Detroit’s Art Mile Opens With Nearly 60 Participating Institutions

Museums, galleries, studios and alternative spaces band together for a citywide digital event

29 July 2020

From today, 29 July, through 5 August, the art institutions of Detroit unite for Art Mile—a digital celebration of the city’s diverse artists, galleries, museums, non-profits and alternative art spaces. Nearly 60 local venues join the programming platform to host virtual museum tours, studio visits, DJ sets, film screenings and panel discussions. From CH favorites including Cranbrook Art Museum, Wasserman Projects and Dabls Mbad African Bead Museum to emerging galleries of local talent and even Cinema Detroit and the Hamtramck Ceramck /Portage Garage artist collective, Art Mile magnifies the vibrancy of the city’s artistic community.

Left: Darryl DeAngelo, “With Expensive Taste… That’s It, Ain’t Nothing Broke Over Here” (2019) Courtesy of the artist and presented by ArtWork Right: Ricky Williams, “Untitled (from Grounding)” (2017) Courtesy of the artist and Bulk Space Artist Residency

Highlights across the week-long schedule are aplenty—commencing with a livestream opening night party with a two-hour DJ set by Detroit’s Omar-S from the Conant Gardens Party Store. Two must-see experiences: ArtWork sees former MOCAD curators Jova Lynne and Tizziana Baldenebro present works by Detroit’s art workers; In Media Res: Detroit Artists in Motion includes seven filmic works curated by Lucy Mensah. All the while, “empty museum tours” will offer unprecedented access to beloved and alternative spaces.

Left: Matthew Angelo Harrison, “Dark Povera: Manufactures Primitives” (2019) Courtesy of the artist and Cranbrook Art Museum. Right: Conrad Egyir, “Yonder” (2018) Courtesy of the artist and Cranbrook Art Museum

Art Mile has been organized (by the Michigan gallery Reyes | Finn and acclaimed art consultancy Cultural Counsel, with the support of Red Bull Arts) to be a forum for the amplification of art in Detroit on a local and global level. In addition to the programming, Art Mile’s fundraiser will benefit 482Forward, InsideOut Detroit and Living Arts—three local non-profits dedicated to arts education for youth.

Hero image courtesy of Dabls Mbad African Bead Museum