This is Impossible!

I heard a kid say that to his mom last night at the DIA drop-in workshop for watercolor postcards.

Every Friday, the DIA is open until 10pm.  During this time, there are live music performances (last night was ZoZo Afrobeat, which I heard was awesome), drop-in art-making workshops, cash bars throughout the museum (I'd be lying if I said this didn't make me a little nervous), lectures, and other small events inside the galleries.

My dad and I used to go almost every Friday when I was younger.  I saw (and met!) Richie Havens there when I was in high school.  It was groovy.

So last night, I stayed late at the museum (My advisor told me that I should spend the night at the museum to ensure that I acheive my 320 hour minimum...) to observe a Friday Night Live from the perspective of a program evaluator, rather than a visitor.

There were lots of people, and ZoZo Afrobeat seemed to be filling the Detroit Film Theatre Auditorium to the rafters.  It was a great night.

Then I decided to check out the drop-in workshop to see what their turnout was like, and what kind of projects everyone was making.  I was pleased to see a diverse group of families, young adults, and seniors all painting postcards.  I walked around and asked a few kids what they were painting.  Most gave me an answer; stars, mountains, etc.

But when I asked one third grade boy what he was painting he said, "I don't know..."  To which I replied, "That's ok, you don't have to know."  And I was surprised by his next outburst of "This is impossible!!"

That's when his mother pulled me aside and told me the poor kid had just had a "meltdown" a few minutes prior to my arrival.  He was so intimidated and frustrated by the lack of instruction for this (seemingly simple) project that he simply shut down.

His mom then told me that in his art classes in school, he is usually given very specific instructions.  The kids are told what to paint and how to paint it, without much room for creative variances.  I found this surprising and asked what school district he is in.  Quite frankly, I was expecting her to tell me he was in a Detroit Public School (DPS is not known for their fantastic art programs).  But no, he attends a Grosse Pointe school-- one of the best around, for that matter.

I was stunned.

Earlier that afternoon, I had visited the DIA gift shop, searching for childrens' books for a girlfriend's upcoming baby shower.  While there, I found this book for myself:

One of my big, final projects last semester was about how to talk about art with kids in a museum setting.  It was a historical project that looked at methods of teaching art criticism from the Picture Study Movement of the late 1800's, through The Feldman Model and finally the contemporary Visual Thinking Strategies.

So naturally, I was interested in this book and thought it was worth my 17 bucks.

I don't know much about teaching art to children-- I have but one semester's worth of knowledge and zero experience.  But I knew that this poor kid was struggling and that whatever method was being used in his school is not doing him any good.  Frankly, it sounds like he's in an art class from the turn of the century.  His mother even disclosed that while he enjoys art, he will often open up an art book and copy the pictured works, almost exactly.

I told her that while I don't think there is any real danger in allowing him to copy works in an effort to hone his technical skills, I do find it somewhat concerning that he found the presentation of a blank postcard and a palette of paint to be so upsetting. 

I then asked if this was their first time in an art class or drop-in workshop at the DIA.  She said yes and I suggested that this should not be the last.  From the research I've been doing for these program synopsis sheets, I learned a lot about the techniques used in the studio classes for kids.  They actually use a VTS method, which I found interesting as I could picture no way to use VTS in a studio setting-- until I read their descriptions. 

The classes are structured enough to prevent frustration fueled meltdowns, but are open enough to allow for a certain amount of creative expression.  I told this mom that if her kid has an interest in art, but is afraid of working without specific instruction, that the DIA Art Exploration Camps would be a good place to start.

While I felt badly that this poor kid was having such a rough time, it felt really good that I could be somewhat knowledgeable about his problem and helpful in suggesting a possible solution.

Check Mate

I feel as though I have been given a job that I don't deserve.

One of my intern tasks is to research all of the DIA's programs and do a short, one-page write up on each of them, expressing the program's value to the museum and community.  Essentially, I am presenting information about the programs (revenue, people served, frequency, target audiences, etc.) and then stating why the DIA should continue these programs and why you, the public, should support them.

Basically, I've been asked to determine which programs are of any value.

So I've been going through this list of 100 some programs and making up these little synopses or info-sheets.  I think I have 6 done so far.  Because there's a fair amount of research involved, it's not a terribly expedient process.

But anyway, today I was working on the synopsis for the Detroit City Chess Club, and I was astounded.  The kids in the DCCC have won all kinds of awards, scholarships and trophies for playing competitive chess.  There are over 200 kids, from 50 schools in the Detroit Metro area, but none of these schools will give the club any space to meet and play chess.  Super lame, DPS.  So the DIA stepped in and every Friday, gives the DCCC enough space for dozens of chess games.  It's really something to see.

I've walked past this event for the past several weeks, and I'm always impressed.  First of all, I think it's just plain cool to see twenty or so school kids playing chess among 400 year old suits of armor. 

Secondly, I am always amazed by how much these kids seem to genuinely enjoy the game of chess.  They're always smiling and laughing and cheering each other on.  Some of them get so excited that they can't stand to sit in a chair, and end up pacing around the tables while playing. 

The other great thing about this program is that it takes place on Friday nights.  The DIA is open to the public until 10pm on Fridays for a program called "Friday Night Live".  As a result, lots of people are walking by the DCCC set up, and many stop to play a game with the kids, or among themselves-- which the DCCC both welcomes and encourages.

So not only do we give the DCCC a place to play, but we also get the general public interacting with Detroit school kids and playing chess-- thus witnessing the DIA's civic engagement and developing a positive image of the DIA as an active member of the Detroit community.

There has been much debate in the museum world concerning the "function" or "purpose" of museums.  Should they really be turned into community centers?  Or should their mission center solely on the care of artworks?

I know that many of my peers shudder to think of the museum being transformed into a community center.  But I think it works here.  Detroit is something of a special case these days.  All of the city's organizations need to work together to make sure that their kids aren't falling through the cracks of this deeply cracked city.  I don't mean to be harsh on the City of Detroit.  I love Detroit, and I'm not afraid to say it.  While I see a lot of negatives in the DPS and other areas, I see as many positives in programs like those at the DIA that are actively supporting the city's students.

And if I haven't mentioned it yet, I need to do so now:  Chess is great.  It is a highly strategic game that develops critical thinking, and parents of chess club members have reported improvements in their kids' self-esteem and GPA. 

For an organization like the DIA, which so highly values critical thinking, a partnership with the DCCC seems like a no-brainer.  DCCC kids and their families are also frequently offered VTS tours of the collections-- another way of developing critical thinking skills in students. 

Thus, in my most humble intern opinion, I see the Detroit City Chess Club as being one of the most valuable programs at the DIA.


All of the photos came from the chess club's website, www.detroitcitychessclub.com

VIP

Somehow, when I pictured myself working in a museum, I always imagined myself in an office stacked with books and full of priceless artifacts.  Now here I am in a sea of grey cubicles.  The third floor of the DIA is not glamorous.  Even the director's office is just a modified cubicle with a door.

Most of the windows don't even look outside-- they're all interior windows (partly a result of the renovation) that look into interior courts or directly into other walls.  Which is why I was surprised to walk out of my cubicle corner and see this:

An unusual sight in the hallway...

Hey, I wasn't done with the comics yet!

Yes, that's right.  They put newspaper over our (interior) windows!  These windows weren't all that exciting to begin with, so it was disturbing that someone felt the need to cover them entirely.

You can see that they look out onto... nothing:

Our now papered windows, looking at a wall.

Odd and sad.

I haven't been at the DIA very long, but this was the first time I had seen something like this.  There had been rumblings throughout the week about a "VIP luncheon" that would be happening on Wednesday.  I figured there might be some connection... but what?

As it turned out, it was no big deal at all.  The "VIP" guest was only the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama.  Who cares, right?

Needless to say, the entire museum had gone bananas.  All of the office windows were covered in paper (lest us common-folk lay eyes on the first lady), the museum was on lock-down, and there were more police officers than I had ever seen in one place.  It was something to behold. 

All day on Wednesday, if I wanted to go from my office to the Kresge Court (which I did want to do... about 6 times that day) I had to go outside of the building and walk along Woodward Ave., then re-enter the building from the other side.  I was just happy that it was a warm and sunny day.  If it had been raining, I think the Obamas' approval rating would have dropped significantly in the City of Detroit.

On one of my many walks around the building that day, I noticed something strange about the grand Woodward entrance-- it was open.

Mrs. Obama uses the front door.

As I mentioned in another post, the Woodward entrance is not functional, and thus remains gated at all times... unless, of course, the first lady is visiting. 

Mrs. Obama was speaking at Wayne State University that day to a group of students about things like education and leadership.  I am told it was a great speech, and I have no doubt that it was.  I, however, missed it while I was running laps around the museum.  After her speech, Mrs. Obama held a luncheon for 200 of these students and their celebrity mentors at the DIA.  The celebrity mentors included people like Spike Lee, Magic Johnson, and Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (which one of these things is not like the other?).

For the duration of this event, I was either leaving tracks on the museum's lawn or I was stationed in the Kresge Court, administering a staff engagement survey.  While I found the survey to actually be somewhat interesting, the rest of the museum staff was more "engaged" with Mrs. Obama.  I hear that many were standing on chairs and climbing onto window ledges (apparently some were left paper-free) to catch a glimpse of the first lady.

A co-worker managed to get this photo as she was entering the building (not through the Woodward entrance, I might add).  Mrs. Obama would be that little pink blip near the center of the photo:

Exciting, right?

For as ridiculous as it seemed to demand that I walk outside of the building all day, I will say that normal museum operations appeared to be generally uninterrupted.  The museum remained open for its usual hours, and there was even a full schedule of school groups and tours.  I think that just goes to show how these large-scale institutions are able to act as well-oiled machines. 

However, I know that it is the excellent DIA staff, walking around with oil cans, that really keep things running smoothly.  I don't believe I have mentioned yet how impressed I am with the staff at the DIA.  Not only are they professional and extremely knowledgeable about pretty much everything-- but they are some of the most friendly people I have ever worked with.  In the few weeks that I have been interning, everyone has been happy to answer my questions, and quick to make me feel welcome.

That's probably why Michelle Obama wanted to have lunch with us.

Our Business Model is Badly Broken

Graham Beal gave a speech at the volunteer program today, for which I was pleased to be present. I had been hearing a lot of things, second hand, and was interested in his thoughts.

He spoke primarily (and apologetically—this is supposed to be a celebratory occasion, after all) about the DIA’s financial situation and stated that “our business model is badly broken”.

For many years, 16 million of our 22 million dollar budget came from the State of Michigan. Last year, $10,000 of our now 32 million dollar budget came from the State of Michigan.

Mr. Beal expressed that what the DIA would really like is stability and believes this can be achieved by setting up an unrestricted endowment. The endowment the DIA is currently working with has something in the ballpark of $70 million. At around 3% interest, that would generate about 2.1 million per year (remember-- the budget is 32 million).

To establish this endowment, what the DIA intends to do is launch a millage campaign, proposing a 10 year property tax, which would then be used to build the endowment—ensuring the DIA some long term financial stability.

A poll was conducted in the community and the response was overwhelmingly positive. A similar campaign for the Detroit Zoo was launched a few years ago, and was accompanied by billboards that tugged at the heartstrings in all the right ways. The Zoo millage passed with incredibly high numbers.

Who Doesn’t Love Giraffes?

It was a concern that the DIA millage would not be as successful because art museums and zoos are perceived so differently by the public.  Zoos have very family-friendly amenities like sno-cones and stroller parking. Art museums are not always perceived as being a place for families to spend a Saturday afternoon. Thus, there was concern that the DIA would not receive the same support from its surrounding communities. However, the polling company was stunned by the data they collected, which showed great support.

Interestingly, the original millage proposal had multiple cultural institutions on the ticket. However, the polls showed that people did NOT show the same support for the shared millage. Thus, the DIA dropped the other institutions, in favor of going it alone because it could so drastically increase their odds of winning.

And nobody minds.

Graham Beal expected the other institutions to be a little miffed when he announced that the DIA would be the only institution on the ticket (and thus the only one benefiting from this property tax). Yet, he claimed that his colleagues handled this news graciously. I found this incredibly hard to believe until he explained why.

Mr. Beal reported his colleague at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as saying, “A strong DIA helps every cultural institution in the city”.

Wow. That is gracious.

But the gentleman at the symphony has a good point and another colleague is reported as noting that if the millage passes, “that will be a major institution that is no longer asking for money, and that helps everyone”.

These are both excellent points. If the DIA can be self-sufficient, then it will be sucking significantly less money from donors around the city, who will then be able to donate to The Detroit Symphony Orchestra, The Detroit Historical Museum, The Science Center, and every other cultural institution in Detroit.  Sounds good to me.

"Artie" The Donkey

Also, I think I should be featured on a billboard, feeding something to Artie and giggling. Millage accomplished.

The 48th Annual Volunteer Council Meeting

Held in the Detroit Film Theatre Auditorium, The Annual Volunteer Council Meeting was quite a production. I would really like to be involved with volunteer management sometime in a future career, and with volunteer management comes volunteer recognition. So I was interested in seeing what the DIA does to recognize the efforts of their many volunteers.

The DIA Volunteer Council is comprised of 6 individual committees, with a total of 697 volunteers. These volunteers put in 63,000 hours this year, which is equivalent to 30 full time employees.

Think about where you work or go to school. Pick 30 people that are around you and make them disappear. While I’m sure some of us wouldn’t mind making a few choice individuals disappear, the overall result would be devastating. With the cuts that the DIA has taken over the last several years, having 30 people work for free (actually, they pay a fee to volunteer) for 63,000 hours is invaluable.

Each volunteer is given 4 free guest passes to the DIA. If every pass is used, that will bring 2,500 visitors to the museum. That's a heck of a lot.  In my Volunteer Management class last fall, we identified volunteers as being one of the biggest sources of publicity for their insitution and it appears as if the DIA has recognized their potential as well.

During the various speeches, there was much emphasis placed on being “ambassadors” to the DIA. Today’s speakers and presenters spoke of representing the museum with pride and talking about it with anyone who will listen. It reminded me a lot of being a tour guide…er… “campus ambassador” at CMU.  And I find it interesting that in the half dozen staff meetings I have attended, no one mentioned this to the employees.  Could it be that the museum volunteers are under more pressure to positively represent the DIA than the actual paid staff are?  I wonder if this is simply because volunteers are often the ones interfacing with the public.

Anyway...

Director Graham Beal also spoke and discussed the state of the museum this year, but I will go into more detail about that later. However, I thought it was great that the director was at this event. His presence underlined the importance of the DIA’s volunteers.

Like many museums, pins are given out to recognize those who have dedicated years of service to the DIA. I counted how many people received each pin. (Why? Because I care about stuff like this, that’s why.)

15 years: 15 
20 years: 6
25 years: 2
30 years: 5
35 years: 1

Honestly, I expected more 35 year pins to be handed out. I have spoken with so many volunteers who have told me their stories of first coming to volunteer at the DIA in the 60’s, I expected them all to be lined up to receive their pins. But then, I guess lots of them have been here more than 35 years, and already have their pins.

Today is day 12 for me (I’m technically a volunteer), so I’m .002% of the way to my 15 year pin!

Dedicated by the People of Detroit to the Knowledge and Enjoyment of Art

I have lived all but one year of my life in Michigan. That's 23 Michigan winters. But you know what? I'm still freezing. I don't know if I have poor circulation or an iron deficiency or something... but I don't handle cold temperatures very well. As I mentioned, the ODHR office is kept at near arctic temperatures. Maybe they're trying to keep Jimmy Hoffa fresh in one of those suspiciously unused cubicles-- I can't say for sure.

I just know that the weather is finally warming up outside, so I have an escape (and can stop running to the bathroom to run my hands under hot water).  So this afternoon, I took a little stroll outside  to warm up and walked around the entire exterior of the DIA. It's more impressive than I had remembered.

The museum underwent a massive reorganization, renovation, and expansion several years ago. I talked previously about the changes to the interior-- new text panels, smaller gallery rooms, new interpretive techniques, etc.-- but there were some major changes to the exterior of the museum as well.

For those who may not be familiar with the great City of Detroit, the Detroit Institute of Arts is located in what we refer to as the "Cultural Center" of Detroit. This area is home to other great Detroit treasures such as...

The Detroit Public Library

Wayne State University

The Detroit Science Center

The Scarab Club

(http://www.scarabclub.org)

My dad took me inside the Scarab Club once, when I was younger. It functions partly as an artist collective of sorts, and also as a community arts center. It's a crazy little historic building, and I remember being granted access to one of the top floors when we visited-- which is generally closed to the public. Upstairs are a number of artist studios, and I recall meeting one of the artists and discussing his work briefly. It was pretty neat.

Anyway...

It is easy to see where the "new" and "old" DIA meet each other. I recall there being some rumblings in the community about the look of the expansion. It does look much sleeker and more modern and is a definite departure from the traditional temple-style of the "old" DIA

Old and New DIA converge

One of my favorite things about this building (and I think most Detroiters would agree) is the Woodward entrance. Woodward is a major street in Detroit, and while much of the city has declined, Woodward Avenue remains both active and reminiscent of Old Detroit. Fittingly, this part of the DIA is about as reminiscent as it gets. In one of my classes last semester, we discussed the museum as being a "temple" for art (or history, or what-have-you) and that many museums were actually elevated off the street by impressive marble staircases and other heavily classic architectural features. The movement now is toward a more welcoming structure that is less separated (physically and metaphorically) from is surroundings. That's what is so interesting about the DIA-- you can actually see this shift taking place in its very architecture.

Classic Woodward Entrance

What is unfortunate these days is that Woodward is no longer a functioning museum entrance, and it's a damn shame. I think there is something transformative about walking up a flight of marble stairs, between two shooting fountains, and past "The Thinker" that prepares the visitor for a meaningful museum experience. What you can't see in the photo is that it's been gated shut.

Entrances to the DIA are now on the sides of the building, and feature a more contemporary and low-key style. Does this make for a more positive and less intimidating visitor experience? I don't know.  Museums never intimidated me, so I can't even begin to answer that.

Contemporary Farnsworth Entrance

I'm pretty neutral about the new style of the expansion. I liked the old DIA, but I like the new one, too. I think the white marble is sleek and solid looking in its simplicity. But there will always be a place in my heart for the ornate design of classic museums.

Granted

Today I met with a guy who had a $100,000 check in his pocket.  He is the DIA's new grant writer.

We met to discuss what kind of program information grant writers find useful when applying for grants.  As it turns out, the kind of information that would actually be useful is information that I will be unable to provide in my (now) 6 weeks at the DIA.  Awesome.

While it was somewhat frustrating to learn that my project will be less than helpful in the grant application process, it was still a very interesting meeting with David.  He gave me a great outline of the kind of information needed when writing grants.  Even if I am unable to gather that information during my internship, I think it is still valuable to know about.

One of the biggest things we talked about was "impact".  David cited this as being the most important thing to potential funders.  It is also the most difficult thing for museums to measure.  The kind of impact he is referring to are the long-term results of the program.

David described three kinds of results: short term, mid term and long term. 

Short term results involve things like customer service, visitor experience, and meaningful interpretations and tours.  The short term result of those things is a positive museum experience, or the visitor just having a positive feeling about the museum.
(Measurable with visitor surveys, etc.)

Mid term results spawn from short term results and involve things like visitors buying museum membership packages or any change in the visitors actions as a result of their feelings about the museum.
(Measurable by counting the # of memberships sold, etc.)

Long term results involve a social, environmental, or economic change in the community.
(Measurable... not at all.)

Grant writers want to be able to tell funders that "This program has improved children's critical thinking skills" or "This program has made the community more environmentally conscious".  But it is still difficult for museums to measure those kinds of things.  It seems that kind of long-term evaluation has yet to be perfected and implemented.

Either way, I really enjoyed meeting with David, as he had a lot of excellent insights.  However, while I did win Dixie's grant-writing contest last fall, and I would love to walk around with $100,000 checks in my pocket... I don't think grant writing is for me.