West Maple Elementary Awarded Grant for Arts and Culture Field Trips

The Michigan Youth Arts Association and Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs awarded $70,000 in grants to area schools this month.

One Birmingham school is among those who received a recent grant to take students on arts and culture field trips this spring as part of the state's Arts and Culture Trek Grant program. This month, the Michigan Youth Arts Association and program co-sponsor, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, announced a total of $70,000 in grants to Michigan schools to defray the cost of transportation for arts and culture-related field trips. The program will support field trips for 19,439 students in 190 schools across the state. Destinations will include The Henry Ford, Arab American National Museum, Detroit Zoo, Holocaust Memorial Center, Detroit Institute of Arts and many others. Birmingham's West Maple Elementary School is among the …

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Birmingham Resident to Represent Oakland County on DIA Board

Birmingham resident Thomas Guastello will represent Oakland County on the Detroit Institute of Arts' board of directors. Fellow Birmingham resident Henry Wineman, meanwhile, is re-elected to the board.

Birmingham resident, attorney and business owner Thomas Guastello is among 11 new members recently named to the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) board of directors. The appointment is part of an agreement following the August approval of a $230 million millage by voters in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne Counties. In return for this financial support, residents and school groups from the three counties that supported the millage receive free admission to the museum for the next decade. As part of the millage, the institute authorities established in each county appointed two members to the board. Hubert Massey and Amy DeBrunner represent Wayne County; Lillian Demas and Donald Ritzenhein represent Macomb county; while Guastello joins Bloomfield …

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Marcia Robovitsky

2:45 pm on Tuesday, December 4, 2012

The DIA millage to give "free" admission for 10 years... after the YES vote this past August.... is already confusing many. Reading the fine print is important. Unfortunately, that fine print is usually not in the ballot language. from an Oakland Press article: http://theoaklandpress.com/articles/2012/12/03/news/local_news/doc50bbad8c7735e612127082.txt?viewmode=fullstory ......"DIA officials …   more ›

What Can You See for Free at the DIA? Vermeer, Picasso, Dalí and More

Here are some of the displays that residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb county can now see for free at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

After tri-county voters passed the DIA millage in the election yesterday, the Detroit Insititue of Arts wants to make sure that residents get their money's worth. “When we announced that we would seek the millage, we pledged that if it were to pass we would provide free admission to residents of all three counties. We are immediately following through on that pledge," said Graham W. J. Beal, DIA director, in a press release. Tri-county voters approved a tax of 0.2 mills for the next 10 years to fund the arts authority, so admission is now free to residents of Oakland, Wayne and Macomb county residents. Here are some of the special exhibits that residents can see: A painting by Johannes Vermeer on loan from the National Gallery of Art in …

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Mark

8:59 pm on Sunday, August 19, 2012

'Fraid not Madame. The last time I posted on here (most recent comment to you excluded) was nine days ago. You have been blathering all over the place ever since.   more ›

DIA, SMART Millage Proposals Ask County Voters to Add, Renew Taxes

Two millage proposals will appear on the Aug. 7 ballots of all Oakland County voters.

After Oakland County voters have nominated their picks for local, county and state offices Aug. 7, they will be asked to vote on two countywide millage proposals. SMART (Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation) and the Oakland County Art Institute Authority are both asking for tax dollars. SMART's .59 mills is up for a two-year renewal, while the art institute millage introduces a new tax to benefit the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) for 10 years. Although the top portion of the primary ballot is partisan, meaning voters must select all Republican or all Democratic candidates, the proposal section is separate. Even if a voter accidentally splits his or her ticket, thus invalidating the partisan portion, the proposals' …

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Letters to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: A Case for the DIA Arts Millage

"The case for the DIA millage is compelling ... for future growth in the arts and the economy. That is pretty good return for about $15 per year," one area resident says.

This letter was received by Birmingham Patch Editor Laura Houser. Voters in Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne Counties will be asked Aug. 7 to approve 0.2 mils for 10 years, which is approximately $15 per year for every $150,000 of a home’s fair market value. This money will go to provide one of many sources of funding needed to support a world-class art museum: the Detroit Institute of Arts. As the vote nears for the Arts Millage in southeast Michigan, I feel compelled to share some of my thoughts. The Detroit Institute of Arts is an irreplaceable resource that brings incredible works of art, film, music, and so much more to our collective Detroit community. I personally choose to pay for a membership so I can enjoy these treasures many times …

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Field Trip Grants Let Birmingham Students Experience Art, History, Stage Shows

Michigan Youth Arts is distributing state money for enrichment outings this spring.

Budget-pinched schools will use newly-announced state support for spring field trips to classical concerts, stage shows, art exhibits and a historical presentation.      Michigan Youth Arts, a nonprofit group based in Royal Oak, this week awarded nearly $39,000 in Arts and Culture Trek grants. Teachers applied for up to $500 to cover transportation costs. Southeast Michigan students from elementary grades through high school will see the Jewish Ensemble Theater in West Bloomfield, Oakland University's Art Gallery in Rochester, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Michigan Opera Theatre, Detroit Institute of Arts and other destinations.   "All students deserve access to a quality education that includes hands-on experiences," says a statement from …

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Michigan Postcard: Quiet Moment Inside the DIA

State's beauty is found indoors, too.

Not all of Michigan's beautiful spots are found outside. Reader Albert "Bud" Waller shared this striking photo taken inside the Detroit Institute of Arts, another of Michigan's jewels. "I was at the DIA for the first time last spring and had my camera with me," the Rochester resident said. "I thought it was an interesting picture for my photo class at the OPC (Older Persons Commission) in Rochester."  To email this photo, just look for the EMAIL button above the headline. To print this photo, see PRINT above. To add a photo, click on "add your photos" under the photo. Do you have a nominee for Michigan Postcard? Nominate it here or email it to beth.valone@patch.com. Be sure to include the following details: More Michigan Postcards

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In Brief: Art from Inside|Out Comes to Birmingham Today

The painting reproductions from the Detroit Institute of Arts will be installed Wednesday at seven locations throughout the city.

The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) will bring seven reproductions of famous paintings to Brimingham on Wednesday as part of its Inside|Out program. The reproductions will be placed at St. James Park, Pembroke Park, the North Old Woodward Parking Garage and at four private properties throughout downtown: The program, now in its second year and sponsored by the DTE Energy Foundation, brings 40 framed, life-size digital reproductions of paintings from the DIA collection to the streets and parks of Metro Detroit. The paintings will be on display through November in various communities throughout Oakland, Macomb, Wayne and Washtenaw counties. Birmingham is part of the second round of the Inside|Out program this year. The first round this …

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