In early America, education for girls primarily focused on reading, writing, and needlework. While few Black girls had the opportunity to attend schools where they learned fancy needlework, some did. Additionally, although most white girls' embroideries did not feature Black people, there are instances where these works subtly reflect the lives and experiences of people of color.

Emelie Gevalt, Curator of Folk Art and Curatorial Chair for Collections at the Museum of American Folk Art, will explore both explicit and implicit representations of people of color in early American needlework, highlighting pieces created by both Black and white makers. 

The lecture will be presented with live American Sign Language interpretation.

• 5:15 – 6:45 p.m. Cocktail reception in Rivera Court
• 7 – 8:00 p.m. Lecture in Lecture Hall

The lecture is supported by the Ida and Conrad H. Smith Fund, established by the Raymond C. Smith Foundation Fund of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.

Image: Melancia Bowker (age 13), Sampler, 1817. Collection of Sharon and Jeffery Lipton

Schedule

• 1 p.m. Lecture from exhibition curator Kenneth Myers | Lecture Hall
• 1:30 p.m, Tour of the exhibition Painted with Silk: The Art of Early American Embroidery
• 2:15 p.m. Panel discussion | Lecture Hall
• 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. Reception | FJC Dining Rooms

The exhibition The Art of Dining: Food Culture in the Islamic World, is on view through January 5, 2025 and features works of art from a broad geographical expanse, including Arab, Turkish, Persian, and South Asian regions—and beyond. In this VCESDA-sponsored lecture, Dr. Katherine Kasdorf, DIA associate curator of Arts of Asia and the Islamic World, will highlight the exhibition’s European objects, exploring their connections to artistic and culinary traditions from the Middle East.

This lecture is free with registration. 

Image: Islamic, Spanish, Pharmacy Jar, 1440-1480, tin-glazed earthenware with cobalt and luster. Detroit Institute of Arts, Gift of K. T. Keller, 63.358.

Artist photographer Cara Romero will share a body of work and offer her perspective on conceptualization, process and experiences making photographs for the last 25 years. Looking at the spirit of capturing light and time, Romero brings together intricately woven stories of both individual and collective heritage, intertribal identity and human experience. Pressing for intercultural understanding of contemporary lived experience, Romero’s photographs often check preconceived notions of what Native art is and counters stories of monolith culture and stereotypes perpetuated by mainstream society. Sometimes serious and sometimes whimsical, her work involves magical realism, untold American history, and contemporary visual dialogues of Native peoples and ideas.

Join us for an opportunity to understand how Romero’s art serves as a powerful medium for preserving and evolving indigenous narratives in the contemporary world.

Event is free with registration, and open to the public.

• Lecture (Marvin & Betty Danto Lecture Hall): 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
• Reception (FJC Dining Rooms): 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. 

Join us on October 16, 2024, for a special lecture and cocktail reception at the DIA. Explore the work of Mary Cassatt with Jennifer Thompson, Curator of European Painting & Sculpture at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

5:30 PM: Cocktail Reception ($50, RSVP required)

6:30 PM: Free Lecture by Jennifer Thompson on Mary Cassatt

Learn about Cassatt’s groundbreaking career and artistic legacy. RSVP by October 7. 

The DIA’s Friends of Asian Arts and Cultures auxiliary invites you to an enchanting afternoon of culture and flavor. In connection with the special exhibition The Art of Dining: Food Culture in the Islamic World, this program will feature musicians playing instruments related to the exhibition, presentations about coffee, tea, and cooking cultures from the Islamic world, and delicious samples of food and drink to enjoy. Experience the rich heritage and artistry of the Islamic world through a sensory journey that promises to be both educational and unforgettable.

For all ages. (60min.) This program is free with museum admission. This event will take place in the DIA’s Lecture Hall, followed by tastings in FJC Dining Rooms A/B as supplies last. Capacity is limited – seating begins 30 minutes prior to performance start.

While at the museum, be sure to visit the DIA’s special exhibition The Art of Dining: Food Culture in the Islamic World on view from September 22, 2024 through January 5, 2025.

Join Iraqi multimedia artist Sadik Kwaish Alfraji and Diana Abouali, Director of the Arab American National Museum, in a conversation about food, memory, and the meaning of home, in conjunction with the exhibition The Art of Dining: Food Culture in the Islamic World, opening at the DIA on September 22, 2024.

Born in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1960, Alfraji has been based in the Netherlands since the 1990s. The Art of Dining features Alfraji’s A Thread of Light Between My Mother’s Fingers and Heaven, a new commission created for this exhibition. Consisting of a large-scale animation, drawings, and photographs, the work explores the artist’s memories of his mother, her homemade bread, and family meals in Baghdad.

Abouali joined the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, in 2019. As director, she has spearheaded projects to update exhibitions, grow the museum’s artist-in-residence program, and strengthen ties to the community, among other initiatives. Born in Toronto, Canada, to Palestinian parents, she has a PhD in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University and has worked in the museum and cultural heritage sectors in Palestine, Jordan, and the U.S.

This program is co-sponsored by the DIA Friends of Asian Arts and Cultures and Friends of Modern and Contemporary Art.

Topic: Fragonard's Landscapes: An Enlightenment Journey

Join the European Paintings Council for a public lecture on renowned 18th century French painter, Jean Honoré Fragonard, by Associate Director of Collections at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, Richard Rand.

Richard Rand has worked as a curator and museum administrator for over thirty-five years, including at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College, and the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Rand has published and lectured widely on French art from the 17th through the 19th centuries and has organized numerous exhibitions on such artists as Jacques Louis David, Jean Honoré Fragonard, Claude Lorrain, Jean-François Millet, Winslow Homer, Camille Pissarro, and J.M.W. Turner. In recent years, Rand has organized several exhibitions of contemporary artists, including Juan Muñoz, El Anatsui, and Ellsworth Kelly. He was one of the presenting curators of the exhibition Cy Twombly: Making Past Present (Getty and MFA, Boston, 2022-23). Rand received his BA in studio art and art history from Bowdoin College and his PhD in art history from the University of Michigan. In 2011 he was made Chevalier des arts et des lettres by the French government.

Jean Honoré Fragonard, Landscape with Passing Shower, between 1765 and 1775, oil on canvas. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase with funds from Mr. and Mrs. Edgar B. Whitcomb, 48.215.

"Rebuilding Abundance with Ecologically Rich and Evocative Planting," featuring Claudia West, Principal, Phyto Studio, Arlington, VA.

Our cities and suburbs desperately need more inspiring, ecologically rich planting. Yet budgets are tight, and crews and gardeners are often unfamiliar with diverse planting typologies. Claudia will share the techniques her landscape architecture firm, Phyto Studio, applies to tackle the maintenance challenge and create ecologically rich and inspiring planting.

Part of Detroit Dance City Festival ’s Master Class series, Dance for the Camera II is a new addition to the festival. The workshops, taught by Shirel Jones and Kelsey Paschich, are the perfect opportunity for dancers and filmmakers to learn skills within choreography, performance, camera work, and editing. For dancers 13 years or older with all levels of experience.

Workshops are $50 for two and $30 for one. Tickets can be purchased at detroitdancecityfestival.com

Detroit Dance City Festival (DDCF) is an annual community building event curated by ArtLab J that celebrates dance in its various forms and disciplines. DDCF brings the work of renowned local, national, and international performing artists, choreographers, and companies to the stage in a weekend full of performances, master classes and networking events. For full festival lineup, please check out detroitdancecityfestival.com