Features
A Day At The DIA
By Ryan Patrick Hooper | photo by Travis R. Wright
May 13, 2008, 11:03

A Day At The DIA
Colors, Cultures and A Clean Perspective

Detroit is not a tourist destination. If you are watching the tube in Cleveland or Minneapolis, you will not come across TV spots selling you on the “lovely waterfront of downtown Detroit” or the “warm, welcoming vibes of the Motor City.” The grand hotels intermingled in the downtown landscape thrive off of out-of-town business conferences and occasional large festivities that take place throughout the year. This leaves the Detroit Institute of Arts with the mighty challenge on its marble shoulders of regularly invigorating the curiosity of the city’s natives.

Real D’s guide to spending a day at the DIA shines light on the fragments and pieces that make up the museum, and the entertaining turns the DIA has made in the past few months that make the idea of taking the family out even more accessible.

Since the renovation this past November, the Detroit Institute of Arts has welcomed over 400,000 patrons and counting — that’s nearly double the average annual attendance of years before. This, of course, is in part due to the excitement of being back in the museum after a brutally long stretch of upgrading, updating and redesigning. The general public responded to the grand re-opening with great applause — but the DIA was met with scholarly disdain by fine art critics from more "prominent cities."

“The New York critics coined the term ‘dumbing it down,’” says Pamela Marcel, Public Relations Manager for the DIA, in regards to the fresh perspective the museum took during the renovation period. “After [the critics] explored the new scheme of the museum with their own eyes, they absolutely loved the idea” of arranging the galleries in order to tell a story or represent a particular theme. This method of organization disobeys the classic museum approach of arranging pieces by time of conception, style or artist. “We’ve changed our philosophy towards the way we install the art, so we can focus more on the general visitor” instead of acquiescing to the standards of the scholar, explains Marcel.

To expand on an already revolutionary approach, the DIA has added interactive components to counter the "museum glide" most patrons were performing — quickly shuffling from gallery to gallery, only glancing at the artwork and not giving time to dissolve the intricate details within. In the Splendor by the Hour gallery, a display that depicts the gourmand rituals of wealthy socialites in 18th century Europe, a virtual dining table gives insight to their diet. Designed and filmed by a New York digital graphics firm, taking a seat and watching the four course, four hour meal turned into a five minute chow session will have your taste buds trading places to get a closer look. The elaborate pieces used during the simulated dinner decorate the glass cases around you, breathing new life into the notion of interactivity. For a family looking to spend an afternoon at the DIA, the development of interactive elements also caters to the youth, with a clever selection of "eye spy" games littered around the museum. On particular days, the museum welcomes artist workshops (more freeform than instructional), live drawing in the galleries and storytelling for the little ones — all of these aimed at entertaining patrons, but always involving the art and educational philosophies that the DIA represents.

Once you step away from the virtual feast and face the rumble in your gut, you’ll quickly realize that venturing onto the Woodward strip to grab a bite to eat is obsolete. The gourmet offerings at the CafeDIA, located on the ground level, are freshly prepared and rotated daily. From juicy steaks to thickly cut fish filets, to the greasy spoon traditions of Detroit like chili fries and macaroni and cheese (“I highly recommend the mac and cheese,” says Marcel), the range of foodie delights will fend off the hunger of the whole family — from the fickle teenage appetite to the tragically picky little brother. The menu strays away from pricing that will gouge your wallet, choosing instead to cater to the wide variety of patrons that visit the museum. With the money left over, feel free to pamper your palette with wine and chilled spirits that are served throughout the day.

To complement the extended hours on Friday, the museum has begun to throw a monthly Thursday night party of sorts in the Prentice Hall, which was quickly dubbed the Marble Lounge post-renovation. “When you hit your early-20s, the idea of coming to the museum fades,” says Marcel who, after seeing the success of the 48-hour extravaganza to honor the re-opening, has attempted to meet the needs of a younger audience. With the Marble Lounge event, “we’ve managed to capture the attention of a younger demographic.” The Marble Lounge models itself after a “club atmosphere” by staying open from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., and equipping the lounge with a cash bar, food and live entertainment. On May 22, the museum will be reflecting a piece of artwork from its current exhibition, Life’s Pleasures: the Ashcan Artists’ Brush with Leisure, by resurrecting a boxing ring and having a sanctioned fight within the lounge.

From using the museum as a way to bring the family together for an afternoon to jumpstarting a romantic evening with art and pleasure, the Detroit Institute of Arts dabbles in the finest of the fine that the city has to offer. By embracing one of Woodward’s finest treasures, we are embracing the vibe of the city — a vibe that any tourist would be sorry not to notice.  | RDW

Marble Lounge f/ boxing, luchidores and the Casket Bastards • May 22 • Detroit Institute of Arts
Let us paint you a picture: dia.org.