This is an eye-opening museum and worth a trip from other areas of the Detroit metropolis…read more The museum and connected Academy of Art has a distinguished alumni, as well as a fascinating rotation of exhibits. I visited here over a Thanksgiving holiday many moons ago. My wife Kelly is a native of the Detroit Metropolis and introduced me to this gem. In turn, I introduce it to you and give you my fullest recommendation to visit as soon as you possibly can.

I visited this museum during Black History Month and I was pleasantly surprised by the number of…read moreAfrican American artists featured. Mostly large canvases, masterfully created by local artists. The museum is very well curated. Small and intimate. I was extremely impressed. I'm looking forward to visiting during the summer months as well as on Fridays (when they allow you to tour the archival collection).

I recently had the chance to visit the Detroit Institute of Arts. The museum is a great balance…read morebetween being expansive and still manageable. You can easily spend a few hours here without feeling overwhelmed. What stood out most was the diversity of the collection. From classic European paintings to modern and contemporary works, there's something for every kind of art lover. The layout of the museum is intuitive, and I appreciated how easy it was to move between galleries without getting lost. Staff were friendly and helpful without being intrusive, and the overall atmosphere felt relaxed rather than stuffy. Overall, I'd highly recommend the Detroit Institute of Arts to anyone visiting Detroit or even locals who haven't been in a while. It's a thoughtfully curated, enriching experience that feels both accessible and inspiring.

As a lifelong dilettante of the arts, I have long held the DIA in the highest esteem. I revere the…read morecathedral hush of the galleries, the grandeur of lunching beneath the vaulted glass of the Kresge Court, the solemn historical weight of Rivera's murals, and the operatic extravagance of The Officer of the Hussars, whose horse appears perpetually moments from stealing the entire painting. I am, in short, a woman of superb taste. And then, of course, there are The Nut Gatherers. Now, it is a little-known fact that William-Adolphe Bouguereau's renowned oil painting, The Nut Gatherers, was originally conceived with adult women as its subjects. I happen to know this for a fact because, for a very brief and professionally ill-advised moment, I was one of those women. Allow me to share my personal contretemps. This was during the period in which I was actively exploring new employment opportunities following my regrettable trist with Greenfield Village, a chapter that may or may not have included an order of protection against a certain biotch ex-coworker from the tinsmith shop whose pathological lying was rivaled only by her raging case of oral herpes (see my previous review for further details). The job description for "nut gatherer" was as Delphic as they come, not to mention entirely en français. It promised "live modeling for a classical composition," "physical stamina," and "comfort with prolonged, natural poses." Experience preferred. Discretion required. Wardrobe, it noted coyly, would be "minimal and historically faithful." "Nut gatherer" was not a title I was accustomed to, but I assumed this was simply the romance of translation at work. Surely this was the literal phrasing from the French. Besides, the industry has always found new and creative ways to sanitize its nomenclature: exotic dancer, adult entertainer, webcam model, etc. My curriculum vitae was already extensively "fluffy," shall we say, so I entered the interview supremely confident in my qualifications. I reclined slightly on the wide leather casting couch, crossed one leg with intention, and cleared my throat in preparation for what I assumed would be a frank but professional discussion. Although I studied French for many years, I confess that my fluency had deteriorated into a cocktail of menu-deciphering, shampoo-label translation, and occasional Québécois profanity shouted at ice rinks. Still, I came prepared with questions. How many nuts require gathering? What is the varietal? Are they fleshy? What is the circumference of said nuts? Will I be gathering one at a time or two at a time? Will they be husked or au naturel? Should I be prepared for any crème de noisette clean-up? There was a pause. A long one. Then a polite but visibly alarmed gentleman slid a portfolio across the table. Inside were charcoal studies of hands, baskets, fabric folds, and several extremely wholesome agricultural diagrams. No bodies. No boudoir. No anything remotely resembling what I had been preparing to offer. It was at this moment, I regret to inform you, that I attempted to clarify my enthusiasm. The precise phrasing is not something I will be memorializing in print, but I will say this: it began as an inquiry about whether "full commitment to the role" was encouraged, an anxious sense that I was in danger of losing the part for not adequately demonstrating my range, and ended with a sentence that began with, "Here, it's easier if I just show you..." immediately followed by an all-out yet borderline desperate demonstration of "flexibility." The silence that followed was immediate, total, and devastating. I was escorted out with the efficiency typically reserved for museum patrons who touch the artwork. My termination was not so much delivered as performed, in the hushed, mortified tone one uses when explaining to someone that they have catastrophically misunderstood the assignment. In the end, the artist decided to use children instead of adults for the final painting. The finished work was revered by the masses. Let me tell you some other things that are revered by the masses: Marvel origin stories, compulsory monogamy, "Live, Laugh, Love" decor, and Bud Light. In my learned opinion, the end result was saccharine, jejune even, no more original than a palimpsest and twice as eager to be liked, the visual equivalent of a museum gift shop postcard that reassures rather than challenges. In other words: not fucking sexy. At all. And yet...le sigh. I will still return to the DIA. I will still linger beneath Rivera's murals. I will still lunch in the Kresge Court like a minor European despot fallen on Midwestern times. I will still bring out-of-towners and speak in reverent tones about brushwork and composition, because even when it rejects me, this institution remains magnificent.

I attended an evening reception at the museum. I had not been inside the museum since my undergrad…read moredays. A lot has changed including new additions that were not in existence when I was a student. For a small university museum, there is a wonderful Asian art collection and Picasso paintings. If you are a student or a visitor to the U of M campus, the museum is worth a visit.

A wide variety of exhibits are on view. "Unsettling Histories: Legacies of Slavery and…read moreColonialism" is particularly powerful and a must see.

Wow, what an museum!!! I don't mean to sound elitist, but…read moreone doesn't think Toledo, Ohio when it comes to world class art. This place is on another level of awesome! As is the glass museum across the street, this museum is free to visit. The exhibits here are world class and include a massive array of art over a 4,000+ year time frame. We also enjoyed the sculpture works outside the museum. I mean, who the hell doesn't want to get on a huge tire swing, play musical instruments or lay on a hammock made of glass?! Just blown away amazed with this place! Thank you!!!

We drove 2 hours to visit this museum only to find it is under construction. The open parts took…read moreless then 30 minutes to walk through. sooooo disappointing!!!!!

MOCAD is a great little spot located off Woodward in Detroit…read more It is quaint & the time to get through the museum is quicker than most museums. The set up is perfect for the featured artists. There are discounts for veterans also. There is a cafe located at the end of the tour. This is also an event space!

Here's another gem in the city. I've visited this museum on several occasions as well. The first…read moretime was to see the artwork on display. They were featuring a local artist from Detroit at the time. The museum is big on the outside but inside there isn't many pieces of art. It's contemporary which I enjoy. The other portion of the museum is used for shows/events. I went a few weeks ago to see Terri Lyne Carrington and Mickalene Thomas do a collaboration. It was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! I would definitely recommend visiting when there's an event taking place.

My visit to PuppetArt was the first in a series of circumstantial events that made me learn to love…read moreDetroit. A Chi-town friend asked me if I'd like to go to see a Russian puppet show. It's not like there are Russian puppet theatres in every city, so we had to go all the way to Detroit. I said yes, of course. This was back in 2009, some ten Detroit vacations ago. Honestly I'm really not that into puppets, even Russian ones, but I can attest that the show I saw was remarkable in its ability to captivate and soothe a house full of hyperactive children. This is a low-key spot, and they have sort of a puppet museum in the lobby. It really seems like the perfect place to bring kids. I had less luck paying attention from my seat, sandwiched between a four year old in front and his mother in back. "I GOT A EYE VIEW," the mother whispered through her teeth and at her child. "KEEP QUIET OR I'LL HIT YOU WITH MY STICK!" For the next 45 minutes, all I could think about was how I'd better behave.

Have you seen the show "Dream Tigers" at the PuppetArt Theater??? We have! It has AWESOME…read morepuppets. They teach you about the 4 puppet families before the show starts. We were shocked that real people were in the puppet show. We thought it would be ONLY puppets. We really liked the character Nino. He was so funny, like an "animal trapped in a boy body"! The show was funny, but a little bit scary sometimes. It was EPIC. The witch scared us but we were okay. You need to go see it too! - Detroit 1st Graders (who went there on a field trip)

This place has many different locations inside the campus…read more This was my first time visiting the planetarium. OMG the mineral exhibit is spectacular. Please make it a point to check them out online and in person the events hosted has a wonderful selection and the people attending are so nice.

This is an amazing space! There is a lot more to see and do that. I did not show, but this is a…read moreperfect place to take children (and adults) who love science. There are different exhibits with varying levels of hands on experiences. Check their website for days and hours I also found out they have a "Free First Friday" experience each month.

This is a free museum in the University of Michigan. All the artifacts are dig by the professor and…read morestudents. The collection is displayed on two floors. The first floor is the ancient Middle East, Egypt, Cyprus and Greece. The upstair has Roman and special collections. The collection is very ancient and interesting. The visit takes 30 minutes.

I went here the other day to check out the museum. Needed to write an essay for an English college…read moreclass; so, I came here. The people there are super nice and knowledgeable. I'll definitely come back.