Quick: Name some cities known for their abundance in the arts, design, architecture, theatre, and food.
Did Detroit make the list?
If it didn’t, it will soon. I’m honored to say that a group of regional leaders and art patrons—including DDP—is working to ensure that happens.
It often seems that people around the world have a greater appreciation of our assets in the arts and cultural legacies than we do right here at home. Let’s start with the Detroit Institute of Arts. It is a remarkable institution. Michelin, in its newest guide, gave the DIA the same ranking as the Louvre. USA Today readers rank the DIA as the No. 1 arts institute in the country. And it doesn’t stop there. Detroit and Michigan are home to numerous other world class art museums such as the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCAD), Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Cranbrook Art Museum, and University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA).
When it comes to live performances, we have the most theater seats of any major city outside NYC. Detroit has more than two dozen professional theatres (and an equal or greater number of amateur theatres). How about culinary arts? The metro area has 13 James Beard finalists. Architecture. There are no surprises here. Kahn, Wright, Yamasaki, Saarinen, and Kamper structures abound. Design? Detroit is the only city in the U.S. to hold a UNESCO City of Design distinction.
All of this really struck home on a recent visit to Paris. I had the unique pleasure of spending 36 magnificent hours in the City of Lights, including a dinner at the U.S. Embassy to celebrate the arts of Detroit and Detroit artists. In attendance were business and community leaders as well as 10 remarkable Detroit-based artists who joined thanks to the generosity of Delta and will have their work on display in the Embassy in Paris.
The Paris event was also a kickoff to a high-profile, multi-year contemporary art initiative that is the brainchild of Julie Egan, founder of Detroit’s Salonnière. The Downtown Detroit Partnership is a lead partner in the effort, along with Visit Detroit, CultureSource, and other Detroit and Michigan partners. The initiative, which launches next year, will celebrate Detroit’s arts and culture globally and establish the city as a destination for lovers of art, architecture, food, design, dance, and more.
Detroit’s arts and culture community has long been strengthened by the massive amount of support it receives from the nonprofit community. Kresge, Knight, Hudson-Webber, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, DeRoy Testamentary Foundation, Erb Family Foundation, Applebaum Foundation, William Davidson – each of these foundations understand the importance of the arts to the city’s success. You can’t have a world-class city without a strong appreciation of the arts, and their dedication to building and sustaining the arts community should be applauded. Design Core Detroit should also be recognized for its work in championing Detroit’s UNESCO designation, design-driven businesses, and their role in strengthening the city’s economy.
And now more of us are getting on board.
To be clear, this does not take anything away from our Motown and Motor City legacies. Detroit wouldn’t be the city it is today without them, and the talent, innovation, creativity, and importance of their contributions can never be overstated. We can still celebrate our music and autos; we continue to build on them with jazz, techno, and mobility innovation.
For now, I encourage everyone reading this to visit the murals on the Joe Louis Greenway and Eastern Market, spend a day at one of our fantastic museums or galleries, seek out a pop-up dinner, and then take a tour of Michigan Central. Then, think about how fortunate we are to be surrounded by such beauty and creativity.
