youth Theatre Singers | 5–5:45 p.m. 
• Frisson Ensemble Performance - A Classic Christmas | 6:15 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. 

Crystal Gallery

• Free holiday make-and-take crafts | 5–9 p.m. 

Rivera Court

• Montreal Guitar Trio Performance - Holiday Music | 6 p.m. & 8 p.m. 

Great Hall

• Visit with Santa | 5–9 p.m. 

Only the Detroit Film Theatre, Crystal Gallery, Great Hall, and Rivera Court will be open to the public. 

Noel Night features:

• Live music and interactive holiday experiences
• Holiday shopping at local businesses and pop-up marketplaces
• Make-and-take activities for families
• Visits with Santa throughout the Noel Night area
• Lots of restaurants and bars to visit
• Food trucks and hot beverage stands
• Free shuttle service

Noel Night is produced by Midtown Detroit Inc., a nonprofit planning and development organization that supports the maintenance and revitalization of the Midtown Detroit and New Center neighborhoods.

For a schedule of all Noel Night events and performances at the DIA, visit their website.

In Mexico, and other Latin American countries, the Day of the Dead is the time of the year to celebrate the lives of close relatives, friends or community members who have passed away. Objects important to lost loved ones, such as favorite foods, drinks, mementos and pictures, are collected and incorporated into elaborate displays that include pan de muerto (bread of the dead), sugar skulls, candles, flowers, papel picado (paper cutouts) and other decorations.

The Detroit Institute of Arts, in collaboration with the Consulate of Mexico in Detroit, the Southwest Detroit Business Association and Mexicantown CDC, is looking for local artists and community members to participate in the museum’s 11th Annual Ofrendas: Celebrating el Día de Muertos exhibition at the museum.

Interested participants are encouraged to submit a proposal of an ofrenda altar or offering honoring the life and memory of lost loved ones as part of a celebration of the traditions of Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead).

Proposals will be reviewed by a selection committee composed of DIA staff and local community members and considered using the following criteria: clarity of intent (who or what is being honored), level of displayed artistry and/or creativity and alignment with the values and characteristics of the Día de Muertos tradition.

How to participate

To submit a proposal, fill out the submission form here by May 14, 2023. Additional information and a materials list are included on the linked form. A Spanish version is also available here.

Selected artists will be notified by Monday, May 29 2023.

The selected ofrendas will be displayed to the public from September 23 – November 5, 2023, in the Special Exhibitions Galleries south of Rivera Court. The artist or group of artists of each selected ofrenda will receive a $500 stipend.

As part of Midtown Detroit's annual Noel Night celebration, the Detroit Film Theatre will present Manual Cinema's take on Dickens’s holiday classic with an inventive shadow play adaptation, first performed in December 2020.

Aunt Trudy has been recruited to channel her late husband's famous holiday cheer by performing his annual puppet show over a Zoom call. As she becomes absorbed in her version of the story, it transforms into a stunning cinematic rendering of Dickens’s classic ghost story.

Using pre-made clay beads and a mix of other materials, guests are invited to make their own mini hanging clay totem, inspired by the work of Katie Bramlage. Clay pieces created by Katie, the DIA Studio Staff, and other community artists will be available to choose from, while supplies last. 

Born and raised in the Great Lakes region, Katie Bramlage has always collected stories, sticks, and stones. Through the study of physical geology and interior design, while spending time out in the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific NW, she found her medium, clay. In 2011 she received her BFA with honors in Crafts from the College of Creative Studies and has shown her work in a number of juried art fairs and gallery shows in the Detroit area. Her work is currently produced in her home/studio in Hazel Park MI and can be found online, in her Rust Belt Market shop, and in select galleries.

This program is made possible by the PNC Foundation.

Join DIA Assistant Curator, Modern European Art, Dorota Chudzicka for a conversation with journalist Hugh Eakin as he discusses his book Picasso’s War: How Modern Art Came to America. This new book details the never-before-told story of how a single exhibition, years in the making, finally brought the 20th century’s most notorious artist U.S. acclaim, irrevocably changed American culture, and in doing so saved dozens of the twentieth century’s most enduring artworks from the Nazis.

Docent-led guided-gallery tours will be available, free of charge, after the conclusion of the program.  

Now in its 13th year, the Inside|Out program brings high-quality reproductions of the DIA’s collection to outdoor venues throughout metro Detroit to increase engagement between the museum and its diverse audience.

From now through late November residents of Macomb, Wayne, and Oakland counties will be able to enjoy a piece of the DIA outside in their own community. Each community will display a number of reproductions outdoors clustered within walking or biking distance. 

2022 Communities

Wayne

• Greektown Detroit >
• Hamtramck >
• Lincoln Park >
• River Rouge >
• Rouge Park, Detroit >
• Osborn Neighborhood Alliance, Detroit >
• Wayne County Community College District >
• Willow Metropark >

Macomb County

• Armada >
• Center Line >
• New Baltimore >
• Roseville >
• Warren >
• Freedom Hill County Park in Sterling Heights >
• Macomb Community College (South, Center, and East) >
• Wolcott Mill Metropark >

Oakland County

• Birmingham >
• Farmington >
• Farmington Hills >
• Holly >
• Southfield >
• Troy >
• West Bloomfield >
• Oakland Community College >
• Indian Springs Metropark >

Click "here" to apply for Inside|Out to come to your community in 2023!

Facebook users can follow Inside|Out updates and share their Inside|Out experiences on the Inside|Out Facebook page. People can also follow updates on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat (@DIADetroit) using the hashtags #DIAInsideOut and #InsideOutUSA.