On Friday, September 3, I was in Detroit, Michigan. I was in the city on business, but I had been told by a client who resides in Windsor that the collection in Detroit was worth seeing. It was an easy 3 1/2 hour drive down the 401 early in the morning. The Detroit Art Institute opened its doors at the usual time of 10 a.m. There were no people in line, no crowds. What followed for me was a surreal experience. I had the museum to myself. The security people and volunteer guides were absolutely fantastic in their knowledge, enthusiasm and professionalism. I for once, was the student. For four hours I looked, listened and learned. In one room, I was able to stand literally centimetres away from a middle-aged Rembrandt. The Picassos alone in another room could buy entire collections north of the border. The entire experience was tinged with melancholy. Some guides were old enough to remember their beloved Detroit in the glory days before recessions, before Bush, before cheap imports, before the fuel crisis, before the Ford Pinto. As I stood in front of the DIA's signature piece by Diego Rivera-a piece dedicated to the positive and negative effects of modern technology-the irony hit me. The piece was completed in the early 1930's. Tough times.
I wondered why it took me so long to finally visit. As a visual arts teacher in the 1980's and 90's I had organized dozens of field trips to European and North American cities. I never once pondered Detroit yet I knew of the collection-many of the works were featured in art history lessons. Ah yes, Detroit was known to be dangerous-you just stayed away. The truth is, on a windy, sunny Friday in September I felt absolutely safe and humbled in the knowledge that I missed an opportunity as a teacher. The DIA is a must see-all aspects of the space are truly remarkable. It is a sharp contrast to our new AGO as it celebrates its art deco and traditional architecture-it also is a safe, interesting day trip for students from the G.T.A.