Diego and Frida at the Detroit Institute of Arts

I made it, I actually made it and with a day to spare too! For a moment there I thought I was going to miss the special Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo exhibition of their time in Detroit at the Detroit Institute of Arts (see my blog post about that right here). I was there on July 11th and the last day of the exhibition was July 12th. (Whew, that was close!)

I know that when people think of Detroit the last thing they think about is art, but let me tell you that the art is really happening there and not just the street art either.

As you may or may not remember, Detroit was once a very important city in the U.S. and a very wealthy one too because it was such a huge industrial hub. Late in the 19th century Detroit was even known as the Paris of the west and what would Paris be without art?

The Detroit Institute of Arts, or the DIA as it is widely known, has one of the best art collections in the U.S. In fact, the first Matisse and Van Gogh pieces to come to the U.S. went to the DIA.

I got to spend about six hours at the DIA and I could have spent even more time there. I kind of wish I would have. This was, after all, my reason for going to Detroit.

Because most of Kahlo's pieces are privately owned (even, ahem, Madonna owns a few) most people do not want to lend them out (and can you blame them?) so it took 10 years for this exhibition to come together according to one of the docents at the DIA. I found it astonishing that it took that long to get the pieces that they did on loan for this exhibition and I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to see them. It was absolutely phenomenal, a dream come true, really. I wish I could have taken photographs. Luckily I will never forget the experience.

But let's not forget about the great pieces that are part of the DIA's permanent collections. Aside from finding Matisse and Van Gogh there you can also find Picasso, Bernini, and so many others from all over the world.

The Thinker by Auguste Rodin 

Self Portrait With Straw Hat by Vincent Van Gogh

The Detroit Industry murals, one of the DIA's highlights, sit on the walls of the DIA's courtyard. They were painted by Diego Rivera who was the best and most well known muralist of his time. In 1932 Edsel Ford (Henry Ford's son) and William Valentiner (the DIA's director) commissioned Rivera to paint a mural about Detroit. Ford paid Rivera $20,000 which in today's money would roughly be a quarter of a million dollars. Upon completion many people disliked the murals and wanted them destroyed, but Edsel loved them and would not allow it. It was his gift to Detroit and in my opinion his gift to the world. Thank god it remains today because it is said that Detroit Industry is the best work of Rivera's career and with good reason. It is quite intriguing and well worth the visit to the DIA.

Detroit Industry (North Wall) by Diego Rivera

Detroit Industry (South Wall) by Diego Rivera

Detroit Industry by Diego Rivera

Selfie at the DIA while trying to contain my giddiness 

I think the DIA has made it to my list of favorite museums. That says a lot.

Thanks for stopping by!

-Liz

Dreaming of Detroit

Nope, I'm not dreaming of Turks and Caicos or Saint Lucia. At least not right now.

Right now I'm dreaming of Detroit.

A few months ago a friend sent me this print of Diego Rivera's Dia de Flores (Flower Day) painting for my birthday from the Detroit Institute of Arts and it came with a pamphlet about the current special exhibition on Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo that I'm dying to go to, just dying!

Diego and Frida visited the U.S. in the 1930's and I don't know why I always forget about the work that Diego did in Detroit. Detroit Industry, one of Diego's best and most well known murals, is in the Detroit Institute of Arts. It would be absolutely amazing to see it in person, but to also be able to see over 60 of Diego and Frida's pieces at the same place through this exhibition would be a dream come true. The problem is I've only just realized that this exhibition ends on July 12th. That's about three weeks away! I don't know why I thought I had until October to go, but right now I'm really hoping I can make it to this fantastic exhibition before it ends. Fingers crossed I do.

Until next time!

-Liz

Creo En Mi / I Believe In Myself

“Creo En Mi” de Natalia Jiménez es una de mis canciones favoritas en este momento. Que bello mensaje.

A veces el favor más grande que otras personas nos pueden hacer es no creer en nosotros porque nos hace luchar más intensamente por lo que queremos y cuando finalmente lo logramos la satisfacción es más grande aun.   

“Creo En Mi” (I Believe In Myself) from Natalia Jimenez is one of my favorite songs at the moment. What a beautiful message.

Sometimes the biggest favor other people can do for us is not believe in us because it makes us fight more intensely for what we want and when we finally achieve it, the satisfaction is even greater.

Who Was Cesar Chavez?

I saw the new Cesar Chavez movie last weekend and I am so glad the world is finally being introduced to him through this medium. If you've never heard of Cesar Chavez you are not alone. I believe most Americans don't know who he was. Hopefully you have heard the name before as there are schools, parks, buildings, and streets across the country named after him. Even here in Salt Lake City we have our very own Cesar Chavez Boulevard which is the part of 500 South that runs from about 500 West to 700 East. It goes without saying that our public education system has many holes and flaws in it. We keep hearing time and time again how the U.S. lags behind many other developed countries in education, even though more is spent per student here than elsewhere. Kids graduate from high school without proper reading, math, and science skills. It is a real shame that even history lessons are lacking, especially when we could use more minority historical figures and role models, but I am getting off topic here. I know about Cesar Chavez because I'm from the part of the world where his fight began, Central California, but it was not until college that I had a real lecture about him and what he did.  

Cesar Chavez was an American civil rights activist. For decades the agricultural growers of Central California exploited the workers that did (and continue to do) the back breaking work of picking the fruits and vegetables that we (and the rest of the world) consume. The working conditions were awful. There were no toilets in the fields, no potable water, no breaks, and the pay was meager. Cesar Chavez along with Dolores Huerta started the United Farm Workers of America Union in 1962. In 1965 Cesar Chavez organized and led a strike against the grape growers of the region which lasted about five years before working conditions and pay began to improve. This was the beginning of the Chicano Movement and though there is still much more room for improvement in the fields, because even in this day and age mistreatment, child labor, and low wages still exist, Cesar Chavez helped promote awareness of the working and living conditions of the people that help feed Americans and the world.
 
I have included part two of a four part PBS documentary named Chicano that talks about this very topic. It is one of my favorite documentaries and I never get tired of watching it.

Until next time!

-Liz