Today we enjoyed a wonderful presentation by David Flynn, the Executive Director of Public Affairs at the DIA.
The Detroit Institute of Arts began on Jefferson in 1888 and moved to its current location in 1927. Its annual budget is $35 million with 350 full time employees. The past 10 years have been extremely challenging for the museum. The 2008 recession resulted in the loss of City of Detroit money and many large private donors. This led to a millage being sought and ultimately approved by the Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne County voters in 2012. These funds pay for 2/3 of the budget each year. Then came the Detroit bankruptcy. Since the City owned the building and the artwork, those in power at the DIA had to be very creative in ascertaining ownership of the art to argue against selling any of it to satisfy the City’s debt. The DIA has been described as the most visitor friendly museum in the world. There is free admission to residents of the 3 counties, multiple school field trip opportunities (buses provided), a senior program, and community partnership programs. Upcoming exhibits include Play Ball and Star Wars: The Power of Costume. To learn more, visit www.dia.org.