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: Sugar Skulls

Learn about the role of sugar skulls in Day of the Dead celebrations within Mexican and Mexican American communities, then decorate one of your own. The workshop is free with museum admission, but space is limited.

Registration is required, and all materials are provided. Open to all ages; children under 16 must be accompanied by a guardian.

Note: These sugar skulls are for decorative purposes only.

Gwen Laster’s New Muse 4tet performs music inspired by African mythology, social justice, current events, and the African Diaspora lexicon. 

The quartet is the creation of Guggenheim Fellow, award-winning violinist, and conceptual composer Gwen Laster. 

She is joined by Jerome Fellow violist Melanie Dyer, cellist Teddy Rankin Parker, and drummer Andrew Drury.

Join us for an unforgettable performance by Thomas X, an acclaimed Ojibwe hip-hop artist and community leader from the Red Lake Nation in Northern Minnesota. Known for his powerful lyrics and unique style, Thomas X blends music with meaningful messages that resonate with all ages.

Through his music, commitment to our youth, and leadership, he inspires and uplifts both his local community and a global audience. Accompanied by hand drum singer Brendan Strong and DJ AO, you won’t want to miss this inspiring event!

In the DIA’s RIvera Court. Capacity is limited; seating begins half an hour before the performance starts.

While at the museum be sure to check out the DIA’s free special exhibition Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation running September 28, 2025 - April 5, 2026.

Presented with American Sign Language interpretation

Celebrate the many Latinx cultures, histories, identities and languages from around the world with New York International Children’s Film Festival’s 2025 installment of ¡Hola Cine!.

This collection explores themes of belonging, family, cultural heritage, and coming of age—from a quiet story of self-discovery in rural Peru to whimsical adventures that defy gravity and expectation. Told through animation and live action, in Spanish, Quechua, English, Dutch, and beyond, each film offers a heartfelt glimpse into the many ways young people navigate their worlds. 

Recommended for ages 9+ (70 min.)

Join Rachelle Baker to help create a vibrant collaborative mural on canvas that will later be displayed at the DIA!

Rachelle Baker is a multidisciplinary artist from Detroit, MI, with a background in relief printing (screenprinting, lino/woodcutting), illustration, comic art, video art, and music. She draws inspiration from Shoujo manga, anime and comics’ bad girls, stoic women dancing in the backgrounds of late ’90s/early 2000s R&B videos, and the sound cats make when they yawn. She is a Capricorn with a Scorpio moon.

Published books include Making Our Way Home: The Great Migration and the Black American Dream by Blair Imani (Ten Speed Press), Shirley Chisholm is a Verb by Veronica Chambers (Dial Books/Penguin Random House), Motherlode: 100+ Women Who Made Hip-Hop by Clover Hope (Abrams Books), and Stamped (for Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds (Little, Brown Young Readers).

Create a pencil drawing to take home while exploring the collection up close. No experience is necessary, and all supplies are provided.

For ages 6 through adult. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Capacity is limited.

Carlos y Charlos are two Los Angeles County-born multi-instrumentalists, Juan Carlos Reynoso (banjo sexto) and Charles De Castro (diatonic accordion), who initially came together to play the songs they love from their Norteño idols, like Los Alegres de Terán and Carlos y José, to Texas accordion legends such as Santiago Jimenez Sr. and Narciso Martinez. 

The addition of bassist Patrick Morrison solidifies the band’s current sound. Their blend of traditional polkas, waltzes, and classic Norteño repertoire keeps the party going while staying true to the roots of Norteño and Mexican music.

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

For ages 6 through adult. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Capacity is limited.

Bring the family (along with blankets and lawn chairs) for an afternoon of dance on the DIA’s lawn. Featuring performances by local, national, and international talent curated for family audiences, Summer Stage promises to be a festival highlight for all ages.

Saturday will include a College Fair from 2:30–4:00 p.m. for aspiring dancers interested in pursuing dance careers after high school. Dancers from these colleges will also perform during the show.

Sunday will feature family-friendly outdoor activities to get everyone moving!

Dance City Festival (DCF) is an annual community building event that celebrates dance in its various forms and disciplines. Now in its thirteenth year in Detroit, and first year in Chicago and New York, DCF-Detroit includes performances, master classes, and networking opportunities all held in the vibrant city of Detroit at the festival’s central venue, Detroit Institute of Arts. Our mission is to educate diverse audiences about the impact of dance, provide opportunities for artists to share their work, and create an artistic network linking Detroit, the greater US, and the world!

On the DIA’s Woodward Plaza

For full festival schedule visit their website.

Sponsored by Dance City Festival and ArtLab J

Dance on Screen provides a space for dance filmmakers to present their work. Presented in the Marvin and Betty Danto Lecture Hall, dance on screen highlights local, national, and international dance films in diverse styles of dance. (90 min.)

Dance City Festival (DCF) is an annual community building event that celebrates dance in its various forms and disciplines. Now in its thirteenth year in Detroit, and first year in Chicago and New York, DCF-Detroit includes performances, master classes, and networking opportunities all held in the vibrant city of Detroit at the festival’s central venue, Detroit Institute of Arts. Our mission is to educate diverse audiences about the impact of dance, provide opportunities for artists to share their work, and create an artistic network linking Detroit, the greater US, and the world!

In the DIA’s Lecture Hall. Capacity is limited, seating begins half hour before performance start.

For full festival schedule visit their website.

Sponsored by Dance City Festival and ArtLab J