Statues, murals, arched ceilings, beautiful windows, and patterned floors surround the Detroit Institute of Arts in downtown Detroit. Thanks to SAB’s new “Day in Detroit” event, students now have a chance to spend an afternoon viewing and touring the art and special exhibits currently on display.
Student Activities Board is taking students on a trip to visit the Detroit Institute of Arts on April 6. Tickets cost only $5, which includes entry to the museum and transportation. The bus will leave at 8 a.m. and will return to campus at 5 p.m., with time alloted for students to get lunch in the museum.
Special exhibits include “Visions of American Life: Paintings from the Manoogian Collection;” “From Camelot to Kent State: Pop Art;” and “Ruben & Isabel Toledo: Labor of Love.”
“Every semester we try to do one travel event where you get outside of campus, because our job is to make sure students have fun on campus, but we also like to make sure we spice things up,” SAB promotion leader junior Ian Brown said.
Entry tickets for the museum are normally $8 for college students with a valid student ID, but with SAB’s pricing, Hillsdale students will have the whole day’s trip for $5.
“We intend for the event to bring students out of the Hillsdale area for a weekend, to get a breath of fresh air and a new experience,” Assistant Director for Student Activities Alex Whitford said. “Students can bring friends and the community of Hillsdale to a new venue.”
“The Detroit Institute of Arts has one of the largest and most significant art collections in the United States,” according to the DIA website. “With more than 65,000 artworks that date from the earliest civilizations to the present, the museum offers visitors an encounter with human creativity from all over the world.”
The DIA was built in 1927 by architect Paul Philippe Cret who was born in France, and later moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Cret incorporated French and Italian architectural styles into his design, contributing to the wide range of culture offered by the DIA.
“The DIA’s collection is among the top six in the United States, comprising a multicultural and multinational survey of human creativity from prehistory through the 21st century,” according to its website.
Brown says he thinks students will enjoy the opportunity for a new experience outside of Hillsdale.
“It’s a great excuse to take a day to appreciate culture,” Brown said. “And take a study break.”
