Picasso, Rivera and Van Gogh were only some of the famous artists that were showcased at the Detroit Institute of Arts tour taken by Wayne State’s Academic Staff Professional Development Committee on Nov. 14.
The tour was one of the many outings that the ASPDC takes and was open to its members only. Every year, the committee receives $30,000 for professional development activities and to support conference attendance.
The tour at the DIA was an opportunity for WSU’s staff to learn about things in the Detroit area that could strengthen their knowledge about the community and to take advantage of the service given to them in their positions.
The tour began at 10:30 a.m. and was guided by several museum docents. Staff members were divided into three groups that each had a different tour guide.
Beginning with traditional Native American costumes, participants were shown ancient through modern art. Participants were also shown a sample of works from European, Impressionist and modern era genres.
Most of the works shown were created by using oil on canvas. Other types of art shown included sculptures and pottery. Methods used besides oil on canvas was staining, wax, oil on panel, gilt bronze, resin and watercolor.
Some of the modern art was composed of porcelain and glass, and even recycled materials like paper and aluminum. Visual resources coordinator for WSU’s art and art history department Terry Kerby organized the tour for her first time.
She said that the ASPDC had been to the DIA before, but this was the first time she has organized it since the DIA’s remodeling. Kerby was inspired to organize the tour because she thought it would be good for the staff to see the new look of the DIA and share what they saw with WSU students.
“I love art and I thought that it would be nice for our group to come and see the new look of the museum, and also because a lot of the staff does have a lot of interaction with students,” Kerby said.
“I thought it would be a way for them to share what they saw here with the students that they work with and inspire them to come over and see the art as well.”
Kerby said that some of her favorite artwork included pieces by Rivera and French Impressionist artists. She said that she thought the Rivera exhibit fit in well with America’s economic crisis.
“Especially being that, you know the way our economic situation here is. It’s just kinda good to look at something that took place in history where people were looking at how there have been struggles in the past and throughout life,” Kerby said.
When the tour ended, participants were invited to stroll through the museum, and especially to take a look at the African art collection on the first floor.
This consisted of more sculptures, traditional African clothing, African paintings and interactive videos featuring ceremonies and dance.
The modern era art seemed to captivate the most people. It deviated from what most consider the “norm” for art work because there were a lot of creative and innovative techniques used.
One piece, made by American artist John Garrett, was created out of hardware cloth, aluminum flashing and aluminum drink cans.
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