Detroit City Wire

The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is set to open its 16th Annual Community Group Art Exhibition on December 6, 2024. The exhibition will feature artwork created throughout the year by participants in the DIA’s Community Group Program and will remain open until January 5, 2025. This year, nine community groups from the Tri-County area have contributed to the exhibition.

Throughout the past year, DIA studio instructors collaborated with both long-term and new partners at the artmaking studio and various locations in the Tri-County area. The projects include wall hangings, movie poster designs, wooden animal sculptures, paper masks, printmaking, acrylic painting, plates and platters, and ceramic footprints. Over 100 projects will be displayed in the Learning Center at the DIA.

For over 25 years, the DIA’s Community Group Program has partnered with human services agencies in Detroit to provide meaningful art experiences through gallery tours and artmaking sessions. This annual exhibition allows group members to share their artistic work with museum visitors.

Natalie Barmore, Director of Studio Programs at the DIA, stated: "The Community Group Art Exhibition is a perfect example of the DIA's mission of helping visitors and our community find personal meaning in art, individually and with each other. It is a pleasure to highlight the incredible work created by our partners in this annual exhibition."

This year's participating groups include ACCESS Hope House; CARE of Southeastern Michigan; Detroit Recovery Project; Hannan Center; John D. Dingell VA Medical Center; Mariners Inn; MCCMH (Macomb County Community Mental Health); OLHSA (Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency); and Soul Studio from Friendship Circle.

Matthew Spehar from Detroit Recovery Project commented: “To watch someone's ideas come to life through art is an amazing experience, but to watch someone's life change from the process of creating the art is one of the most beautiful things I've ever witnessed.”

Further details about this year's exhibition can be found on www.dia.org/events/exhibitions/16th-annual-community-group-art-exhibition. The event is organized by the Detroit Institute of Arts with support from millage funding provided by Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties.