Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit

Detroit, a re-​emerging metropolis (A Whole Foods in Midtown!) offers some interesting venues for art lovers. Check out the spaces below:
1. Detroit Institute of Arts Most famous for the 27 murals by Diego Rivera, the museum has 60,000 other pieces spanning all time periods and locales from ancient Greece and Rome to contemporary America. Plan to spend a day here — also makes a good lunch stop.
2. Just down the street pop into the Contemporary Art Museum Detroit set up in an abandoned industrial-​sized garage. Check first for exhibition opening times.
3. Walk across Woodward Avenue to the DAM — a nonprofit gallery for contemporary art showing and selling works by emerging and established Detroit and Michigan artists. Try to time your visit to coincide with their garden art parties.
4. The Heidelberg Project Cruise the streets of this former down and out area 15 minutes from downtown where abandoned houses have been converted into America’s largest urban folk art project.
5. The Motown Museum Founded by the recently deceased Esther Gordy Edwards in 1985, Motown attracts thousands of visitors from around the globe. The highly entertaining guided tour of photos, records, artworks and other artifacts is mandatory and included in the price of admission. Be prepared to perform either a Four Tops or Supremes single with your tour group in the famous studio before you leave.
In the evening take in a Tiger’s game at the new Comerica Stadium. Even if you’re not a fan, the over-​sized sculptures and baseball Ferris wheel are worth a visit. More time? Spend a day at the Ford Museum for the beautiful collection of almost every vehicle ever made from Presidential rides to rare racing cars.

Really cool space, plenty of parking, looks crusty on the outside, but an art gem on inside.
Went here for a poetry reading and experimental music/​interpretive dance performance. Was most excellent! loved the raised stage, loved the APPLAUSE sign hanging form the ceiling (must’ve been pilfered from some long-​ago tv studio), and a great crowd. I’m surprised I’ve not heard of this place until now, but I’ll definitely be checking out the website to keep on eye on what’s happening here more often.
Only complaint (barely) is that there seems to be no (or very little) heating… felt like a meat freezer in there! Maybe for a dance night it’s unnoticeable or even welcome, but sitting on metal chairs through a few poetry readings in coat-​worthy cold… my chicken legs were heavily frosted…

CAID is a beacon of light for local artists and those who are fans of Detroit as a whole. For too long people have had to leave the city to visit smaller galleries. The building is small and unassuming from the outside and there is plenty of street and lawn parking. CAID is a bit small on the inside as well and shows are often overcrowded but that only goes to show how desperate Detroit is for venues like this. Also as crowded as it may be, the crowd provides a nice energy. If you have a chance, I highly recommend CAID.

I came here for Funk Night to meet up with a friend. It didn’t feel right to me, and I was in a pretty bad mood. It didn’t help that while I was walking around to see what the place was like I was sexually harassed and almost accosted three times.
I don’t know if having Funk Night with a price would change the atmosphere a bit, but the bathroom is pretty pathetic, and the rooms are always crowded.
Overall this place seems just too shady to me. I guess it also seems that way to the police, since they raided this place (with unnecessary force).

Located on Rosa Parks Blvd, in the most unassuming little building the CAID is one of Detroit’s freshest and innovative art spaces. If you’re not really looking, I mean really looking for this joint, you’ll drive by it a million and one times. The small sign proclaiming its name it’s difficult to see, so be prepared.
I’ve been to the CAID a number of times and am always impressed. The art shows have featured some of Metro Detroit’s finest upcoming artists from photographs to sculptors to painters. You just never know what you’re gonna get here and that’s what I like. Frankly, I think I’ve been to the CAID for more of their music events then art openings. In addition to fantastic gallery shows, the CAID also offers some fabulous music happenings. I’ve seen some great d. j’s, a band scoring a movie, and of course the infamous Funk Nights.
Essentially, CAID is more than just a gallery, it’s an art space, exposing Metro Detroit’s to all fronts of the field. So whether you’re looking to check out some print work or hear some tunes, the CAID is the spot for you.

I came here on Funk Night. I was impressed with how difficult it was to find the place at night, the parking and how plain the building was. Open the doors and your greeted with massive amounts of people, although it feels as if you have stepped back into Ann Arbor because everything single townie was there. So everything was really crazy!
There are two main rooms, the super bright room you enter into. And the next room which is for dancing and almost completely dark. There is also a type of courtyard you can step out into. All the artwork is covered up for protection from drunk patrons so you won’t be able to view anything.
This place is a lot of fun, I highly recommended it! I wish I could make it out more often.

The first time I ever attended an event at CAID was when Kool Herc was there to spin for a Halloween party. I kid you not. My friends and I dressed up as JJ Fad because the theme was 80’s hip hop. Then I was approached by the Godfather of Hip Hop himself and got to dance with him! Definitely memorable.
The building is pretty non-​descript from the outside. If you’ve never been there before, don’t expect to see a staircase adorned with stone lions and pillars. There’s ample lawn and street parking, and word to the wise, do not enter until it’s midnight or well after. Otherwise you’ll be milking that box wine bar by yourself. They have a great dance floor and then a side door you can sneak out of for fresh air or a better smoke. Outside they have random lawn ornaments that I couldn’t get a good look at but I think one was a dog house!
The other event I love to attend is Funk Night. It’s a funk music dance party that I haven’t been in to in awhile, but it’s so much fun because you really get to see an eclectic mix of people, styles, and fashion. Chances are you’ll run into a few familiar faces even though you thought you’d get away from it all. It’s part of the charm though. You can usually catch a glimpse of the artwork. Unless it’s covered with garbage bags. My friend (and I use that term loosely) mistakenly thought the garbage bags were part of the art exhibition and complimented the artist’s work.

I’ve been to CAID more than a few times, and I can say that they really know how to throw an opening.
They have two large rooms on the main floor; one contains a large section of the gallery, as well as the front desk and the «bar.» The second room is set up like a venue with a stage, a dance floor, and a high DJ booth in the back. During all the openings I’ve attended, there has been non-​stop DJs the entire evening. (I also hear that they have the occasional concert here, but I’ve not yet attended one.) The second floor is smaller, but contains the rest of the gallery.
I suggest taking a stroll outside; the «yard» is full of artistic oddities, including a large spray-​can mural of Alice in Wonderland.
What I like most about CAID is that the openings are always strange and delightful. One opening I attended had artists do their work on skateboards, which were wall mounted and presented as canvases, along with shoes designed and decorated by tag artists. Seriously, where else can you find that?
I would highly suggest using mapquest/​Google maps to get there though; it’s sort of tucked away, and can be easy to miss. Look for the yellow sign!