By: Austin Gonzales
DETROIT – The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) was recently voted number one in a poll for readers by USA Today to determine the nation’s best art museum. This would be the second consecutive year in a row the DIA would take home the lead in the polls over museums in Baltimore, New Mexico, and even the world famous Getty Center in Los Angeles. So when I woke up in my Detroit hotel room the morning of March 7, I decided to make the trip up to Midtown to see if USA Today readers would be right.
Here’s a fun tip for all you readers! Detroit public transportation for the Qline streetcar and the People Mover are free! You’ll save lots of time being able to get across Downtown and Midtown neighborhoods with ease.
“They don’t just have art here, they have artifacts from across the world and biblical times. It’s gorgeous,” Delta College 2022 graduate, Miranda Johnson tells the Collegiate. Johnson accompanied me at the DIA and helped give insight to many of the exhibits we would see. Three floors, all expanding across the globe and time.
We started our tour though the ground floor which was home to many biblical, indigenous, Arabic and Asian exhibits. Each section has cases filled with pieces of history such as clothing, money, tablets, and writings. Beside each is a plaque detailing what the items were, their native location, the people it came from and its significance.
Near the stairs leading to the second floor are preserved sections of European cathedrals, giving a glimpse of what it would be like to stand inside a church hundreds of years ago.
The second floor was an absolute stunning gallery of paintings across time. Gods, Christ, wars, famine, tragedy, life and death are all depicted in the paintings. You can even see some of Van Gogh’s work too!
Don’t stand too close to the painting because a fragile silent motion alarm will go off. The security at DIA is top notch and will do anything to ensure the preservation of the exhibits. While paintings and statues cover the walls, the floors are occupied by furniture of the times: cabinets, chests and mirrors that are centuries old. Even full family living rooms are preserved.
The last floor housed many Egyptian coffins along the walkway to the DIA’s special attraction. Regeneration: Black Cinema honors the history and legacy of black filmmakers in the United States like Sidney Poitier, Eartha Kitt, Harry Belafonte and many, many more. The exhibit spans across several rooms showcasing more than the surface-level films you may know these prolific stars for. From costumes and props to awards, this special attraction exhibit was the cherry on top to end our journey through the Detroit Institute of Arts.
The beauty and history that was contained in this building captivated me. I felt like I genuinely got to travel across time seeing the art that reflected the struggles and emotions of the artists behind it. I felt small walking through each room seeing larger-than-life preserved history.
