There’s no question that Detroit is emerging from the economic downturn, but it’s even clearer that its art scene never took a dive. The bones of the Motor City may be made of steel, but art and music are its flesh and blood.
Detroit’s cultural heritage helped keep the city alive through hard times, and it can invigorate and individualize a meeting.
“Detroit has a distinct variety of cultural offerings that enhance the meeting attendee experience,” says Bill Bohde, senior vice president of sales and marketing at the Detroit Metro CVB. “From the Detroit Institute of Arts, one of the top art museums in the country, to other favorites like the Motown Museum and rehabbed spaces such as the Russell Industrial Center, meeting planners have many unique options in Detroit. We also have a talented collective of artists that live and work in Detroit that are a great resource.”
Get groups ready to feast their eyes, ears and hands on Detroit’s art offerings.
See Art
Approaching its centennial, Russell Industrial Center continues to redefine itself. The former automobile factory, which comprises seven buildings and several million square feet, is now home to one of the largest artist communities in the Midwest. Event spaces include a 36,000-square-foot exhibition center, a 15,000-square-foot concert hall and numerous art galleries. The complex, located in the industrial Milwaukee Junction neighborhood, is currently being redeveloped and expanded to include an “industrial mall.”
The Heidelberg Project infuses art into the urban environment of Detroit’s East Side. The two-block area features colorful installations that transform the cityscape into an unexpected wonderland. The project engages and supports emerging young artists and helps enrich the lives of everyone in the community. Groups can schedule guided tours and arrange lectures about the power of art to transform lives.
Hear Art
Long before the Motown sound put Detroit on the musical map in the 1960s, United Sound Systems Recording Studios was already recording hits. Over the decades the Midtown studio, which opened in 1939, recorded Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Bob Seger, Gladys Knight, George Clinton, Marvin Gaye and Aretha Franklin, to name just a few. In early 2014, United Sound Systems reopened with a museum and guided tours for those who want to get close to this musical legacy. The 9,000-square-foot facility is also available for private event rentals.
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The Motown Museum preserves the history of Hitsville U.S.A. Located on West Grand Boulevard near the New Center neighborhood, the museum is housed in the former administrative building for the legendary label. In just 10 years, from 1961 to 1971, Motown had more than 100 Top Ten songs. Groups of 20 or more can get discounted entry and reserve guided tours. The facility is available for rental for small events.
Cliff Bell’s offers live jazz in a stunning vintage Art Deco setting. The historic downtown club can host groups as large as 150 for private events.
Make Art
Give groups a hands-on art experience at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA). Private group workshops help each attendee explore his or her creative side and make a one-of-a-kind piece to take home. Guided gallery tours are available for those who want to take a deeper dive into its impressive collections, which include African-American art, art from Asia and the Islamic world, and indigenous American art. DIA offers a number of spaces for rent, including a 1,000-seat theater.
In 2011, Salt and Cedar brought antique printing equipment and a lot of very cool ideas to Detroit’s Eastern Market neighborhood. The 3,000-square-foot studio promotes the arts of bookbinding, letterpress printing and locally sourced cuisine, often combined in novel ways. Planners can arrange private workshops where groups learn how to make their own art books by hand and enjoy a meal prepared from foraged and urban-farmed ingredients.
Dearborn’s Glass Academy gives groups the unique chance to explore glassblowing. Groups as large as 50 can experience a tour of the facilities and live glassblowing demonstration, and groups of six to 32 can try the craft of glassblowing. Participants will be able to create either a flower or a paperweight to take home.
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Since 1903, Pewabic Pottery has produced useful and beautiful clay tiles, vessels and architectural embellishments. Pewabic can host groups as large as 25 in its National Historic Landmark building. Activities can include hands-on tile-making workshops, raku (pottery-making) parties, guided, behind-the-scenes tours of its facilities and cocktail receptions in the lovely tile showroom.
Ann Arbor
A2, or A Squared, as Ann Arbor is known to its friends, is far from square. Just 35 miles west of Detroit, the college town offers a calmer vibe with a thriving cultural scene all its own.
“The Ann Arbor area’s arts and culture scene makes it a favorite meetings destination for those looking for a more unique experience,” says Laura Berarducci, director of marketing at the Ann Arbor Area CVB. “In addition to the city’s non-conventional meeting spaces, like the historic Michigan Theater or one of the downtown galleries, the area’s attractions provide entertaining after-hours activities.”
The Michigan Theater presents fine film and live performances in downtown Ann Arbor. It opened as a cinema and vaudeville palace in 1928, declined after the 1950s, and has been gradually restored to its original grandeur. Its 200-seat screening room is available for daytime rental.
The University of Michigan School of Music’s Hill Auditorium celebrated its centennial in 2013. The impressive 3,500-seat auditorium is available for events. Other University of Michigan cultural venues include the Art Deco 1,125-seat Rackham Auditorium; the oak-paneled, 640-seat, Mendelssohn Theatre; the ultramodern 280-seat Arthur Miller Theatre; and the University of Michigan Museum of Art, with a gorgeous, two-level classical rotunda area graced by skylights.
The Ark is both an intimate music venue and an incubator for new talent. Performers tend to be singer-songwriters; storytellers with roots in folk music. Located in downtown Ann Arbor, the non-profit facility seats approximately 400.
The Purple Rose Theatre in nearby Chelsea presents world-class American plays, both new and classic. The 168-seat theater offers group discounts for 12 or more and is available for private event rentals.
