2018/China—directed by Xuan Liang & Chun Zhang | 105 min. 

From ancient Chinese legends comes an exciting tale of myth and magic. Under the ocean is a mystical race of beings that control the tide and the changing of the seasons. One of these beings, a restless girl named Chun, wants to experience the human world, not simply observe it. When she turns 16, she is allowed to transform into a dolphin to explore the human world.

Recommended for ages 9 and up. In Mandarin with English subtitles. 
 

Music For Interesting Times is the sobering new pandemic-era program by bassist-composer Rick Robinson (Mr. CutTime), exploring existential themes of drastic collective and personal changes, newfound love, and the bittersweet challenge of enjoying life around increasing climate devastation.

Written for his soulful ensemble of strings and drums, CutTime Simfonica, the program includes deep insights into the lives of Sandy Hook shooting families, and a farewell from beloved WSU Ecumenical professor Dr. Percy Licardo Moore, who passed away in 2018.

This program will conclude with Chaconne: For Interesting Times, its own film by Kresge Artist, filmmaker Brandon Walley.

This program may not be suitable for children under 12. 

Join Artist Habacuc S. Bessiake as he shares his work and explores one of his favorite mediums, Ink! Learn new techniques and leave with an ink piece of your own.

Habacuc S. Bessiake (b.1999)  is a mixed media Artist, Muralist, and Illustrator whose work surrounds real and surreal narratives drawing inspiration from his West African heritage. Habacuc graduated class of 2021 earning a BFA from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan where he continues to work. 
 

This program is made possible by the PNC Foundation.

Internationally acclaimed artist Sean Scully will lecture on the legacy of painter Vincent Van Gogh, placing key paintings from the DIA’s exhibition Van Gogh in America into dialogue with his own artistic practice. As Scully will discuss, Van Gogh’s paintings were made in a time of great change not unlike our own, as artists were reeling from the onset of the twentieth century.

As Van Gogh faced the end of ruralism and the steady rise of industry, he worked to preserve the very idea of landscape. Revealing Van Gogh’s continued resonance for artists working today, Scully will ask what Van Gogh’s paintings might help us see about our own time. 

Sponsored by the Friends of Modern and Contemporary Art 

The Detroit Institute of Arts’ (DIA) auxiliary Friends of Art & Flowers welcomes Paul D. Orpello, CPH Director of Gardens and Horticulture at Hagley Museum and Library, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for it's annual Betsy Campbell Lecture on November 5, 2022. 

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.  

Please join us for this educator-exclusive morning of relaxation and refreshment. Mindfulness expert Amy Tarrant will lead us through a self-care session in Rivera Court, highlighting how mindfulness can be applied in the classroom or on the meditation cushion.

Then, enjoy a complimentary smoothie bar and artmaking session.

No experience is necessary. Dress comfy and bring a yoga mat or blanket.

Please join us for this special workshop facilitated by educators from the Van Gogh Museum! Participants will learn about a new classroom program highlighting the life and work of Vincent van Gogh. The program is taught in the classroom, supported by a high-quality replica of a painting from the collection of the Van Gogh Museum.

This workshop is offered in support of the DIA’s exhibition Van Gogh in America. The program consists of 5 interactive, playful lessons about Vincent van Gogh, his materials, techniques, and use of color. The Van Gogh Museum is shipping a high-quality replica of Van Gogh’s famous painting The Bedroom to each participating school for the duration of the program. The related lessons go beyond facts and figures about this famous painter: they also bring to the forefront topics such as being different and overcoming adversity, and in the process teach students important skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving. During this workshop, you will be introduced to Vincent Van Gogh, familiarize yourself with the classroom program, and get creative! Participating teachers will receive a certification after completing the training.

The lessons are targeted toward upper elementary and middle school. The program is 100% free, because the Van Gogh Museum wants to contribute to the empowerment of all young people by sharing Vincent van Gogh’s story, and the importance of creativity, curiosity, and perseverance.
 

SCECHs Pending

Susie Ibarra is a Filipinx composer, percussionist, and sound artist. Her interdisciplinary practice spans formats, including performance, mobile sound-mapping applications, multi-channel audio installations, recording, and documentary.

Her compositions have been described as “calling up the movements of the human body; elsewhere it’s a landscape vanishing in the last light, or the path a waterway might trace” (New York Times). Her sound is “like no other’s, incorporating the unique percussion and musical approach of her Filipino heritage with her flowing jazz drum set style” (Modern Drummer Magazine). 

Commissioned by DIA for Asian American Heritage month and performed for Filipino American Heritage Month.