What started as part of the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) 125th-anniversary celebration in 2010 has become an annual community art outreach program in Michigan.
Back for the seventh year, the Inside|Art program in 2016 expanded beyond installations in the lower part of Michigan with installations further north in Alpena and Traverse City, Michigan.
What is the Inside|Out Program?
The Inside|Out program brings reproductions of over 80 high-quality paintings from the Detroit Institute of Art (DIA)’s collection to the streets of Michigan communities.
According to their website, the program has
…been in more than 100 communities over the past six years.
In 2016, Inside|Out brought art to nine metro Detroit communities from April to July, and another nine different communities participated in the program from July to the end of October.
Traverse City and Alpena have their Inside|Out programs from July to the end of October.
I first discovered the DIA’s Inside|Art program in 2014 when I walked along the Detroit Riverwalk in downtown Detroit.
Last year, I had fun discovering (and searching for!) the paintings along Edward Hines Parkway.
Inside|Out in Belleville, Michigan
This weekend, I explored the Inside|Out installations in Belleville, Michigan.
It was different from the Edward Hines installation in that I could easily walk to every installation in Belleville; for Edward Hines you needed a bike or car to see all the paintings along the six miles of the parkway.
The paintings in Belleville are installed in popular areas, including Horizon Park along the Belleville Lake waterfront, at the 4th Street Square, and the Belleville Area District Library.
What Paintings Will You See in Belleville?
A 19th-century tiled niche painting by Ustad Mahmmad Husayn depicting the captive Muslim prophet Joseph adorns the side of the Professional Building.
The side of the Chamber of Commerce building has a self-painting by American collagist Benny Andrews.
One of my favorites was The Lily Pond by Charles Harry Eaton, appropriately placed in front of a beautiful view of Belleville Lake. According to Your Daily DIA, Eaton likely painted it in Michigan.
If you plan to see the paintings in Belleville, schedule at least 2 hours to walk the streets of downtown Belleville to enjoy the paintings and the downtown area.
Finding the Paintings
The majority of the paintings are installed on buildings, while some are standalone (Horizon Park, 4th Street Square, and the Gateway Sign).
You might overlook them as you walk the streets since the paintings blend into the buildings as if they are part of them. I had to look twice to find the painting at the Masonic Lodge.
If you plan to view the reproductions in Belleville, stop at the Horizon Park installation first to pick up the map.
Or if you’re thinking of visiting one of the other Inside|Out Summer 2016 communities, visit the Inside|Out site to download a map with detailed listings.
