With the NFL Draft only a week away, thousands of people will flock to downtown Detroit for the three-day sports extravaganza and many related events happening throughout the weekend.
But what if football isn’t your thing, or you don’t want to deal with the crowds?
Check out some public art, suggests Tanya Stephens, a cultural preservationist, independent curator and one of the board of directors for Preservation Detroit.
The nonprofit, which is the city’s oldest and largest preservation organization, is offering walking tours in Detroit’s Cultural Center, Midtown and Eastern Market April 25-27. The guided tours will provide architectural and cultural history. General admission tickets are $18, while tickets for Preservation Detroit members, seniors and students are $15.
The organization is also hosting “Concrete Canvas: History, Present, and Future of Public Art in Detroit ” at the Detroit Historical Museum. The display closes April 28 with a lecture and discussion focused on women in public art. The exhibit and lecture are free with museum admission, which is $10 for adults and $8 for seniors, students, active military and first responders.
The exhibit was developed after Stephens inquired about the Gateway to Freedom Monument in Hart Plaza and officials with the city said Detroit did not own the piece. However, officials later verified that the monument does belong to the city.
“They basically had forgotten about it since it was donated,” Stephens said. “And then my question became, ‘Who’s responsible for all of the public art in Detroit?’ And not only that, where can I get an inventory of the municipal public art collection because that’s something that should be ideally available to residents.”
The exhibit features works such as one of Detroit’s oldest pieces of public art, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. Located at Campus Martius, the piece was unveiled in 1872 and was one of the first first monuments to honor Civil War veterans in the United States, according to Historic Detroit. The display also highlights the Gateway to Freedom, which showcases Detroit’s role in the Underground Railroad, as well as the “Spirit of Detroit” and the “United We Stand,” sculpture outside of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.
Stpehens said she hopes Detroit visitors will have a chance to learn more about the city’s cultural heritage.
“When Detroit was built, we were the Paris of the Midwest,” she said. “And fast forward to the foreclosure crisis, the bankruptcy…a lot of our history has been ignored. Despite our efforts at preservation, the stories haven’t been told in the proper context. I hope people walk away with an understanding of the impact of the high level of skilled trades people that built Detroit and our cultural contributions to the world, from architecture to design to public art.”
Along with the events happening with Preservation Detroit and the Detroit Historical Museum, here are some other arts and culture gems to see in the city:
Motown Museum
Check out the home of Hitsville USA that produced stars like Diana Ross and the Supremes, Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder. Guests can hear the history behind Detroit’s famous record label, see the apartment founder Berry Gordy stayed in as well as original recording equipment. The Motown Museum also has an exhibit on Claudette Robinson, a member of The Miracles who became the “First Lady of Motown.” Adult admission is $20.
Exhibit 3000
Dubbed the world’s first and only techno museum, Exhibit 3000 showcases the birth of Detroit techno and how it became a popular genre worldwide. The free museum is donation-based and offers visits by appointment only. People can submit a form on the museum’s website or email manager Cornelius Harris at alteregomgt@gmail.com.
Dabls Mbad African Bead Museum
Located in the Northwest Goldberg neighborhood, the museum celebrates African culture with its bead gallery and store, African material culture collection and sculpture garden, which houses 18 outdoor installations.
Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD)
MOCAD recently opened its annual teen art exhibit, with this year’s show called “Selfish.” Organized by the museum’s teen council, the exhibit explores the different ways teens across Southeastern Michigan convey their identity through creative means. “Selfish” is free, but has a $10 suggested donation.
Detroit Institute of Arts
The Detroit Institute of Arts houses the works of Van Gogh, Degas, Rembrandt, and Renoir and features the world-famous Diego Rivera mural. The museum also hosts concerts, workshops and special exhibits. Currently, Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898 – 1971, is on display and features costumes, props, posters and photography honoring the legacy of African American filmmakers and actors from the dawn of cinema, through the golden age, and into the aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement.
Heidelberg Project
The Heidelberg Project features a street of houses converted into art installations, each with their own theme. The Heidelberg began as a passion project in 1986 by artist Tyree Guyton, who returned to Detroit from the military and found his childhood neighborhood in decline due to poverty, drugs, and blight. Guyton and his grandfather, Sam Makey, cleaned vacant lots, and with a paintbrush, began turning streets and abandoned homes into polka dot-lined art sculptures.
Pewabic Pottery
Founded in 1903, Pewabic Pottery is known for the iridescent glazes on its artwork and tiles. On E. Jefferson Avenue, the nonprofit contains a pottery and architectural tile studio and a ceramic arts education center that brings in visitors from around the world. Pewabic’s store features handcrafted ceramics from more than 30 artists, and the organization offers community art and educational programs, such as tile glazing workshops, pottery classes, second Saturday tours, exhibits and school programs.
Belle Isle attractions
Cruise around the second most-visited state park in the country and check out island attractions including the Belle Isle Aquarium, which was designed by famed Detroit architect, Albert Kahn, and opened on August 18, 1904. One of the oldest aquariums in the country, it offers a glimpse of one of the world’s largest collections of air-breathing fish. Admission is free, but a $5 donation is suggested.
Northland Skating Rink
The largest and oldest skating rink in Detroit, Northland offers open skating Fridays and Saturdays for the whole family. The rink also offers a 25 and over skating block from 10:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Fridays and an 18 and older block from 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tickets range from $7 to $12.
Visit Detroit has a fuller list of cultural sites to see in and around Detroit.