Join us for the third annual Educators Night, a free evening designed to connect teachers, school administrators, and educators from across Southeast Michigan with the rich educational and cultural resources of the Detroit Cultural Center and its nonprofit partners. Visit seven museums and cultural institutions across the Detroit Cultural Center. This district-wide open house invites educators to explore field trip opportunities, meet institutional professionals, and discover hands-on learning programs and student well-being resources.

The event includes free admission for all educators, light refreshments, teacher giveaways, and classroom-ready materials from participating organizations. Pre-registered guests will receive a Detroit Cultural Center tote bag, and fun teacher freebies will be available while supplies last. Educators can explore seven cultural institutions, connect with peers and nonprofit partners, discover field trips, workshops, traveling programs, and summer opportunities, attend live performances and professional development talks, and access curriculum-aligned resources to support creative and inclusive education.

This event is free to attend, but registration on Eventbrite is required.

Participating Cultural Institutions:

The Carr Center

• Focus: Music
• Address:  15 E. Kirby St.

Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History

• Focus: Culture, History, Theatre
• Address: 315 E. Warren Ave.

Detroit Historical Museum

• Focus: History Resources, Natural History, Geography
• Address: 5401 Woodward Ave.

Detroit Institute of Arts

• Focus: Art and Design
• Address: 5200 Woodward Ave.

Detroit Public Library

• Focus: Early Childhood Development and Literacy
• Address: 5201 Woodward Ave.

Michigan Science Center

• Focus: STEM
• Address: 5020 John R St.

Wayne State University – Welcome Center

• Focus: Educational Well-being – Elevating, Innovating, and Transforming for the Public Good
• Address: 42 W. Warren Ave.

Please join us for this educator-exclusive morning of relaxation and refreshment. Detroit Yoga Lab will lead a yoga session in the historic Rivera Court, no experience necessary. Participants will also enjoy a complimentary smoothie bar and an art-making session.

All educators are welcome. Dress comfortably and bring a yoga mat or thick blanket.

Join DanceAbility Detroit for an afternoon of movement and sound improvisation at the DIA on Thursday, August 14, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

We’ll gather at 1 p.m. inside the museum’s Great Hall. At this “All Aboard” spot, we’ll get to know one another through movement and sound improvisation with our live musician, King Sophia. After a bathroom break, we’ll head outdoors (weather permitting) to the sculpture located to the left of the John R entrance. We’ll wrap up by 4 p.m., though you're welcome to leave earlier if needed.

Wear shades of blue since we are the water and the boat flowing through.

Part of DCF’s Master Class series, Dance for the Camera is the perfect opportunity for dancers and aspiring dance for camera filmmakers to learn skills within choreography, performance, camera work and editing skills.

For dancers 13 or older of all experience levels.

Prior registration is required. Visit their website to register.

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!

Click here for full festival schedule.

Sponsored by ArtLab J and Dance City Festival

Lecture by Artist Anita Bates: "The Colors of Memory"

Dr. Anita Bates will present selected images of her paintings and discuss her journey as an artist, exploring how her life experiences have shaped her work. This conversation will focus on her current body of work, which weaves together threads from her creative process over the past 30 years. References include familiar elements such as implied and tactile textured surfaces, along with the introduction of new media such as collage.

Dr. Anita Bates is a 2019 Kresge Arts Fellow and a contemporary artist whose work has been exhibited locally, nationally, and internationally. She holds both a Ph.D. in Education and an M.F.A. in Painting from Wayne State University, as well as an M.A. in Studio Art with a concentration in painting from Eastern Michigan University.

Her research interests center on how museum narratives and visual imagery can be used to promote critical thinking among young viewers, particularly around systems of inequity and representation. She currently serves as an Associate Professor of Teaching and Program Coordinator for Visual Art Education at Wayne State University.

Image: Trilogybeats

This evening will include an overview of the exhibition Ofrendas: Celebrating Día de Muertos 2025. A representative from the Mexican Consulate will discuss the history and practice of creating an ofrenda altar, and participants will have the opportunity to explore the exhibition with learning resources designed to support student engagement and field trips. A complimentary cocktail bar will be provided.

All K-12 educators are welcome. SCECHs are pending.

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.

Presented with American Sign Language interpretation

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