Arts & Entertainment - Museums

October 2008

MUSEUMS

Arab American National Museum: Utopian Visions is a visiting exhibition featuring four female artists who live and work in various locations throughout the world but came together to explore the concept of a perfect world. Rima Al-Awar (North Carolina/Toronto), Rana Chalabi (Cairo, Egypt), Roula Ayoub (Beirut, Lebanon), and Emna Zghai (Tunis, Tunisia/New York) created abstract and figural works, as well as projected images for this project. Through March 29. • SURA Arts Academy Student Photography Exhibition is composed of more than 50 color images shot by middle-school students from southwest Detroit who were taught to look at the various ethnicities and cultures in their community in a new way — through the lens of a camera. Through Nov. 16. • The Arab world has been making contributions in science, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, religion, and art since the Pharaohs. The exhibition Arab Civilization: Our Heritage features Arab contributions to the early world. Ongoing in the Community Courtyard. • Arab-Americans come from a land that stretches from northern Africa to western Asia. The diversity can be as vast as the land, but they all have a shared sense of history and language, which they brought to America, starting about 1880. Coming to America features these immigrants and the culture they brought. Ongoing in Gallery 1. • Living in America exhibits early Arab-American life and the integral part they played in the early history of the United States. Ongoing exhibit in Gallery 2. • Making an Impact celebrates the stories of Arab-American athletes, organizations, physicians, labor leaders, and entertainers. One featured person is Detroit-born journalist Helen Thomas. Ongoing exhibit in Gallery 3. Tickets are $10-$12. Call for details. $3-$6. 13624 Michigan Ave., Dearborn; 313-582-2266; arabamericanmuseum.org.

Birmingham Historical Museum & Park: Quilts from the Chatfield-Hersey Family features nine handcrafted quilts and a nearly 200-year history of a family’s pioneering connection to this area. Continues through Oct. 25. Admission is $1-$2. The intersection of Maple and Southfield roads in Birmingham; 248-642-2817; ci.birmingham.mi.us.

Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History: Contemporary Artist: The Art of ´Jide Aje features paintings by a local artist who keeps his studio in Hamtramck and earned his fine-arts degree in Nigeria. Through Oct. 19. • Tutankhamun is back — or at least a skillful reproduction of the traveling exhibition from the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, that toured the world from 1961 to 1981. Presented in five chambers, the exhibit takes the viewer from an introduction to ancient Egypt, through archaeological discovery, to view the private and public pharaoh, and a royal burial. Through January. • Stories in Stained Glass: The Art of Samuel A. Hodge, a series of intricate and colorful works focusing on three areas of African-American culture and history — musicians, dancers, and freedom advocates — is one of the ongoing exhibits in the Main Level Corridor. • A Is for Africa includes 26 interactive stations making up a 3-D “dictionary” designed for children. Ongoing in the Lower Level Corridor. • And Still We Rise: Our Journey Through African American History and Culture is an expansive, evolving exhibit that recounts the 3.5-million-year-old odyssey that began in Africa and ends in Detroit. Ongoing in the Core Exhibition Gallery. • Genealogy, a work designed by local artist Hubert Massey, depicts the struggles of African-Americans in the United States. Ongoing on the Main Level. • Detroit Performs is a photomontage dedicated to those who have gained national and international prominence in the performing arts. Ongoing in the Main Level Corridor. • Target has initiated a program of Free First Sundays at the museum; general admission at other times is $5-$8. 315 E. Warren, Detroit; 313-494-5800; maah-detroit.org.

Cranbrook Institute of Science: Bring the little ones to Cranbrook to experiment with someone else’s playthings in Science in Toyland, a highly interactive exhibit that develops scientific reasoning and research skills. The Institute partnered with the Organization for Bat Conservation to move The Bat Zone, creating the museum’s traveling exhibit called Bats: Myths and Mysteries. Visitors can visit with live bats and learn about the common misconceptions that cause people to harbor fears. Both exhibits run through January. General admission is $6-$8. Daily hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Fridays 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. 39221 Woodward, Bloomfield Hills; 1-877-462-7262; science.cranbrook.edu.

Detroit Historical Museum: The museum recently opened four new exhibits. • Automotive Showplace celebrates the Model T centennial by displaying a “Tin Lizzie” from 1911. • Hero or Villain: Metro Detroit’s Legacy of Leadership examines the controversial lives of 16 public figures from the area’s past 300 years, including Augustus Woodward, Jimmy Hoffa, and Coleman Young. • 100 Years Ago allows visitors to relate to past Detroiters through different forms of media that captured daily life in 1908. • Fabulous 5 will add “Detroit’s Entertainment Venues” to its showcase of local pop culture. • As men were building Detroit’s landscape of the early 20th century, Amy Lorimer was painting it. The exhibit Detroit Artist Showcase is a mini-gallery of paintings by this historic Detroit artist. Permanent exhibitions include Streets of Old Detroit, Frontiers to Factories, The Motor City, and The Glancy Trains. General admission $4-$6. 5401 Woodward, Detroit; 313-833-1805; detroithistorical.org.

Dossin Great Lakes Museum: Smugglers on the Straits examines a tradition of transporting cargo, goods, even people, and how it has changed in the course of three centuries in this region. • Fun, Fast & Fancy: Great Lakes Yachts takes a fanciful look at what yachting has looked like over the years along the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair. Both exhibits through April. 100 Strand, Belle Isle, Detroit; 313-833-1805; detroithistorical.org.

Exhibit Museum of Natural History: A History of Pipes, part of the University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology’s collection of pipes, is a display of 15 types of smoking instruments, tracing the history and materials used for a leisure-time activity that has fallen out of favor. Through March. • Casting Tradition: Contemporary Brassworking in Ghana, exhibits the evolution of a 500-year tradition practiced by Ghana’s Akan people. The exhibit showcases objects from the town of Krofrom, along with interviews, historical interpretations, and media displays of the entire casting process. Through May. Relics pays tribute to ingenious gadgets, such as a mirrored ball, rotating galaxy projector, video projector masks, and much more — some pieced together with unexpected household items. On display indefinitely. • Dinosaur Tours are offered at 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. • Planetarium Shows are generally presented at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. weekdays; call for weekend dates. • The Zula Patrol: Under the Weather, an animated adventure about weather, plays at 12:30 weekdays. • Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity explains the formation of the early universe. At 2:30 p.m. weekdays. Planetarium prices are $4.75. Free. University of Michigan Campus, 1109 Geddes Ave., Ann Arbor; 734-764-0478; lsa.umich.edu/exhibitmuseum.

Henry Ford: Heroes of the Sky explores adventures in early aviation. Permanent exhibit. • With Liberty and Justice for All explores the struggles that arise when free men and women actually try to be free. This exhibit assembles a collection of national artifacts highlighting four pivotal periods of history, beginning with the American Revolution and ending in the 1960s with the civil-rights movement. Permanent exhibit. • The automobile ultimately shaped American culture as we know it today. Automobiles in American Life honors this great invention by featuring milestones, including the 15 millionth Model T produced, as well as the Ford Mustang. Permanent exhibit. 20900 Oakwood Blvd., Dearborn; 313-982-6001; thehenryford.org.

Greenfield Village: Halloween in Greenfield Village happens for three consecutive weekends: You’ll be haunted as you journey through a turn-of-the-20th-century town, following a path of hand-carved jack-o’-lanterns. Beware of the headless horseman, wicked witches, and spooky townies! Time slots are every half hour from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Oct. 10-12, 17-19, 24-26. • Nearly 100 historical buildings are here; visit notable attractions such as the birthplace of Henry Ford, Noah Webster’s home, and the home of Robert Frost. $14-$20. 20900 Oakwood Blvd., Dearborn; 313-982-6001; thehenryford.org.

International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit: Three permanent exhibits are on display: The Ethel Averbach Dolls of the World, the Flags of the World, and the Mr. and Mrs. Larry S. Wilkonson Immigrant Ship Collection. Free. There’s also the International Café on the lower level. 111 E. Kirby, Detroit; 313-871-8600; iimd.org.

Motown Historical Museum: The museum at Hitsville U.S.A. houses Motown’s original recording Studio A, where stars such as Diana Ross and the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, and The Jackson 5 recorded their first hits. $5-$8. 2648 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit; 313-875-2264; motownmuseum.com.
New Detroit Science Center: The Chrysler Imax Dome Theatre is now showing: Mysteries of the Great Lakes and Grand Canyon Adventure. General plus Imax admission $11.95 and up. 5020 John R, Detroit; 313-577-8400; detroitsciencecenter.org.

Selfridge Military Air Museum: Planes are the thing, from the indoor armed forces exhibits to Navy and Air Force planes outside. Tours by appointment. $3. Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Hall and Jefferson, Harrison Township; 586-307-5035; selfridge-airmuseum.org.

This article appears in the October 2008 of Hour Detroit.
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