Learn with the DIA
Each year the DIA hosts thousands of students and teachers from Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. Tri-county schools receive free admission and transportation for guided and self-guided field trips. To support field trips, DIA educators work collaboratively with tri-county teachers to design customized resources, including pre-and post-visit classroom activities.
 
The DIA also provides free professional development opportunities for educators from across the tri-county area. These include: training and coaching in Visual Thinking Strategies-a teaching method that uses art to develop critical thinking, communication and visual literacy skills-curriculum resource development sessions and workshops to explore the DIA collection, among others.
 
Homeschool families benefit from the DIA as an educational resource as well. The museum offers special events designed exclusively for homeschool families to visit and experience activities that cater to their needs.
 
For more information on the educational opportunities at the DIA, visit  dia.org/learn
Check out these upcoming county events:

Empty Bowls drop-in workshops, Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 14-15, noon- 4 p.m.; Monday, Jan. 16, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Visitors are invited to decorate clay bowls as part of the Empty Bowls charity initiative that aims to raise money and awareness in the fight to end hunger. Each bowl will be donated to Detroit-based Cass Community Social Services for its 2017 Empty Bowls event. 

Gallery Engagement Strategies Educator Workshop, Friday, Jan. 20, 5:30-7:30 p.m. 
Explore the permanent collection with DIA gallery teachers who will demonstrate techniques designed to encourage engagement with art and build the critical thinking skills for students. Educators attending this event will also get an exclusive preview of "Lumin," the DIA's new augmented reality tour, and discuss ideas for using this tool with students on field trips. The workshop is free for tri-county teachers.  Register in advance here
 
Senior Thursdays, every Thursday at 1 p.m. 
This DIA program offers tri-county seniors the opportunity to visit the museum and enjoy programs planned exclusively for them, at no cost, every Thursday. The first Thursday of each month features a guided gallery tour; the second a lecture; the third an art-making class; and the fourth a film. During months with five Thursdays, the fifth Thursday will feature a guided gallery tour. All programs will begin at 1 p.m. The January schedule is:
  • January 12: Lecture: Fabulous Ladies, Fashionable Drinks 
  • January 19: Art-making: Winter counts 
  • January 26: Film: 1967 Detroit Home Movies  

Advance registration for individuals is preferred, but not required. Call 313-833-4005 to register. Free transportation is available for groups of 25 or more. To book a group, call 313-833-1292. 

 
"Say What I See" Art Educator Workshop, Saturday, Feb. 4, 9:30 a.m.-2:45 p.m.
In this day-long workshop, 5th through 12th grade art educators will experience activities that bring writing into the art curriculum. The workshop will be split into two sessions: in the morning, participants will use the DIA's collection as a classroom to think about artists' journeys, learn journaling and reflection strategies and draft an artist statement; the afternoon session will focus on writing about the work of additional artists using the skills acquired in the morning session. The workshop is free for tri-county teachers.  Register in advance here.  
Saturday, Jan. 28, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Grosse Pointe Farms, Kercheval St.  
On January 25 the DIA, in partnership with Google and mobile developer Guidigo, premieres "Lumin," an interactive mobile tour that uses Google's Tango technology to provide visitors with new, in-depth ways to engage with the museum's renowned collection. The DIA is the first art museum in the world to integrate this 3-D mapping and augmented reality technology into a public mobile tour.