May 2017
News and Current Exhibits
Special Programs
Behind the Scenes and Historic Houses of Worship Tours
May Store SpecialsNEWS
Here Comes the Q Line!
On Friday, May 12, the Q Line, Detroit’s new circulating streetcar loop, opens for passenger service on Woodward Ave. As we celebrate its opening weekend, learn more about the history of transit in the Motor City-including some lofty plans and false starts-in a special mini-exhibit. We’ll also have special discounts in our museum store and easy parking to try out the streetcar yourself!
Learn more about the Q Line and view a map of station stops at m-1rail.com.
Detroit 67 Media Coverage: Then and Now
May 13, 2017 11 am – 1 pm
On July 28, 1967, President Lyndon Johnson established the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorder, which came to become known as the Kerner Commission, to look into what happened in the summer of 1967. This “Detroit 1967 Media Coverage: Then & Now” panel series will dissect the Commission’s findings and recommendations around the news media.
An expert panel of journalists and community leaders – including Rochelle Riley, Ike McKinnon, Keith Owens, Shirley Stancato, Tim Kiska, Luther Keith, Brenda Peek, and Bill McGraw – will gather for a stimulating conversation on the Kerner Report’s critique: “What did the Kerner Commission Report say about the news media?” and “Have media outlets adopted the Kerner Report’s recommendations?”
Admission is free! This series will continue with another event on July 27, 2017.Hosted by the WGPR Historical Society and the National Association of Black Journalists, Detroit Chapter
Detroit 1967 Book Launch Celebration
May 18, 2017 6 – 8 pm
Join us on Thursday, May 18 to celebrate the release of Detroit 1967: Origins, Impacts, Legacies published by Wayne State University Press! Editor Joel Stone and contributors including Ken Coleman, Peter Hammer, Thomas Klug, Danielle McGuire, and Marsha Music will read from their essays and participate in a roundtable discussion on the often-misunderstood events of 1967. The program begins at 6 pm.
After the panel, guests are invited to a reception featuring complimentary light appetizers and books available for purchase and signing.
Limited parking will be available in the museum parking lot or via the Detroit Institute of Arts and Wayne State University.
Admission is free but guests are asked to register at eventbrite.com.
Jazz on the Streets of Old Detroit
May 25, 2017 6 – 9 pm
Tickets: $15 in advance, $20 at the door
Join us for an exciting evening on Thursday, May 25 when ground breaking jazz group Straight Ahead performs on “Jazz on the Streets of Old Detroit” at the Detroit Historical Museum. This event continues the Jazz on the Streets of Old Detroit, a quarterly music series hosted by the Black Historic Sites Committee.
Out of Detroit’s lively jazz scene, which has produced some of the best musicians in the world, comes jazz group Straight Ahead. A group of strong, inventive instrumentalists and vocalists, they have shown themselves to be powerful and imaginative composers and arrangers. Widely recognized for their eclectic and soulful approach to creating music, the Straight Ahead sound ranges comfortably from mainstream jazz, contemporary jazz, latin and jazzy hip-hop. Their live performances are a dynamic celebration of power and joy with a wide range of musical textures, moods and tempos. Straight Ahead has been consistently recognized for its creativity, musicianship and dedication to making great music. In 2016, the band received an award for Best Jazz Band from the Detroit Musicians Entertainment Assoc. Straight Ahead was inducted into the Detroit Music Awards Hall of Fame in 2009.
We hope you will help the Black Historic Sites Committee continue Detroit’s jazz legacy by attending this celebration. Light refreshments are included in the ticket price.
Tickets are available for purchase online. You may also purchase tickets by phone by contacting Charnae Sanders at 313-833-0277.
Forged by Fire: Detroit’s Riots and Rebellions
and Turbulent Racial History Tour
May 27, 2017 10 – 11:30 am
The Detroit Historical Museum is thrilled to present a series of tours focused on the history, experiences and enduring influence of African Americans in Detroit. Jamon Jordan, founder of the Black Scroll Network, is the tour guide for this series.
Each 90-minute tour takes place entirely within the Detroit Historical Museum.
Tickets are $15 per person, per tour. Register early! There are only 25 tickets available for each tour.
Forged By Fire: Detroit’s Riots & Rebellions and Turbulent Racial History
Saturday, May 27 | 10-11:30 a.m.
Detroit has been the center for uprisings from the 1700s to the present-day. From Pontiac’s Rebellion in 1763 to the Blackburn Uprising in 1833 to the race riots in 1863 and 1943, all the way to the 1967 Rebellion, Detroit has had a turbulent history, especially regarding the issue of racial tension, and understanding this history is a first step in addressing the underlying issues that caused them, and prevent them from
happening again.
CURRENT EXHIBITS
Community Gallery exhibitions are supported by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Now Open in the Community Gallery! ARISE Detroit – Neighborhoods Rising
showcases the efforts of Detroiters to improve their communities through 10 years of participation in the annual ARISE Detroit! Neighborhoods Day. It also spotlights some of the many neighborhoods of Detroit in pictures, video and exhibit artifacts. We invite you to take an inspiring walk through the neighborhoods of Detroit!
Now Open in the Automotive Showplace!
The 1913 Bi-Autogo was designed and built with the first V-8 engine in Detroit by James Scripps Booth. At a cost of $25,000, this one-of-a-kind experimental model is the world’s first large, two-wheeled automobile. The automobile weighs 3,200 pounds and the front end is made of cast aluminum and the rest of sheet aluminum. The side wheels are retractable but must be raised manually. Thank you to Mobsteel for their recent restoration of this vehicle!
Now Open in the Detroit Artists Showcase!
In September 2015, 1xRUN and the Eastern Market Corporation partnered to develop and implement the Murals In The Market public art project. Detroit’s historic Eastern Market became the center of the city’s public art movement. This inaugural festival invited dozens of world-class local and international artists to create murals that embodied the spirit of Detroit and strengthened the market’s cultural legacy by making it a must-see public art destination. This exhibition showcases limited edition prints of the murals that were displayed at Inner State Gallery.
SPECIAL PROGRAMS
Spring Film Series:
Detroit: Remember When, Houses of Worship
Saturday, May 13 and Sunday, May 14 | 3 p.m.
Detroit Historical Museum
Running time: 90 minutes
Detroit and its surrounding communities are home to some of the most historic and architecturally significant religious buildings in the country. As immigrants from around the world swelled Detroit’s population, they brought their faith and cultural traditions with them and reflected those traditions in the churches, synagogues, and mosques they erected. This film takes viewers on a one-hour tour of eight of the area’s most revered religious facilities representing a range of faiths and traditions. In many cases, images of the current and earlier structures will help tell these transformative stories.
Shown at the Detroit Historical Museum. Running time: 90 minutes. Admission is FREE.
More Bob-Lo Memories
Saturday, May 13 and Sunday, May 14 | 2 p.m.
Dossin Great Lakes Museum
Running time: 77 minutes
Mildred and Richard Loving knew it was technically illegal for them to live as a married couple in Virginia because she was of African American and Native American descent and he was white. But they never expected to be woken up in their bedroom and arrested one night in 1958. The documentary brings to life the Lovings’ marriage and the legal battle that followed through little-known filmed interviews and photographs shot for Life magazine. Made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle program.
Shown at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum. Running Time: 77 minutes
BEHIND THE SCENES TOURS
The new Behind the Scenes Tour schedule will be released on June 1! Watch our website for updates.
May 22 – Ann Arbor Adventure
Spring tickets still available!
HISTORIC HOUSES OF WORSHIP TOURS
Since 1972, the Historic Houses of Worship tours have acquainted Metro Detroiters with the contributions that religious institutions have made in the development of our community.
All tours run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and depart from and return to the Detroit Historical Museum. The cost is $40 for Detroit Historical Society members and $50 for guests. Your tour fee includes motor coach transportation with docent commentary, historical presentations at each tour stop, lunch, and donations sent back to each location.
Upcoming tours:
JUNE 5, 2017 – SOLD OUT
St. John Paul II Parish
Immaculate Conception
Holy Cross Polish National Catholic Church
St. Florian
Our Lady of the Rosary
MAY SPECIALS
Mother Day items: colorful tiles by Pewabic Pottery and Motawi Tileworks 10% off
National Teacher Day items for your favorite teacher – 20% off Gallopade books
Nurses day – use images of our WWII posters Cadet Nurse – 10% off
Armed Forces Day items – WWII posters and magnets 10% off
Members receive an extra 10% off sale prices!
See Museum Store for Details. Exclusions May Apply.
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5401 Woodward Ave. 100 Strand Dr.
Detroit, MI 48202 Belle Isle, Detroit, MI 48207
(313) 833-1805
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