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Target Family Sundays Through December, 2 p.m. unless noted otherwise

After a hectic week of car pooling, homework and after-school activities, it's time for the whole family to relax and recharge at the DIA's Target Family Sundays. Take in family performances, storytelling, art-making workshops and much more. See below for upcoming Target Family Sunday events. The new DIA. Let yourself go!

11/8/09

Family Performance: Native American Dance, Song, and Stories

Reg Pettibone, a full-blooded Native American from the Ho-Chunk Nation, along with his wife, Marca, from the Paiute Nation and daughter, Coral Skye. Reg is a champion dancer whose traditional background and upbringing allows him to provide the audience with a better understanding of true Native American culture through dance, songs, narration and an artifact display. Audience participation is an engaging part of the program.

11/22/09-11 AM, 2 PM, 3:30 PM-Receive FREE general admission to the museum on this day only!

Storytelling: Thankful for Families

Join award-winning storyteller Corinne Stavish and share laughter, love, and gratitude for our families, especially our grandparents, as we launch a festive holiday season.

11/29/09

Holiday Performance: The Sleeping Beauty…A Marionette Ballet

Join PuppetART for their enchanting marionette ballet. PuppetART has created an original version of this age-old story with a new twist in plot. Dazzling puppets dance to beautiful music to reawaken this classic for children of all ages.

12/6/09

Storytelling: Kwanzaa Stories

Discover the real reasons behind Kwanzaa’s seven principles through stories filled with fun and excitement told by Tonya Dallas.

12/13/09

Storytelling: Christmas Stories

Cozy up with Christmas stories for adults and children alike, performed by the dynamic Yvonne Healy.

12/20/09

Storytelling: Hanukah Stories

Join storyteller Judy Sima as she lights up the holiday season with Hanukah stories of miracles, menorahs, and magic dreidels.

12/27/09

Family Performance: Bathtub Pirates

Follow the antics of Blackbeard and his pirate crew as they commandeer a child’s bathtub to carry out their daring plan. Good clean fun for the whole family.

June 16, 2009 (Detroit)—Five videos that focus on cause-and-effect relationships and show how video progressed as an art form are the subject of Action Reaction: Video Installations. The exhibition is on view at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) from July 3, 2009 to January 3, 2010 and is free with museum admission.

Anna Mendieta
Alma Silueta en Fuego (Soul Silhouette on Fire) and Anima, Silueta des Cohetes (Soul Silhouette of Firecrackers) are part of Ana Mendieta’s Silueta (Silhouette) series, in which she explores physical and spiritual connections with the earth.
      Mendieta creates human forms based on the outline of her own body and sets them on fire. She uses fire as a catalyst, referring to purification rituals of various traditions, including Santeria, an Afro-Cuban religion emphasizing spirits and nature.
      As flames consume them, the human forms are transformed into smoke, ash, embers, and gasses that dissolve into the earth and atmosphere. The emphasis is not on the disappearance of the human form, but on its merging with other elements such as the horizon, land, and air.

Bruce Nauman
Bruce Nauman’s video Bouncing in the Corner, Part I explores “in-betweeness.” Nauman allows the action of gravity to pull his body into a corner and he reacts by bouncing back to an upright position. He transforms what seems like a child’s sense of experimentation into a full-fledged endurance test, repeating the actions for an entire hour.
     Nauman uses video to record the spaces in between—between standing and leaning, between the corner and the middle of the room, and between control and letting go.

Bill Viola
In Nine Attempts to Achieve Immortality, Bill Viola shows himself from the shoulders up in a format resembling a marble portrait bust. Such busts are often made in stone to immortalize a person for eternity. Viola uses video instead. He mimics the stillness of a statue by holding his breath. Eventually, his body’s nervous system takes over, forcing him to take in oxygen. Viola, in turn, resists, repeating the cycle nine times. Which, then, is the action, and which is the reaction? Is Viola reacting to his body or is his body reacting to him?

Peter Fischli and David Weiss
In The Way Things Go Peter Fischli and David Weiss use tires, ladders, matches, soda and other seemingly random, everyday objects to create a grand performance of interplays between chemistry, physics and human ingenuity.
      The video starts with one simple action—pushing a roll of tape—that ignites a chain reaction. The roll hits a liquid-filled bottle that spills to ignite flames that move across a wire, and a lively sequence of actions and reactions continues for 59 minutes, ending with a tin bucket full of flames. The whimsy belies the rigorous science and dozens of experiments it took to create The Way Things Go.

Each video’s running time is between three minutes and one hour, and total viewing time for all five videos is approximately two hours.

Hours and Admission
10 a.m.–4 p.m. Wednesdays–Thursdays, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturdays–Sundays. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for senior citizens, and $4 for ages 6-17. DIA members are admitted free. For more information, call (313) 833-7900 or visit www.dia.org.

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The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA),located at 5200 Woodward Avenue in Detroit, is one of the premier art museums in the United States and home to more than 60,000 works that comprise a multicultural survey of human creativity from ancient times through the 21st century. From the first van Gogh painting to enter a U.S. museum (Self Portrait, 1887), to Diego Rivera's world-renowned Detroit Industry murals (1932–33), the DIA's collection is known for its quality, range, and depth.

Programs are made possible with support from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the City of Detroit.

Contact: Pamela Marcil 313-833-7899 pmarcil@dia.org

Museum to offer cell phone tours for first time

August 18, 2009 (Detroit)—The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) celebrates fashion and photography with the work of Richard Avedon, one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century. On view Oct. 18, 2009–Jan. 17, 2010, Avedon Fashion Photographs 1944-2000 features 181 works, including many vintage prints, magazines, contact sheets and other archival material from the Avedon estate.
      “This exhibition not only surprises through the scope of Avedon’s work in fashion photography,” said Graham W. J. Beal, DIA director. “It also dramatically demonstrates what a radically innovative force he was in this field.”
      Avedon’s legendary style reflected the political, social and cultural changes that influenced the lives of women and the fashions they wore for nearly six decades. The exhibition begins with his early work at Harper’s Bazaar, where he was hired in 1944 at the age of 21. His youth and exuberance brought a fresh, new approach to fashion photography and was instrumental in rejuvenating the post-World War II Paris fashion market. Avedon revolutionized editorial fashion photography by breaking away from the convention of shooting models in static, unimaginative poses, bringing fashion to life by photographing models in motion, both in the studio and beyond.
      By the 1950s Avedon became even more dramatic and unconventional in his approach, often placing models in settings that ranged from the exotic to the whimsical. In a section of the exhibition called “Paris by Night,” he captured the elegance and vitality of both the “City of Lights” and the couture by shooting at night in Paris’ streets, cafes, and local haunts.
      Models were among Avedon’s most vital collaborators, and helped him define the emotional complexity, drama and beauty that he found so fascinating in women. In a 1993 interview he said, “Dress designers lent me textures, shapes, patterns that became the ally of my true work, which was always about women—what was going on beneath their clothes, beneath their hats. In their heads.” Directing magnificent spectacles that embody the high glamour of the era, he photographed Dovima, one of his favorite models of the time, conveying tremendous composure and grace among the elephants at the Cirque d’Hiver in Paris, and exuding timeless beauty posing in front of the Great Pyramids of Giza.
      Suzy Parker was another favorite model. Emphasizing the active lifestyle of post war women, Avedon photographed her playing pinball, roller skating, and walking in the rain with a handsome man on each arm. Through Avedon’s images, Parker became an early prototype for the “cult of celebrity,” paving the way for future supermodels like Jean Shrimpton, Lauren Hutton, Twiggy, Penelope Tree and Veruschka, whom he photographed in subsequent years. Avedon’s fashion work with actresses and performers is seen in playful pictures of Audrey Hepburn and Barbara Streisand and in sultry fashion portraits of Bridgette Bardot and Elizabeth Taylor.
      After 20 years at Harper’s Bazaar, Avedon joined the staff at Vogue, where he ushered in a new era of fashion work reflecting the energy and liberated styles of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He embraced the Civil Rights movement and strove to bring women of color and diverse ethnicities to pages of fashion magazines. Avedon was one of the first high-profile photographers to work with African American and multi-racial models, including Detroit-native Donyale Luna and the Eurasian model China Machado.
      By the 1970s, Avedon developed a signature studio style photographing models in mini dresses and menswear-inspired clothing of the era. Always reinventing the fashion picture, he looked to isolate figures and capture movement. Anticipating the gestures and poses of his subjects, he often caught them in mid stride, jumping, dancing and cavorting against a seamless grey backdrop. By the 1980s, until his departure from the magazine in 1988, Avedon shot nearly every cover for Vogue where he worked with celebrity fashion icons such as Brooke Shields.
      After 1990, Avedon worked for several magazines and exclusively on ad campaigns and catalogues for designer Gianni Versace. Works from this decade include collaborations with Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss and Stephanie Seymour. In 1992 he became the first staff photographer for The New Yorker where he contributed several fashion essays. Avedon continued to dominate the photographic world until his death in 2004.

New Cell-Phone Tours
      The DIA is trying something new with Avedon Fashion Photographs. Instead of the familiar audio tours that have accompanied past special exhibitions, visitors will be able to access information about selected photographs through their cell phones. Visitors can dial a number, enter a number posted next to the work, and hear DIA Director Graham Beal discussing Avedon’s work, impact, and artistic processes. There is no extra charge for this service, except for charges that might be accrued through an individual’s cell phone carrier.
      Tickets include museum admission and are $12 for adults, $6 for ages 6-17, $10 each for adult groups of 15 or more .
      A fully illustrated, hard-cover book, Avedon Fashion 1944-2000, will be available in the museum shop.

The exhibition was organized by the International Center of Photography with the cooperation of The Richard Avedon Foundation, New York; Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco; and Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York. This exhibition and its catalogue were made possible with a major lead grant from the Henry Luce Foundation. Additional support was received from the ICP Exhibitions Committee, National Endowment for the Arts, Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, Clémence and William von Mueffling, Mary Ann and Frank Arisman, Harper's Bazaar, The John and Annamaria Phillips Foundation, Joseph and Joan Cullman Foundation for the Arts, and Mark McCain.

Hours and Admission
Hours are 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Admission is $8 for adults, $4 for ages 6-17, and DIA members are admitted free. For membership information call 313-833-7971.

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The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), one of the premier art museums in the United States, is home to more than 60,000 works that comprise a multicultural survey of human creativity from ancient times through the 21st century. From the first van Gogh painting to enter a U.S. museum (Self-Portrait, 1887), to Diego Rivera's world-renowned Detroit Industry murals (1932–33), the DIA's collection is known for its quality, range, and depth.

Programs are made possible with support from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the City of Detroit.

Contact: Pamela Marcil 313-833-7899 pmarcil@dia.org

October 1, 2009 (Detroit)—Holiday cheer is in the air and the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is celebrating with a variety of fun activities. Kwanzaa, Hanukah and Christmas stories, plus Wild Swan Theatre’s Jack and the Beanstalk will delight kids of all ages. World renowned musicians Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius, known as Cluster, return to the museum as part of a tour for their first new CD in more than 10 years.

Programs are free with museum admission unless otherwise noted. For more information call (313) 833-7900 or visit www.dia.org.

For Detroit Film Theatre movie listings call (313) 833-4686, or visit www.dia.org/dft/schedule.asp.

Guided Tours: Wednesdays–Thursdays, 1 p.m.; Fridays, 1, 6 & 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays–Sundays, 1 & 3 p.m.

Chess Practice: Detroit City Chess Club: Fridays, 5–9 p.m.
The club’s mission is to teach area students the game and life lessons. Members have won state, regional, and national competitions. People wanting to learn how to play chess should show up between 5–7 p.m. There will be no teaching between 7 and 9 p.m., but visitors can play chess.

Drawing in the Galleries (for all ages): Fridays, 6–9 p.m. Sundays, Noon–4 p.m.

Drop-In Workshops:
Winter Counts: Fridays, December 4, 11, & 18; 6–9 p.m.
Snow Flakes: Saturdays, December 5, 12, & 19; Noon–4 p.m.
Luminaries: Sundays, December 6, 13, & 20; Noon–4 p.m.

Special Holiday Drop-In Workshops:
Puppets: Saturday–Thursday, December 26–31, Noon–4 p.m.

Thursday, December 3
Lecture: A Revolution in Taste: Chinese Blue-and-White Porcelains of the Yuan (1279-1368) and Ming (1368-1644) Dynasties: 6:30 p.m.
Robert Mowry, curator of Chinese art at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University will show how early Ming patronage of porcelain production elevated blue-and-white wares to the luxury status that made them globally desirable. In addition, he will explore similarities between Yuan and Ming porcelains, lacquers, metalwork, and woodblock-printed books.

Friday Night Live, December 4
Music: Janaki String Trio: 7 & 8:30 p.m.
The Janaki String Trio is the only string trio to win the Concert Artists Guild International Competition in the guild’s 60-year history. Featuring Serena McKinney (violin), Katie Kadarauch (viola), and Arnold Choi (cello), the ensemble plays music from the standard string trio repertoire, rarely heard masterworks and challenging contemporary pieces written by master composers.

Saturday, December 5
Lecture: Fit for a King: 18th-Century Furniture and Porcelain from Louis XIV to Louis XVI: 2 p.m.
Join Daniëlle O. Kisluk-Grosheide of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, for a discussion of the exquisite pieces of court furniture and furnishings produced in 18th-century France. The proliferation of mechanical tables and luxury porcelain testifies to the insatiable desire to glorify the French monarchy in the eras of Louis XIV, XV and XVI.

Target Family Sunday, December 6
Storytelling: "Kwanzaa Stories": 2 p.m.
Discover the real reasons behind Kwanzaa's seven principles through stories filled with fun, excitement and humor by Tonya Dallas. There will be book giveaways following the performance.

Wednesday, December 9
Lecture: Cranes, Dragons, and Geishas: A Brass Menagerie—Metalwork of the Aesthetic Movement: 6:30 p.m.
During the 1880’s, no fashionable American interior was complete without hardware, accessories, lighting, or furniture made of “artistic bronze” or “art brass,” often with exotic motifs. In her talk, Anna D’Ambrosio, a historian of American Aesthetic Movement metalwork and curator of decorative arts at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Utica, NY, will discuss this fascinating episode.

Friday Night Live, December 11
Music: Cluster: 7 & 8:30 p.m.
German musicians Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius have been creating consistently surprising, exciting and influential music since they teamed up as Cluster in 1971. Their influence has been felt in many areas and can be glimpsed in Detroit’s Techno movement, Brian Eno’s ambient explorations, and Industrial rock bands like Throbbing Grissle and Cabaret Voltaire. This performance is part of a tour supporting Qua, their first CD release in more than 10 years.

Target Family Sunday, December 13
Lecture: The Artist as Cultural and Social Revolutionary: 2 p.m.
By the mid-1960s, artist Wadsworth Jarrell had become one of the founders of the artist collective known as AFRI-COBRA, which was dedicated to creating an African American aesthetic. Jarrell’s art reflects the tenets of the group through his use of African American imagery, narrative subject matter, vibrant colors, improvisation, and rhythmic designs.

Storytelling: "Christmas Stories": 2 p.m.
Cozy up with Christmas stories performed by the dynamic Yvonne Healy.

Thursday, December 17
World Opera in Cinema: La Traviata by Verdi: 6 p.m.
The DIA’s Detroit Film Theatre presents an extraordinary series of new opera performances from around the world, including such storied locations as La Scala, presented uncut in high-definition projection with English subtitles.

Giuseppi Verdi’s La Traviata, presented from the stage of Teatro alla Scala, the world’s most famous opera house, was inspired by Alexandre Dumas’ The Lady of the Camelias; the opera’s title means literally “The Woman Who Strayed.” Courtesan Violetta Valéry (Angela Gheorghiu in her highly anticipated La Scala debut) meets a new admirer, Alfredo Germont (Ramón Vargas), who confesses his love. Trouble intrudes with Alfredo's father who demands she renounce his son, since the scandal of Alfredo's affair with her has threatened his daughter's engagement. Staged for la Scala by Liliana Cavani (The Night Porter, Ripley’s Game), conducted by Lorin Maazel, and featuring Natascha Petrinsky and Tiziana Tramonti. Tickets are $20, and $18 for DIA members, students and seniors. For more information, visit www.dia.org/dft

Friday Night Live, December 18
Music: Rachel Grimes: 7 & 8:30 p.m.
Rachel Grimes is a member of the Kentucky-based chamber-pop group The Rachels. The music of the Rachels straddles the worlds of classical chamber music and innovative art-rock music, in the tradition of icons Philip Glass, the Kronos Quartet, and Laurie Anderson. This performance will be a rare opportunity to hear Rachel Grimes in an intimate performance of material from her new solo piano album, Book of Leaves, along with performances of music by the iconoclast extraordinaire, French composer Erik Satie.

Saturday, December 19
World Opera in Cinema: La Traviata by Verdi: 1 p.m. (see Dec. 17 for details)

Target Family Sunday, December 20
Brunch with Bach: Aaron Berofsky and Edward Parmentier: 10:30 a.m. & 1 p.m.
Violinist Aaron Berofsky has toured extensively throughout the US and abroad, gaining wide recognition as a soloist and chamber musician. As a soloist, he has performed with orchestras in the US, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Canada. Parmentier is internationally renowned for his brilliant performances of early keyboard music, and is a specialist in the harpsichord music of Bach and his English and French contemporaries. Berofsky and Parmentier will perform music of Bach, Girolamo Frescobaldi, François Couperin, G. F. Handel, and Arcangelo Corelli.

Storytelling: “Hanukah Stories”: 2 p.m.
Join Judy Sima as she lights up the holiday season with Hanukah stories of miracles, menorahs, and magic dreidels.

SPECIAL HOLIDAY HOURS:
CLOSED FRIDAY, DEC. 25; OPEN SATURDAY–TUESDAY, DEC. 26–31
Saturday–Thursday, December 26–31
Holiday Drop-In Workshops: Puppets: Noon–4 p.m.
Create a different type of puppet each day.

Holiday Weekend, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, December 26, 27 & 28
Holiday Performance: “Bathtub Pirates”: 2 p.m.
Some of the best times in a child's life are spent playing in the bathtub, surrounded by aquatic toys and a sea of bubbles. Follow the antics of Blackbeard and his crew as they commandeer a child’s bathtub to carry out their daring plan. It’s good clean fun for the whole family.

Sunday, December 27
World Opera in Cinema: The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky: 2 p.m.
The DIA’s Detroit Film Theatre presents an extraordinary series of new opera performances from around the world, including such storied locations as La Scala, presented uncut in high-definition projection with English subtitles.

A very special holiday event is The Nutcracker, the famed Kirov Ballet’s unique 2007 production of Tchaikovsky’s beloved ballet, filmed at Russia’s Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, The Nutcracker’s original stage when it debuted in 1892. Mikhail Shemiakin, Russian émigré and world-renowned avant-garde artist and sculptor, has boldly reinterpreted the historical ballet to delight and surprise a contemporary audience. Sophisticated and witty, Shemiakin’s original and wondrously unconventional interpretation differs in many ways from the traditional versions popular at Christmastime, but is no less enchanting. Tickets are $20, and $18 for DIA members, students and seniors. For more information, visit www.dia.org/dft

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, December 29, 30, and 31
Holiday Performance: “Jack and the Beanstalk”: 2 p.m.
Wild Swan Theater creates an original version of this traditional tale sure to please children ages three through eight. Lorrie Gunn brings magic to the production on her harp, violin, and various percussion instruments.

Jack and his mother have fallen on hard times, following the mysterious disappearance of Jack’s father. With no money under the mattress and no food in the larder, Jack must sell the family cow, Milky White. His adventures begin when a mysterious stranger convinces him to sell the cow for five magic beans. When Jack’s mother, in despair, throws the beans out the window, their life changes abruptly as a huge beanstalk begins to grow by leaps and bounds outside their cottage window. In Wild Swan’s version Jack’s excursions up the fantastical beanstalk not only lead to his well-known encounters with a very silly giant, but to the rescue of his long lost father as well. 

Hours and admission
Regular museum hours are10 a.m.–4 p.m. Wednesdays–Thursdays, 10 a.m. –10 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m. –5 p.m. Saturdays–Sundays. NOTE special holiday hours above. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for ages 62+, and $4 for ages 6-17. DIA members are admitted free. For more information, call (313) 833-7900 or visit www.dia.org.

###

The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA),located at 5200 Woodward Avenue in Detroit, is one of the premier art museums in the United States and home to more than 60,000 works that comprise a multicultural survey of human creativity from ancient times through the 21st century. From the first van Gogh painting to enter a U.S. museum (Self Portrait, 1887), to Diego Rivera's world-renowned Detroit Industry murals (1932–33), the DIA's collection is known for its quality, range, and depth.

Programs are made possible with support from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the City of Detroit.

Contact: Pamela Marcil (313) 833-7899 pmarcil@dia.org

Chinese Blue-and-White Porcelains of the Yuan (1279-1368) and Ming (1368-1644) Dynasties

Robert Mowry, curator of Chinese art at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University, will show how early Ming patronage of porcelain production elevated blue-and-white wares to the luxury status that made them globally desirable. In addition, he will explore similarities between Yuan and Ming porcelains, lacquers, metalwork, and woodblockprinted books.

HOSTS: CAROLE AND LOREN TIBBITTS

During the 1880s, no fashionable American interior was complete without hardware, accessories, lighting, or furniture made of “artistic bronze” or “art brass.” The design of these items was often exuberant, juxtaposing varied colors, textures, and materials while playing with Persian, Moorish, Japanese, and other exotic motifs. In her talk, Anna D’Ambrosio, a leading historian of American Aesthetic Movement metalwork and curator of Decorative Arts at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, will discuss this fascinating episode in the history of interior decoration in America.

November 13, 15 & 20, 2009 

(Afghanistan/UK – 2009 – directed by Havana Marking)

After years of war and Taliban rule, pop culture is beginning to return to Afghanistan. Since 2005, millions have been tuning in the country’s wildly popular American Idol-style series Afghan Star. Like its Western predecessors, people compete for a cash prize and record deal. More surprisingly, the contest is open to everyone across the country despite gender, ethnicity or age. Winner of the Directing and Audience Awards in Sundance’s 2009 World Documentary competition, Havana Marking’s timely and smashingly entertaining film follows the stories of four young finalists—two men and two remarkably brave women—as they hazard everything to become the nation’s favorite performer. By observing the Afghani people's relationship to pop culture, Afghan Star becomes the perfect window into a country’s tenuous, ongoing struggle for modernity. What Americans may consider frivolous entertainment is downright revolutionary—and more human—in this troubled part of the world. In English, Dari and Pashto, with English subtitles. (88 min.)

Nov. 13 @ 9:30 p.m., Nov. 15 @ 4:00 p.m.

Nov. 20 @ 9:30 p.m.