Celebrate the arts and culture of Detroit

Beyond its automotive heritage, Detroit offers numerous additional reasons to visit—so much so that the mayor declared 2021 as a year of arts and culture in the city. Our guide shows where to find world-renowned art and music, ethnic heritage and cuisine, and a multitude of participatory experiences.

Perhaps this art-filled town’s most famous work is Diego Rivera’s large-scale Detroit Industry Murals, 27 frescoed panels that surround a gracious interior courtyard at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Now a National Historic Landmark, Rivera’s early-’30s piece is a testament to the sweat and muscle that built the Motor City.

The Marxist artist’s fondness for the laborer is evident in depictions of not only industry workers but also of scientists working in pharmaceutical labs, secretaries, accountants, and even a handful of allegorical nudes. You could happily spend a few hours poring over it all, plus there’s so much more in the museum, including special collections of African and African American art.

Once you’ve whetted your appetite for murals, head toward the Eastern Market, where dozens of painted walls adorn the surrounding streets, the products of an annual public art festival, Murals in the Market, that’s been running since 2015.

For still more contemporary art, often with an urban and local bent, make your way to the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, located in a former auto dealership not far from DIA.

Or stroll through the galleries of historic ceramics at Pewabic Pottery, a National Historic Landmark. Afterward, watch as artisans continue the pottery studio’s century-old traditions. (Hands-on workshops for guests may return once COVID-19 restrictions end.)

Blacks represent Detroit’s single greatest cultural presence, accounting for about 77 percent of the city’s population. Visitors can learn more at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. Founded by an enterprising Detroit physician more than 50 years ago, the museum has a comprehensive collection of artifacts that celebrate Black achievement as well as recognize the adversity.

In nearby Dearborn, the Arab American National Museum, which claims to be the only such museum in the United States, documents that community’s contributions to the economic, political, and cultural landscapes of American life.

Detroit’s neighborhoods have always pulsed with immigrant energy, perhaps none more so than Greektown, a thriving neighborhood that traces its roots to the early 20th-century newcomers who opened businesses not far from the riverfront. Over the past decades, the area has morphed into a nighttime entertainment district—there’s even a casino—but Greek customs and costumes are on full display during various celebrations and holidays throughout the year.

Motown is just the beginning of the long relationship between pop music and Detroit, and certainly every visitor should visit the record label’s studio and museum.

But native sons like rocker and guitarist extraordinaire Jack White (be sure to check out his Third Man Records shop in Midtown) and rapper Eminem have continued Detroit’s tradition of vibrant contributions to contemporary music.

Less generally known is that Detroit also bills itself as the birthplace of techno and recognizes that heritage by presenting the Movement Electronic Music Festival each Memorial Day weekend.

The city also offers classical and jazz music, dance and opera companies, and big-name acts at the Fox Theatre, an opulent movie palace–turned–performing arts center.

Theater buffs can select from a host of small repertories or catch Broadway productions at the Fisher Theatre, located in an art deco skyscraper.

Organizations like Destination Detroit Tours, Wheelhouse Detroit, and Show Me Detroit Tours offer a host of ways to dig deeper into the city. Examples include a tasty food foray on foot, an artsy architecture adventure by bike, or a lay of the land tour via chauffeured van.

Finish up the day by learning a lesson in libations at Castalia at Sfumato. When the sun’s rays warm its red-brick Victorian home in Midtown, this shop sells its own fragrance blends, but as darkness falls, the space transforms into a bar, where the drinks are inspired by the scents. Classes like “The Molecules of Rum” and “Gin Botanicals” not only bestow you with impressive cocktail-making skills but also enhance your enjoyment of the results.

Based in Philadelphia, JoAnn Greco writes about urban destinations frequently. Over the years, she’s become a big fan of the wealth of surprises that Detroit offers to visitors.