Thomas X, an accomplished Native hip-hop artist from the Red Lake Nation in northern Minnesota, has embarked on a remarkable career journey. Beginning as part of Rez Rap Records, he has grown into a formidable solo artist, captivating audiences with his distinctive style and powerful lyrics.

Beyond music, Thomas X is deeply committed to his community. He serves on the Red Lake School Board and as Executive Director of the Red Lake Boys & Girls Club, underscoring his dedication to the well-being and development of local youth.

Thomas X’s impact extends far beyond the stage. He is a powerful example of how art, education, and community engagement can come together to create meaningful change. Through his music, leadership, and unwavering commitment to young people, Thomas X continues to uplift and inspire both his community and a global audience.

Presented with American Sign Language interpretation

Presented in conjunction with the focus exhibition Guests of Honor: Armor as Fashion (on view through April 26, 2026), this lecture will introduce the 17th-century knight, diplomat, and art collector Jean de Croÿ. Dr. Chassica Kirchhoff, Assistant Curator of European Sculpture & Decorative Arts, will explore Croÿ’s self-presentation within the glittering world of the Spanish Habsburg court.

In addition to Croÿ’s story, Dr. Kirchhoff will share the complex, intersecting histories of his portrait by Juan van der Hamen y Léon and the surviving elements of the spectacular, gilded armor featured in the painting.

This program, hosted by the Visiting Committee for European Sculpture and Decorative Arts on the occasion of its Annual Meeting, is free, open to the public, and presented with live American Sign Language interpretation.

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

Join us for The Art & Culture of Eating, a special evening featuring Jamila Robinson, editor-in-chief of Bon Appétit and Epicurious and one of today's most influential voices at the intersection of food, art and culture.

A native Detroiter who grew up visiting the DIA, Robinson brings visionary leadership to food media, shaping conversations that explore how food expresses identity, tells stories, and brings communities together.

In this intimate on-stage conversation with Rochelle Riley, longtime journalist and Director of Arts and Culture for the City of Detroit, she'll reflect on the cultural influences that inspire her, the dual role food plays as sustenance and entertainment, and explore the creative overlap between food, art and community.

Audience Q&A will follow the conversation.

Presented with American Sign Language interpretation

Experience the highlights of the Detroit Institute of Arts on a free, guided tour with American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation. 

Explore some of the museum’s most beloved works of art while learning about the stories, history, and artists behind them. 

Tours meet in the Great Hall at 1 p.m. and last approximately 45 to 60 minutes. 

Friends of Modern and Contemporary Art Annual Meeting, Artist Conversation, and Reception

Presented by the Detroit Institute of Arts’ Friends of Modern and Contemporary Art and Michigan Central Art

Schedule

5:30–6 p.m. | FMCA Annual Meeting, Marvin and Betty Danto Lecture Hall

• For FMCA members only; advance registration required.

6–7:30 p.m. | Artist Conversation: Ash Arder & Kevin Beasley, Marvin and Betty Danto Lecture Hall

• Free and open to the public; no registration required.
• Join contemporary artists Ash Arder and Kevin Beasley for presentations on their work, followed by a conversation moderated by Kelly Kivland, Director and Lead Curator at Michigan Central, and Katie Pfohl, Associate Curator of Contemporary Art at the DIA.

7:30–9 p.m. | FMCA Member Reception, Rivera Court

• For FMCA members only; advance registration required.

Artist Bios

Ash Arder (she/they) is a Detroit-based artist whose work explores ecology, industry, and labor through installations, sound, and material experimentation. Their recent solo exhibition Flesh Tones was presented at Cranbrook Art Museum in 2023.

Kevin Beasley (he/him) is a New York-based artist whose multidisciplinary practice spans sculpture, sound, photography, and performance. His recent installation PROSCENIUM | Rebirth / Growth: The Watch / Harvest / Dormancy: On Reflection is on view at Storm King Art Center until November 2025.

Join Ngoc Minh Ngo (author and photographer) and Ivan Shaw (Corporate Photography Director at Condé Nast) for a conversation about her career and lifelong engagement with flowers and gardens. Ngo’s work has appeared in The World of Interiors, T Magazine, Vogue, and Architectural Digest, and she is the author of three books: Bringing Nature Home, In Bloom: Creating and Living with Flowers, and Eden Revisited: A Garden in Northern Morocco, each featuring her own photography.

Ngo will discuss her latest publication, Roses in the Garden. The inspiration for this series and book came from her father, a former colonel in the Vietnamese army and avid gardener who settled with their family in California in the 1970s. In his final days, Ngo tended his garden in hopes he would see his roses bloom one last time. Following his passing, Ngo returned to Brooklyn, New York, where she now lives. There, she began volunteering at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and photographing rose cuttings. What started as a personal meditation grew into a series exploring the rose’s cultural and historical significance, culminating in a book celebrating the iconic flower and the renowned gardens where it thrives. Roses in the Garden will be available for purchase and signing by the artist.

Presented with American Sign Language interpretation

Image: Ngoc Minh Ngo, Ninfa Garden, Italy, 2022. Courtesy of the artist. (c) Ngoc Minh Ngo, 2025.

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.

Join the DIA and the Friends of Asian Arts and Cultures in celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

To honor the significance of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month to the community, our Opening Ceremony features special guest speakers and three music performances that span genres and cultures.

Featured Performances:

• Mongolian Tribute Songs to Genghis Khan | Performed by The Throat Singer
• Champa Mueng Lao | Performed by Team Sitthideth
• The Drinking Song (茶花女－饮酒歌) and Altar Rendezvous (敖包相会)| Performed by Jie Wang & Jinsheng Zhang

For families with children of all ages. This program is free with museum admission. Seating is limited – arrive early as seating begins 30 minutes prior to the performance.

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIHM) programs are developed in partnership with the DIA’s auxiliary group Friends of Asian Arts and Cultures (FAAC) with support from Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission (MAPAAC).

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

Bring your funny bone and thinking cap as Master Storyteller Ivory D. Williams shares his trademark wit, wisdom, and humor in a fun, interactive celebration of Juneteenth.

This program is free with museum admission.

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