GO SEE: DANCE! AMERICAN ART 1830-1960 EXHIBITION AT THE DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ARTS & #JOINTHEDANCE
Dance! American Art 1830-1960 includes 19th-century paintings that portray dances from America’s diverse communities, from the sacred dances of indigenous North Americans to Irish jigs and Spanish flamencos; paintings that show class distinctions, from the refined quadrille to a sidewalk tarantella; pastoral fantasies of expressive dances performed outdoors; paintings from the turn of the 20th century featuring international female superstars; works by Harlem Renaissance artists who challenged negative stereotypes and sought to create and sustain a vibrant cultural identity; and modern objects that demonstrate a fluid dialogue between visual artists, dancers and choreographers.
Salome Dancer, 1909 (oil on canvas) by Henri, Robert Cozad (1865-1929); 196.2×93.8 cm; Mead Art Museum, Amherst College, MA, USA.
The exhibition brings together some of the greatest 19th‐century American artists, including John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer and Mary Cassatt; spotlights the superstars of the Harlem Renaissance, such as Aaron Douglas, William Johnson and James VanDerZee, and features artists who shaped the aesthetics of modern dance, including Isamu Noguchi, Jasper Johns, and Andy Warhol.
“Dance has such a rich history in America,” said Salvador Salort-Pons, DIA director. “This exhibition provides an opportunity to see the variety of ways a wide range of artists interpret this important aspect of American culture.” The artworks carry the theme of dance through diverse segments of American culture, among them sacred dances of indigenous North Americans, the history of African American dance forms; paintings from the turn of the 20th century featuring international female superstars; works by Harlem Renaissance artists who challenged negative stereotypes and sought to create and sustain a vibrant cultural identity; and modern objects that demonstrate a fluid dialogue between visual artists, dancers and choreographers.
Five videos in the exhibition highlight the performance aspect of dance and include historic footage and contemporary dancers discussing and demonstrating American ballet, tap and Detroit’s own dance legacies. These include Haleem Rasul and members of Hardcore Detroit; Michigan native Amber Neumann, currently with the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago; Russ Tallchief, Taildancer for the Greyhorse District of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma and great-°©‐nephew of ballet performer Maria Tallchief; Francesca Harper, a choreographer from New York; and Tommy DeFrantz, professor of Dance and African American Studies at Duke University who served as creative director for the videos.
At a time when the political environment of the city of Detroit and the United States as a whole seems tense and on-edge, this exhibition reminds attendees to loosen up and to remember to move, breath, and have a bit of fun.
Dance! American Art 1830–1960 will travel to the Denver Art Museum, July 10–October 2, 2016 and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, October 22, 2016–January 16, 2017.
Attendees are encouraged to interact with the exhibition on social media and use the #JOINTHEDANCE hashtag to capture their experience! Tickets are $14 for adults, $10 for Wayne, Oakland and Macomb county residents, $7 for ages 6–17, $5 for Wayne, Oakland and Macomb county residents ages 6–17, and free for DIA members.
Admission is FREE every Friday!
Ash Nowak & Jon Dones, AKA Haute to Death. Detroit Nightlife & Party Curators. Image courtesy PLAYGROUND DETROIT,
The DIA is hosting an incredible roster of dance-focusing programming for the duration of the exhibition. These events are open to all ages, mostly FREE and experience levels and should be explored to experience the exhibition even further. Check out our top selections below and see more here.
Moving with Detroit Dance Magazine Launch Party
April 8, 2016, 4 p.m.
Free admission
Event includes an “Innovation in the Arts: Audience Engagement” panel featuring local and national presenters and dance companies doing innovative work in audience engagement. The panel will be followed up by the 2016 Moving with Detroit Dance Magazine launch party. Event co–sponsored by ARTLAB J, Marcus White/White Werx, UMS, and Detroit Institute of Arts.
Dancing in the DIA: Dance Chance
Sunday, April 17, 11 a.m.
Free with museum admission, Detroit Institute of Arts: Great Hall
Join the choreographers of Detroit’s ARTLAB J as they explore dance created by “chance procedure,” a method integral to the works of renowned modern choreographer Merce Cunningham. This creative movement class features dance games, including one that had the audience members create their own compositions using dice to decide the choreography. Dancing in the DIA is designed for audiences of all ages to join in movement classes and informal performances, exploring dance as an expression of personal creativity and joy. No experience necessary, but a sense of fun is highly recommended.
Close-up of The Bear Dance, courtesy of DIA Website.
Dancing in the DIA: Loie Fuller and the Many Colored Scarves
April 23, 2016, 11 a.m.
Free with museum admission, Detroit Institute of Arts: Great Hall
Scarves have been used in dance for centuries, but it was the American Loie Fuller who popularized the magic of dancing fabric in the early 1900s. This creative movement class with ARTLAB J will explore, with audience participation, how to make scarves dance. Dancing in the DIA is designed for audiences of all ages to join in movement classes and informal performances, exploring dance as an expression of personal creativity and joy. No experience necessary, but a sense of fun is highly recommended.
Canvas to Dance: Ryan Myers Johnson
April 29, 2016, 4 p.m.
Free with museum admission, Detroit Institute of Arts: Great Hall
Canvas to Dance features leading Detroit choreographers who either demonstrate the many dance traditions depicted in the exhibition, or freely interpret them in the context of contemporary styles.
Museum Hours and Admission
9a.m.–4p.m. Tuesdays–Thursdays, 9a.m.–10p.m. Fridays, 10a.m.–5p.m.Saturdays and Sundays.
General Admission (excludes ticketed exhibitions) is free for Wayne, Oakland and Macomb county residents and DIA members.
For all others, $12.50 for adults, $8 for seniors ages 62+, $6 for ages 6–17.
FEATURED IMAGE: Arthur Frank Mathews, ca. 1917, oil on canvas. Collection of the Oakland Museum of California, Gift of Concours d’Antiques, the Art Guild. A66.196.24
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