Winner of an Honorary Academy Award® for lifetime achievement, Charles Burnett remains one of the nation’s most celebrated independent filmmakers. In his charming The Annihilation of Fish, Lynn Redgrave stars as Poinsettia, a former housewife with an imagined — and celebrated — lover. 

After moving into a Los Angeles boarding house run by an energetic landlady (Margot Kidder), Poinsettia meets a Jamaican widower named Fish, brilliantly portrayed by the great James Earl Jones, who valiantly and imaginatively wages daily battles against unseen demons. With empathy and gently comic grace, the pair begin to discover unexpected joys in their world, as well as the nuances of love and happiness.

Presented in a new 4K restoration by UCLA Film & Television Archive and The Film Foundation. (108 min.)

The theme for the 32nd season of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival is “Blueprints in Sound,” featuring a captivating mix of artists and repertoire that transcend the boundaries of traditional chamber music. 

Blueprints in Sound bridges the gap between sound and structure, all set in the breathtaking venue of the DFT Auditorium.

Program:

• Robyn Bollinger: CIACCONA: The Bass of Time

The theme for the 32nd season of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival is “Blueprints in Sound,” featuring a captivating mix of artists and repertoire that transcend the boundaries of traditional chamber music. Blueprints in Sound bridges the gap between sound and structure, all set in the breathtaking venue of Rivera Court.

Artists: Dillon Scott, Paul Watkins, Kimberly Kaloyanides Kennedy, Paddington Trio, Jack Walters

Program:

• Michi Wiancko: Fantasia for Tomorrow
• Hannah Kendall: Vera, for String Trio and Clarinet
• Maurice Ravel: Piano Trio in A minor

Performance Sponsored by Barbara Heller

Join us for ArtLab J’s 13th Annual Spring Concert — a vibrant season-end showcase featuring our talented students in dance, art, and music, celebrating creativity and growth. As a leading academy with an integrated Creative Arts Program, we champion the transformative power of multidisciplinary arts education. Don’t miss this inspiring performance!

DIA Members: Double Discount Days — May 9–18

DIA Members are invited to enjoy 20% off all purchases at the Museum Shop and online from May 9–18.

Double Discount Kickoff Weekend | May 9–11

Celebrate the start of Member Double Discount Days with a weekend of special shopping and local pop-up vendors from 12–4 p.m.:

• May 9 (Fri) — Coriander Farms | Fresh flower bouquets
• May 10 (Sat) — Coriander Farms | Fresh flower bouquets
• May 11 (Sun) — Pingree | Bags and wallets made in Detroit

Pop-Up Vendors the Following Weekend:

• May 16 (Fri) — Salika’s Jewels | Handcrafted jewelry
• May 17 (Sat) — Astouri Detroit | Bags and apparel
• May 18 (Sun) — Thumbprint Artifacts | African diffusers and candles

Take advantage of this opportunity to shop, meet local makers, and enjoy exclusive member perks.

Shop in person or online at diashop.org.

Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment

Dr. Mary Morton, Curator and Head of French Painting, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Last year marked the 100th anniversary of the groundbreaking 1874 exhibition in Paris, widely regarded as the birth of Impressionism. In this lecture, Dr. Mary Morton will share new insights from her recent scholarship, examining the social, political, and cultural forces that shaped this pivotal moment in France. She’ll explore how the artists we now call Impressionists responded to the world around them — and how their work fit within a broader, dynamic artistic landscape, where they exhibited alongside the official French Salon.

The Lecture is presented as Bonnie Ann Larson Modern European Artists Series Lecture.

Image: Claude Monet, Impression, Sunrise, 1872, oil on canvas, Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris.

From May to October, the Detroit Institute of Arts’ Inside|Out program transforms everyday spaces into open-air galleries. Discover reproductions from the museum’s world-class collection right in your community and use #DIAInsideOut to share your experience on social media!

Check out maps of each community and the featured artwork on our updated Inside|Out page here.

Our partner communities for the 2025 season are:

• Schoolcraft College
• Grosse Pointe Region
• River Rouge
• Van Buren Township
• Grosse Ile
• Palmer Park
• Detroit’s Avenue of Fashion
• University of Detroit Mercy
• Wayne County Community College
• Davisburg/Springfield Township
• Waterford Township
• Wolverine Lake
• Madison Heights
• Lake Orion
• Beverly Hills
• Oakland Community College
• Oakland County Parks
• Charter Township of Shelby
• Eastpointe
• Armada Township
• Charter Township of Clinton
• City of Warren
• City of Roseville
• Memphis
• Macomb Community College
• Freedom Hill
• Henry Ford Hospital

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

Create your own custom tote with Detroit artist Shingo Brown!

Learn how Shingo brings a project to life, then design a one-of-a-kind tote using a variety of materials and techniques. Limited totes will be available, or feel free to bring your own tote, hat, or garment to customize.

About the Artist:

Shingo Brown is a Detroit-based graphic artist and founder of HARD GALLERY, a community-focused space for AAPI, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA artists. His work can be seen in murals, local business designs, and Detroit’s favorite events. At the core of his work is creative, community-driven collaboration.

This event is made possible in part by the PNC Foundation

Ways of Seeing: Canto Ostinato invites audiences to explore new ways of ‘seeing’ through deep listening and spatial experience. Highly emotive and intuitive, this work is described by composer Simeon ten Holt as more ritual than concert. 

Over the course of its nearly 90-minute, trance-like duration, time turns into space and the music begins to hover, offering listeners the chance to enter their own transcendental space. Originally scored for four pianos, this performance reimagines the piece as a solo piano journey, weaving together all four parts into a singular, immersive experience.

Celebrate the rich historical tapestry of Taiwanese heritage in a dynamic live presentation by 4th generation tea master, Ai Fang and her sister, Kuei Fang, whose family business, now called Jhentea, has been growing and processing tea since 1850.

Explore the far-reaching and inclusive culture of tea drinking through an introduction to tea processing and brewing techniques and various tea wares and mats, tracing the development of tea culture across Taiwan by showcasing the history and lifestyles revolving around tea drinking on the island.

With tea ceremony demonstrations, tea and desert samplings this program will be an engaging afternoon of cultural exchange.

In the DIA’s Lecture Hall, followed by tastings in FJC Dining Rooms A/B as supplies last.

This program is free with museum admission. Capacity is limited – seating begins 30 minutes prior to performance start.

Weekend Family Programs at the DIA are generously presented by the MSUFCU Desk Drawer Foundation.