65 minute read
Twelve Institutions Plug In
from Detroit Cultural Center V1
by Akoaki
5
Twelve Institutions Plug In
Urban design is typically focused on shared and exterior spaces, so why investigate the internal workings of the participating cultural institutions to create the plan? Working intensively with each stakeholder institution, CCPI develops strategies that will make the interiors more accessible and the outside world more engaging. The approach surfaces public programs and commercial intrigue, while making institutional thresholds easier to breach. Each tailored approach considers
the circumstances, aspirations, and ambitions of participating institutions in order to maximize impact and develop plans for a phased evolution. By plugging in, everyone will augment visibility, improve audience engagement, and take full advantage of the infrastructural improvements that will be offered by the District plan.
Top: Proposed entry rotunda at the Detroit Historical Museum creates an inviting and flexible space for exhibitions while reactivating the original Woodward Avenue entry. Bottom: The proposed third floor ballroom creates an event space that supports future large scale events at the museum. The southern facade opens a view corridor down Woodward Avenue while the northern wall creates space for a contemporary fresco by Detroit-based artists.
Detroit Historical Museum
Inviting the designers from Akoaki and Agence Ter to reflect on ways the institution might extend and amplify its programming, the Detroit Historical Museum offered a challenge: how can architecture sponsor experiences that highlight history as a living art, not a closed canon?
In response the design team, working in close collaboration with the museum’s staff and leadership, explored ways to create a more flexible and inviting strategy for the reconfiguration of a building constructed in 1951 and expanded in 1967. The resulting design gets to the bones of the matter – producing an analysis of the original structure and stripping away partitions and surfaces that encumber the spatial generosity of the original plan. In this proposal, obstructions are eliminated, galleries rearranged, commercial activities introduced to engage the Square, and a circulatory strategy is incorporated to provide a continuous flow through Detroit’s most compelling narratives and histories.
On the exterior, the design activates Legends Plaza by diminishing barriers to the Square and landscape beyond. A glass tower serves as a beacon and a highlight for the collection, ushering people across the threshold to explore the museum galleries in open-ended but clearly intuitive ways. A projection surface provides a flexible venue to present rotating audio and visual content while leaving the lobby open and welcoming. Inside the reactivated Woodward Avenue entry, visitors are greeted by an open atrium and “rust belt” stair in homage to the industrial legacy of the city. Revising the physical space of the Detroit Historical Museum, the proposal emphasizes the museum’s custodial role as keeper of Detroit’s historical record, and spotlights its contributions to authoring its future histories.
The Cultural Center is designed to be a nexus that supports its neighborhoods. The District does not stand alone - it encompasses neighborhoods, schools, and the community. We are thinking about the District as a place of socio-economic “ mixing waters that create shared experiences for people of all backgrounds.
Elana Rugh President and CEO, Detroit Historical Society
The Detroit Historical Museum
In Conversation With Elana Rugh
Elana A. Rugh is the President and Chief Executive Officer at the Detroit Historical Society. With thirty years of experience in nonprofit management and a remarkable capacity to galvanize local government, business, and community around common goals, she works tirelessly to invigorate the beloved, 100-year-old institution she now serves. Open, inspiring, with an insatiable appetite for experimentation, she sat down to share her thoughts about the future of the Detroit Historical Society and her plans to plug in.
Anya Sirota (AS): Someone clever once stated the obvious, “We study the past to understand the present; we understand the present to guide the future”? If that’s the case, how does the Detroit Historical Museum nurture an understanding of the city? Whom does it serve? Detroiters, visitors, everyone?
Elana Rugh (ER): A community cannot understand its current condition if it does not know its history. If we do not understand our place within the present, we will be unable to chart a path toward a positive future. The Detroit Historical Society and its two museums help visitors envision the future by presenting them with the critical moments of the past and helping them to interpret them in a way that creates context for their experience in Detroit today.
Our new tagline is “Detroit Starts Here.” We believe that every pilgrimage to Detroit, whether by a lifelong resident, or someone from another part of the world, should begin with a visit to the Detroit Historical Museum. We provide context for everything else one will experience in the city, and we are proud to play this important role.
We know history can be a powerful teacher, and we believe that our work during this time of such unrest is more critical than ever. We are the keeper of the Detroit region’s stories, but we also know that Detroit is a microcosm of the world, so what we do is as much for visitors from elsewhere
as it is for Detroiters. People from around the world are fascinated with our city, our grit, our perseverance, our ups and downs. Understanding the link between past and present is basic for a good understanding of the condition of being human.
The pandemic and contemporary social movements have accelerated a call for change in the way institutions operate, whom they serve, and how they include a breadth of voices in the ever evolving conversation around human experience. In this transforming context, what is the future of the historical museum? What aspirations are top of mind as you reconnect with constituents and extend your audience?
This year, the Detroit Historical Society celebrates its centennial, and it has been a time of great contemplation for our Board and staff. As we navigate the significant economic struggles the pandemic has brought upon us, we also take very seriously our role in telling all Detroiters stories, as well as collecting stories about THIS time so that 100 years from now, people will be able to learn from this difficult time in our city.
Even before the current racial unrest, inclusion and social justice were on everyone’s mind. Most museums were founded by and were designed to tell the stories of the dominant cultural group – and in Detroit, the dominant cultural group is no longer what it was when we were founded in 1921, or even in 1951 when the museum was built.
I think it is important for people visiting cultural institutions, especially children, to see themselves represented fairly and authentically. Part of our new strategic direction, as we reimagine the DHM for the next 100 years and through the opportunity we have being part of Detroit Square, is to take a critical look at what stories are missing, what has been edited or excluded. We are committed to ensuring that we are engaging the right voices from the groups of Detroiters that are underrepresented currently so that we are representing the full measure of the Detroit experience in the stories we tell.
I think It comes down to this: cultural institutions need to reflect the audience we want to attract. We need to remove barriers to entry, and we need to intentionally produce programs, exhibitions, and events that invite the community in to engage people in meaningful conversation.
Your institution, early on, modeled the importance of bringing cultural programming to the outdoors with various events, such as Techno Tuesdays in Legends Plaza. Why is it important to breach that institutional threshold and bring activities into the public realm?
If there was any good that came out of the Covid 19 pandemic, it was the utter need to design new outdoor programming that felt safe to our visitors and staff.
Since the Detroit Historical Museum was built in 1951, our location and lack of extensive grounds has limited our plans to provide outdoor programming in midtown. Pair that with the decades ago closure of the original and very grand Woodward facing entrance, and we were challenged at the very least. The CCPI project showed us what would be possible in the future and became a catalyst for our team to try out new programming that would engage the local community of residents and businesses. Our previously underutilized Legends Plaza was the perfect venue for us to test out our ability to engage in this new way. This Cultural Center plan ensures that there’s a breadth of free and open public spaces that are not contingent solely on economic transactions, and it ensures that these spaces- that are open for everyone to use are as engaging as the interiors of our institutions. The added benefit of intentional connectivity between the institutions through a planned and walkable landscape will promote collaboration on engaging public programming in the common areas. Free district wide wifi is one of the early project wins, and we were proud to be the first place it was installed.
Moving indoors, let’s talk about programs and exhibitions. Institutional collaboration seems key to increasing programmatic impact, sharing audience, diversifying user experience and activating the district. Your past successes with exhibitions and public programs that catalyze cross-institutional collaboration, Detroit 67 being a prime example, illustrate just that. Through this planning process, have you discovered new opportunities for coordinating resources, programs, and new initiatives?
While we are at the early stages of embarking on deep collaboration, I am encouraged and excited about the opportunity to partner closely with the 12 core institutions in the district in any way possible. We do believe that the collaboration we achieved with Detroit 67 provides a useful model for new collaborations to come and our entire team is very excited at the prospect of regularly working closely with our sister institutions, normalizing the extraordinary collaboration that was the hallmark of Detroit 67. This project gives us all the chance to think about ourselves differently and even more so how we interact with each other and those who visit. The CEO roundtable that formed as a part of the initial planning effort was a great example of the power of this project to bring us together.
Urban designers rarely infringe on architectural interiors. Yet, this design team did - exploring ways public space can interact more dynamically with the spatial organization of stakeholder institutions. Can you tell us a little about working with the design team on blurring the boundaries between inside and outside? How has the process inflected your thinking about the mission and capacities of the museum?
We had no expectation that the design team would delve into the potential reimagining of our interior, but quite frankly it has been the most catalytic and inspiring part of the project for our team. We came into this project anticipating inspirational but modest outdoor changes to the museum. The team’s discovery that the museum interior could be vastly opened up intentionally connected to the landscape and reimagined, as well as the designers’ willingness to take on a complete reimagining of our visitor experience, changed everything for us.
What aspects of the plan support, grow, and further develop opportunities for extended programming in the landscape? For improving visitor experience in the museum?
With nearly 300,000 artifacts in the collection, DHS is constantly looking for new and interesting ways to activate the collection through storytelling outside of the walls of our museums. Utilizing the landscape as a connective tissue between institutions and an extended canvas for displaying artifacts and telling Detroit’s stories is an exciting opportunity for us. By intentionally using the exterior opportunities to expand and enrich the stories that are well represented inside the museum, we can leverage this additional exposure to entice more visitors through our doors and into participation in our programming. By acting as a connector between institutions, the landscape will hopefully also act as a shared canvas for joint programming and storytelling by neighbors. We look forward to working toward this new way of considering our partnerships throughout the cultural district.
Anything else you would like to share?
One of the things I think we all love about the idea of The Cultural Center is that it is designed to be a NEXUS that supports its neighborhoods. This District does not stand alone – it encompasses neighborhoods, schools, and the community. We are also thinking about the district as a place of socioeconomic mixing waters that create shared experiences from people of all backgrounds, where everyone feels like they belong. As cultural institutions, we struggle with this. We all WANT to be inviting, accessible, and appealing to people who live in the neighborhoods.
Detroit Public Library
Beyond providing take-home resources, the Detroit Public Library serves as the city’s informal living room. The Main Library’s exceptional archival materials and collections serve as the source material for a series of interventions. New media and contemporary arts practices deliver a series of stimulating, technologically enabled encounters with the holdings that might otherwise go unseen. The Lyric Lounge transforms the music collection through the installation of a series of ornery inhabitable disco balls that immerse audiophiles in the richness of the record archive. The photography collection is activated through an immersive projection pavilion. And the Arts Collection is transformed into the People’s Lounge,a place for Detroiters to engage with each other’s stories in a comfortable and stylish living archive. Finally, the Children’s Wing is invigorated with an interior playscape that combines spaces for reading with romping, and extends family activities to the outdoors. These interventions activate the Main Library’s existing spaces and provide a cornerstone for the cultural life and civic infrastructure of the city. Moving outdoors, the Woodward Avenue terrace is restored and extended to sponsor public programs, reading kiosks, and temporary food stalls. The Cass Avenue entrance is improved with terraced landscaping that invites visitors to linger on the grounds that connect to the Wayne State University campus. CCPI builds on the well established legacy of the Main Library.
The CCPI plan encourages us to connect to other institutions in a very intentional way on a regular basis. I think the district as a cohesive system allows people to expand their experiences as they come into this space, and that is in alignment with where we would like to be. “
Jo Anne G. Mondowney Executive Director, Detroit Public Library
The proposed Lyric Lounge transforms the music collection through the installation of a series of inhabitable disco balls that immerse audiophiles in the richness of the record archive.
The Detroit Public Library
In Conversation With Jo Anne G. Mondowney
Jo Anne G. Mondowney stepped into her role as Executive Director of the Detroit Public Library in 2009. Before serving the largest public library system in Michigan, she made her mark in the field as director of the Flint Public Library and serving in several positions at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore. With Jo Anne’s energy, unflinching dedication to civic advocacy, and effervescence, the Detroit Public Library provides residents diverse and dynamic pathways to literacy and learning. We met with Jo Anne to learn more about the role of the library in the district and beyond.
Harley Etienne (HE): One of the things that we appreciate about the Detroit Public Library is that it’s an essential destination, one so commonly frequented. How do you envision the library anchoring the cultural district by serving residents on a daily basis? Jo Anne G. Mondowney (JM): Public libraries were once defined by a structure where you had to come to the library at least every three weeks to return your books, otherwise you were going to be charged a fine. So structurally, we had an advantage. Programmatically, we didn’t have to do anything to keep people coming - if you wanted new, different materials, you had to come in. Over the years, libraries have evolved from a place of just coming in and checking out books to a community hub for many neighborhoods. In Detroit, for example, the public library is often the only public place you could come to meet. At one point before we became electronically driven, the public library was the only place where you could get an encyclopedia and do your homework. More recently, public libraries have become known to offer other things like: music programs, plays, and events that engage the community more. But, it is, and has always been a
place where people can come for a variety of different activities on a daily basis.
As the role of the library changes, we have more digital resources available and people may not need to come in to see the physical encyclopedia as they once did. What does the library become in that context?
The library started engaging communities more heavily when we recognized that you didn’t have to come into the physical building. We started aiming for 24/7 connectivity. Even though we compete with platforms like Google, we do offer resources that those databases cannot. Also, the library got into the download game with movies, books, and databases, while still maintaining a presence in the lives of its community.
We are going to be extending the wifi beyond the walls of the institutions to the entire cultural district. How do you think that might impact the library?
If you’re only thinking in terms of just connecting to wifi, that does not impact the library one way or the other. But, if you’re thinking about what you’re connecting to, then there is room for the public library to shine. Technology has been a large topic of conversation in the context of the pandemic. It is widely known how many people are disadvantaged, and do not have connectivity. In my opinion, it goes beyond connectivity - it is about what you are connecting to and for what reason.
The Main Branch of the Public Library was the first building constructed in the district and may well be the most beautiful. It was the first anchor institution before everyone else showed up. What are your thoughts about the profile of the library in the district, and its importance to this project as an institution, as a building, and as an accessible place for the community?
Well, I always say: looks matter. People act and respond to beauty no matter where it is. Detroit has always taken pride in its public library, especially the main library, which turned a hundred years old this year. It’s [the main branch] a little frayed with his age, you know, after a hundred years, you can get worn out. But, it still is one of the most beautiful places you could be and people come from far and wide to appreciate how beautiful it really is.
From our side, we take a lot of pride in providing an environment that is beautiful, but that contains lifelong learning for people where everybody is welcome.
We have this impression that the public library is a place of comfort and it’s also a black space - either intentionally or unintentionally black. It’s one of the places where African-Americans are probably most comfortable in the district. Historically, there is a tendency to deny black people access to information, and to comfort. How does the library respond to that?
I think that people feel welcome, you can’t just create welcome. Folks who come, they just feel welcome because of the energy we put out to people and the positivity we exude. That’s not to say everybody has the same experience because you have to bring something to the process. I think part of the advantage we have is that we are represented throughout the city of Detroit. So, if you have the experience of going to a neighborhood branch, more than likely, that will be a continuum when you come into the main library space.
The Burton Collection has a big role in establishing the library as a place where people come to learn about Detroit’s history and its memory. Can you talk more about how the DPL is this conservator of the city’s record and memory?
We are fortunate for Charles N. Burton, who collected and contributed materials for that collection. The Burton Collection turned a hundred years old in 2015. It is extensive. It is just absolutely one of the most outstanding historical collections in Detroit, and I would say in the world. Most notably, the Burton Collection has the responsibility for maintaining the national auto history collection, which is the largest in the world.
Turning back to CCPI, how has this design process been for you? Is there any way that this project has helped you take stock or appreciate your own institution differently?
It has been nice connecting to others in the cultural center and getting to know my colleagues in a different way. This project has created an imaginative space for us to look beyond our current situation, and has enabled others to look at us in an imaginative way. So, it has been an internally-focused as well as an externally-productive process.
How does what we’re proposing and working on align with where you think the library might go? Are there places of alignment, or some places where it may be not so aligned?
The plan encourages us to connect to other institutions in a very intentional way on a regular basis, not just around Noel Night or Dlectricity. I think
looking at the district as a cohesive system allows people to expand their experiences as they come into this space, and that is in alignment with where we would like to be. Detroit 67 is a perfect example of what we can all do to expand the experiences of others. I think that is something to continue to build on.
What is the key takeaway that you want people unfamiliar with the Detroit Public Library to know about its possible future?
We are a lifelong learning institution that does not begin with preschool and end in high school. We are the people’s university. You can always learn something here or be connected to others. The library is one of the most democratic institutions in this country - it allows for points of views to be expressed in safe ways and nurtures respect for others. As a country, we are right now in a divisive environment. In the Detroit Public Library, we always try to cultivate a space to have and respect different opinions. We are a neutral space that allows for various points of views to coexist.
The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History is a symbol for African-American cultural life in the city - which is, of course, the essence and majority of Detroit. The institution needs no help in cementing its relationship to and representation of Detroit’s legacy; what new construction and participation in CCPI can offer is a bridge to the future of African-American art and experimentation.
To support the vanguard cultural production of contemporary and emergent African-American artists, the Charles H. Wright Museum invited Agence Ter and Akoaki to reimagine the interior configuration of its entries, exhibition spaces, eventscapes, and connections to the outdoors. The process looked to enhance spatial efficiency, circulatory legibility, and access to flexible spaces for programming, while enabling the museum to better serve children and families. Beyond renovation and organizational strategies that consolidate key functions, the team tested possibilities for expansion, modeling an addition to house new media exhibitions, immersive environments, and production spaces. Outdoors, the Charles H. Wright Museum is already modeling ecologically sustainable strategies for the management of its architecture and grounds. The design team builds on that momentum, contributing additional water management infrastructure, public art amenities and performance-based activities.
The notion of a safe gathering place where the exchange of ideas and cultures is really attractive to me and I think it would be to a lot of people - particularly at this moment. Where does culture gather? Where can we begin to intentionally live together and learn about each other together? “
Neil Barclay President and CEO, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
Top: The proposed exhibition hall with an interactive technology overlay will engage visitors in a renewed experience of ‘And Still We Rise’ , a comprehensive look at the history of African American resilience. Next Page: Community event space on the ground floor is reimagined and connected to outdoor gardens.
In Conversation With Neil Barclay
Neil Barclay is the President and Chief Executive Officer at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. With more than three decades of experience in managing art and cultural institutions, he aims to engage a global community in exploring and celebrating the perseverance and achievements of African Americans. Professor Harley Etienne, planning consultant for the design team, connected with Neil Barclay to discuss how the Charles H. Wright plugs into the District.
Harley Etienne (HE): What is the importance of the Charles H. Wright Museum to Detroiters and black Detroiters, more specifically. Zooming out, how does the Charles H. Wright register at the city, region, state, nation, and international scales?
Neil Barclay(NB): The Charles Wright is one of the oldest and largest of the state’s preeminent American institutions, and it’s one of the few that is focused specifically on African-American culture. I think those elements make the institution important, certainly locally and statewide. The museum was established right after the rebellion. The current building we’re in started the movement to create the institution. So, the Charles Wright is symbolic to a lot of people, representing a certain kind of African-American empowerment. It also has been a place where a number of prominent African-Americans have laid in state to allow the community to say their goodbyes, whether it’s Judge Keith, Aretha Franklin, or Rosa Parks, all of whom have laid in state in our rotunda.
I think the Charles Wright’s national import comes from being the largest encyclopedic museum of African-American history other than the Smithsonian. Even then, I would say it’s the only replicable model of an African-American museum in the country. Meaning, if someone wanted to build an African-American museum today, they wouldn’t be looking at the Smithsonian as a model. They would really be looking more to the Wright and what’s possible - particularly because it was built out of a public/private partnership.
The building is monumental. It logically offers a gateway into the district. What are the ways the Charles Wright is thinking about enhancing its position in the District?
I really liked where the visitor center was positioned in the latest designs, because of its proximity to the Wright. I also think my instinct about making the Wright a media driven center is an opportunity for us to draw people coming into the cultural center directly into the Wright, because of the exhibitions that it would offer. As I envisioned it, the exhibition would be similar to the Immersive Van Gogh installation with endless possibilities for sound design, visual design, et cetera. My goal is to make the media attraction a must-see. There are always going to be attractions pulling people into the district, so we are trying to think a lot about how this experience is going to be different from the DIA, DHM, or any of those other experiences.
These ideas are part of a larger initiative that the Wright is exploring with a number of funders around the use of technology and museums. How we can increase interactivity and incorporate new technologies is going to become more and more a part of what we do. Even what was done for Dlectricity - video mapping on a building - is more of the direction we’re going towards. We’re not likely to collect art objects but more artifacts and archival material. Our visual arts presentations are going to be more akin to public art or larger scale public displays of history and culture. Does that make sense?
It does. I’m curious about the complementarities between the Charles Wright, the DPL, and some of the other institutions along this avenue of new media and exhibition. How are you envisioning that? Has this project helped you see more opportunities for those kinds of collaborations and connections?
It has not, to be honest. I don’t think the project invites - yet - the institutions to think more about collaborations, other than providing a potential space for them to do so. I think that the work of determining what that would be, has yet to be frankly discussed. That could be just where we are in the planning. As it relates to the library and the historical museum though, I feel like a lot of the materials that are in the archives they have could be an important source for the exhibitions that we want to create - particularly the immersive ones about Detroit neighborhoods and Detroit streets. So this notion of pulling from archives about black Detroit around the city, could be a very fruitful one for us.
Along that vein, we asked Joanne Mondowney [director of the Detroit Public Library] about the comfort and the importance of the Public Library for blackness in the district. I think it’s pretty explicit with the Charles Wright given its mission’s history, but I wanted to hear your thoughts on the Charles Wright as a place of welcome in the district on a daily basis.
Well, in a lot of ways it was designed as a town square. The conceit of the rotunda is that people come in from all different directions into the central place. Even the way the acoustics run, you can hear each other speak as if they were in your mind. So that was certainly part of the impulse to create the building itself. I would say that in recent years the Wright has really tried more to live up to its reputation as a cultural institution and not as much as a community gathering place. I don’t think that is intentional in the sense that we did one or the other. My feeling about the Wright when I came in was there was a lot we needed to do as an institution before we could be taken seriously as a museum and a cultural institution - the state of the archives, budget, staff, etc.
Moving forward, our hope for a takeaway from the CCPI project is to be more welcoming and more of a destination. We want to have more places where people can come see themselves and feel comfortable. For example, even in the Agence Ter - Akoaki remodel, we’re thinking about the whole bottom floor as a place for children and families to come together and look at African-American culture from the perspective of younger people. This provides parents an opportunity to give their kids a sense of their own cultural identity.
Which part of this project has excited you the most?
Well, the whole idea of it thrills me. Frankly, the notion that we would have this central campus for culture that has the beauty and the utility that you all have described is amazing. It’s fabulous. It’s also a very expensive proposition in a city that does not have a lot of resources. So, it’s going to be interesting to see if we can realize that.
It’s also been thrilling to have my colleagues around the table, and to have us thinking about something together. I think that’s really significant. I have not seen that in many cities that I’ve been in. If nothing else happened, if we could learn how to work together and collaborate, that would be amazing. There’s usually competition among these kinds of organizations, typically for donors or visibility, but I don’t feel that in this group.
Is there anything about the design in particular that you really like?
I love the new visitor center. I thought that was really a genius idea. The look and feel of the open space created is going to be really inviting for people, particularly when we think about what content might be seen as people are coming out of the garage. I’ve loved all of the landscaping and lighting work. I think it’s outstanding. It’s going to be really, really beautiful.
Do you see the potential for particular experiences coming out of this project for artists, African-American artists in particular, and how they engage with the space? Do you see any potential for that?
Well, certainly my vision for the Wright building is about giving artists the tools they need to innovate for the 21st and 22nd century. My belief is things, like objects, are not going to be the subject of art making much longer. I mean, we’ll still have painters and so fourth. But that work will be able to be animated and utilized in so many different other ways. I want our artists to be able to think about our museum as a place for them to actually do it and to actually realize that level of ambition. The Wright has been just about history, somewhat about culture, but rarely about contemporary art.I come from the contemporary art world. I’m keen to give opportunities to artists working here to show their work, to be a catalyst for their work, and to garner them more regional and national attention. The Mario Moore exhibition we just did and the catalog that goes with it was really an attempt for us to give him the tools and things needed to be taken seriously nationally and internationally. I think we will do that with all the artists that we present moving forward.
What do you think that the rest of the cultural district can learn from the Charles Wright? They can learn that there is something significant about allowing an African-American museum to have prominence in a cultural sector of a predominantly black city.
There is nothing wrong with our colleagues being everything that they are, and yet respecting the fact that there is a museum where that’s our mission. I do think that there is a tacit notion of first choice institutions contrasted with the way we’re positioning ourselves. That might make us feel a little foreign to a lot of people attempting to understand that there is a difference. It’s the difference between a culture speaking about themselves and a culture commenting on another culture from their perspective. Those are both important, but they remain two different things. In this moment, the piece that is missing is the piece about the lived experience.
Historically, larger, more mainstream organizations around the world, often give very little respect and attention to BIPOC organizations within their community. Seldom do they balance the fact that they have an institution that’s totally focused on culture with one who lives in a community that they want to be servicing . That has not ever been well negotiated. I think it’s something we might be able to accomplish with the cultural district project. Ultimately, how important is it to Detroit for this project to come to pass? Given our demographics, the Wrights imprimatur is an important one. And I say that to think about the project without the Wright is inconceivable.
This is an incredibly important point. Thank you for saying what you just said, and for being that candid. This came up a little bit when we talked to Joanne Mondowney right before you. We told her that we thought that the DPL was kind of one of the underrated stars of the district. Is there a place where the Charles Wright and the DPL are conceived as co-stars?
Absolutely. I think we could do a lot, and I’m glad you are talking about Jo Anne because I haven’t talked to her in a long time. I think that the Wright and the library system could be huge partners in this, and in Detroit. I think that we could bring a lot of resources to residents, and possibly to each other. I’m not familiar with the holdings of the library, but my suspicion is that there’s a lot that they could help us amplify. Also, we could work together on the creation of things that are more outward facing. In a city that is dealing with literacy issues, low reading levels, and access to technology, there is a story there that’s really significant about us working together. Right?
I’m kicking around whether civility is the right term. Our history is such that sometimes being what people would consider ‘uncivil’ has been the reason that we have survived. So, that word doesn’t strike me, in terms of the African-American experience of being particularly apropos.
We also asked Jo Anne about the ways in which culture and literacy in particular have been denied to AfricanAmericans, and how this project could be one way to create gateways into these institutions and bring even more people in. Do you have any thoughts? One of the phrases we threw around with this question was deliberate civility, a place where people come to get calm and are civil in a way that they’re not in the larger world and where they can absorb information and appreciate art and culture in particular ways. I just wanted to see if you had any reactions to that idea about deliberate civility and the denial of information and culture to African-Americans.
The notion of a safe gathering place where the exchange of ideas and cultures exists is really attractive to me and I think it would be to a lot of people - particularly at this moment. Where does culture gather? Where can we begin to intentionally live and learn about each other together and not apart? Going back to the notion of trying to bridge the lived experiences of black and non BIPOC people - that disconnect is so severe right now. If we can’t get over that, we’re really not going to survive.
I think it’s a really interesting idea. You’re an urban planner, so you know the town square is not a new idea. In this moment, that’s particularly compelling when you think about the different kinds of the divides, right? The fact that we all have different town squares, or different gathering places - the district could be a gathering place where everybody comes. They start there. So they learn about Detroit, that’s where they really sink their teeth into what this place is about. That’s a huge possibility of the project.
Absolutely. One last question - how has it been working with us?
Y’all are okay. No, I’m just kidding - I love working with you guys! I have to say, I find working with you very inspiring. I think you listen well. I appreciate how well the ideas that we’ve expressed together show up in the renderings, and the things that you do for us. I think that’s been spot on. I think you all are incredible. I really do. I’m not just saying that.
Well, we appreciate it. Thank you, Neil.
Top: A test fit to reimagine the Woodward entry in a strategy that proposes radical flatness and intentional horizontality on an extended plaza. Bottom: The Woodward Avenue entry amplifies the grand lobby to welcome visitors from the proposed plaza. The triple-height space offers opportunities to exhibit three-dimensional works.
Detroit Institute of Arts
For the venerable Detroit Institute of Arts, Agence Ter and Akoaki created a set of simple interventions to leverage existing assets. These spatial mediations are designed to make navigation intuitive and access more welcoming. In the process, the proposal considers the possible futures of an encyclopedic institution as it works to expand, embrace, and engage new generations of Detroiters.
Interventions explored by the design team center around entry experiences, exhibitions, childrens’ learning, and commercial activation. The goals include: unifying the existing threeentryway layout on the ground floor by way of a central ticket counter, bringing commercial activity to the southern facade, creating an addition at the John R entry that extends exhibition, consolidating educational programming in a stacked children’s wing, and extending the public programming to a roof garden and cafe.
The design also examines strategies to humanize the grand stair and institutional entry on Woodward Avenue. Offering options with different topographies that are more playful, inclusive, and contemporary, the proposal intentionally subdues the reverential aspects of the architecture to create an interactive, approachable, and programmable space for civic engagement. These modifications help define the central ephemeral plaza on Woodward Avenue, an urban connector between the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Detroit Public Library. Terracing, integrated lighting, technology, and infrastructure are combined to host large-scale events when Woodward Avenue is temporarily shut for cultural events.
Detroit is an incredibly vibrant city, in constant evolution, and there’s no place else I would rather be. The Detroit Institute of Arts strives to be a reflection of our culturally rich communities, and we want to continue to create programs, exhibitions and experiences that mirror the powerfully diverse society we serve. “
Salvador Salort - Pons Director, President and CEO, Detroit Institute of Arts
The Detroit Institute of Arts
In Conversation With Salvador Salort - Pons
Since becoming Director of the Detroit Institute of Arts in 2015, Salvador SalortPons has worked to make one of the largest and most significant art museums in the United States feel more like a town square. Community interest and accessibility remain a top priority for this Spanish- American museum professional, who shared his aspirations for the District with the design team.
Sarah Carter (SC): The Detroit Institute of the Arts (DIA) under your leadership was a leading force and a conceptual catalyst behind the entire CCPI project—could you share how this project came about, and how your relationship to the project has evolved over the course of the planning process? Salvador Salort-Pons (SSP): As a child growing up in Madrid, the plaza (or public square) occupied a central place in my early life. It was where friends played soccer and other games. It was a place where many gathered for coffee and conversations. It was where neighbors lounged with books and newspapers. It was the commons, the community space, a place where life unfolded slowly and happily under the warmth of the sun and the music of the birds.
Upon my arrival in Detroit in 2008, I spent my first year in the city walking up and down Woodward Avenue to my new job at the DIA. And in this big industrial city, built with the hands of workers from every corner of the world, I wondered how those individuals would spend their time in public spaces. On my walks and explorations of the city, I looked for its community heart in the urban space, where the art of living occurred. I was unable to discover that place. I wondered then if the DIA could function as the gathering space for everyone, serving as a catalyst that helped structure the design of a plaza that could play an important role in the life of the citizens of Detroit and our region. For some years the idea was simmering inside and when I was elected Director of the DIA in 2015, with the Board’s approval, it became the new vision for the organization as we defined the role the museum could play in our society moving forward.
While the DIA initiated this effort we made it an early priority to bring all of our neighbors in the cultural district as partners in the project, including the Detroit Public Library, Detroit Historical Museum, The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, and the Michigan Science Center as well as the University of Michigan, Wayne State, and the College for Creative Studies to ensure that this process was collaborative and that we were all functioning as equals. This is why it was important that Midtown Detroit Inc, under Susan Mosey’s leadership took over the oversight and management of the process in the early days. She has been an amazing and effective steward of representing everyone’s interest fairly and equitably. We owe her much for her insights and the depth of experience she has brought to this process.
Our contemporary social climate has questioned what role encyclopedic museums and other venerable institutions play in the construction of culture, and what responsibility they bear in creating equitable and inclusive environments. Detroit has a high percentage of residents who are people of color. Please talk about the process behind the development of the CCPI.
I’ve lived in many different places throughout the world, and Detroit is an incredibly vibrant city, in constant evolution, and there’s no place else I’d rather be. The DIA strives to be a reflection of our culturally rich communities and we want to continue to create programs, exhibitions and experiences that mirror the powerfully diverse society we serve. We continually seek input from all our stakeholders and meet with local advisors and artists to ensure our programming and our art display meet the needs of those we serve. All the work that we do internally and externally is implemented through the lens of inclusion, diversity, equity, and access, which we are ingraining in the DNA of the organization. To secure a transformative vision for the district campus, a design competition was launched in 2018 that attracted designers and firms from more than 50 cities/countries around the world. The competition featured a jury made up of diverse national experts in landscape and urban design including Julie Bargmann of the University of Virginia Maurice Cox, who currently serves as Planning Director for the City of Chicago; William Gilchrist, Planning Director of Oakland, CA; Jonathan Massey, Dean of the Taubman School of Architecture at the University of Michigan; and Mario Moore, an artist from Detroit, who joined together with leaders of the district institutions to select a winning team and design direction after input from the community. The Paris-based landscape architects Agence Ter were joined by the Detroitbased design firm Akoaki to be selected by the competition’s 12 jurors to formalize their compelling design proposal.
It is a truism to say the DIA is a cultural and architectural gem. That position can be intimidating for some. How does the DIA invite visitors to breach its venerable threshold? How does it engage the common ground?
This is why the CCPI is so essential for our future and why we are investing in the plan. This project offers us the chance to bring the inside of the museum outside for audiences. It offers us the possibility to make the building more inviting. We do offer outdoor programming when the weather permits, but the current infrastructure –or lack thereof – is challenging and is not ideal for the kinds of engagements our curators and public programming leaders would like to offer. We have also made it a priority to take programs out into the community, in order to meet people where they are, which makes the museum more accessible in the long run, including our long-running Inside|Out program and our public art initiative. The emerging landscape design of the winning Agence Ter/Akoaki plan promises to transform 16 acres of paved surface into lush landscape, incorporating native plantings, landforms, and pathways which add interest and elevate comfort for Cultural Center visitors and staff. Areas for programming have also been carved into the landscape along the proposed necklace pathway as COVID-19 has underscored the value of parks and public spaces and how they support public health and wellbeing.
What kind of relationship does the DIA have with its neighboring institutions? How often are collaborative exhibitions like Detroit ’67 undertaken, and are there plans for more collaborative programming opportunities in the future?
We are always looking to collaborate with our neighboring institutions as was demonstrated with Detroit ’67 and other important programs from the past, including ongoing internship programs and other collaborative activities with Wayne State. I also participate in meetings with my partner CEOs in the district to discuss current topics, challenges, and opportunities. But of course, our main focus is driven by the desire of all of us to improve and design more engaging visitor experiences on the campus which we see as being the vital outcome of the CCPI plan.
The Cultural District already attracts 2 million people a year. Does the DIA plan to grow its audience, and how?
We are always looking to grow the audiences that we serve, always striving to be more relevant to our communities and to invite even more people to visit. In the wake of the pandemic, which sent shockwaves across the museum world, we also learned a lot through our efforts to reach our
audiences during the short time we were forced to be closed. We are now developing plans to put more resources and efforts behind our digital and online initiatives, including videos and live-streaming of programs, all of which have the potential to play a critical role in expanding our engagement with the public. Of course, growth in our in-person audiences is always a top priority and to keep relevant to them is a crucial aspect of our work.
Typically, encyclopedic museums are introverts. They need climate control, safety, security, calibrated lighting, and security in order to preserve culture for posterity. Despite this fact, can you see DIA programming activating the outdoors?
Of course. Absolutely. Outdoor programs and experiences have always been a priority for us, especially in the warmer months here in the Midwest. We know our audiences also love experiences and programs set outside the building. But we are limited by the infrastructure as it currently exists. This is why we are so excited for the opportunity that the CCPI plan offers. In my eyes, the team’s proposed design for the campus will result in a transformational experience for all who visit the district as well as for the institutions themselves. The plan provides for places for people to linger and experience the natural beauty of landscape as well as help manage stormwater runoff, provide new parking, and safe pedestrian experiences. It provides the opportunity for our institutions to curate new public programs and art experiences. In sum, it allows the world-class centers of culture and education that make up this neighborhood the opportunity to bring the inside out for people of all ages and backgrounds.
We know you are not supposed to play favorites, but currently what is your favorite work in the DIA?
Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry murals. It is simply the heart of the DIA, America’s Sistine Chapel, a lasting image of how Detroit changed the history of the world.
Rooftop cafe and event space at the Scarab Club.
The Scarab Club
Celebrating the contemporary while preserving and paying tribute to the past is a balancing act for The Scarab Club, an artists’ hub, gallery, and studio space that has been a nexus for creative activity since 1907. In the CCPI plan, the design team tests opportunities to extend and evolve the legendary art club’s footprint. A proposed new addition honors its singular architecture by mirroring the building over the adjacent parking lot using new materials. Such an extension would double the Club’s available exhibition, workshop, and studio spaces furthering its mission as a center for artistic production and experience in the District.
The proposal also works to enhance the Scarab Club’s outdoor programming. Its rich history of welcoming visitors to the enclosed garden finds new possibilities through an enlargement of the garden space along the north wall, which would include space for sculpture.
Historically, the Scarab Club has been an anchor for area artists who work, gather, learn, and share through exhibitions and events. Today, the Scarab Club is perfectly poised to build upon a legacy of artistic excellence and inclusion with an addition that furthers its mission to advocate for the arts, embrace experimentation, and sponsor emergent programming to strengthen its cultural legacy. “
The CCPI plan democratizes the cultural landscape by treating institutions big and small with equal consideration, recognizing ways in which we all contribute. The Scarab Club promotes correspondences between those who make art and those who love art, and we are excited by the prospect of a bold new direction for our historic building. “
MaryAnn Wilkenson Executive Director, The Scarab Club
Michigan Science Center
Since 1978, the Michigan Science Center has grown and expanded into the dynamic institution it is now: a place that aims to inspire visitors of all ages with active learning environments that demonstrate how our world works. The building’s incremental evolution, through a series of additions, poses certain organizational and ecological challenges. How can the existing architecture and landscape be updated to better align with the innovative scientific, technological, and engineering content housed within?
In response, the design team explored ways the Michigan Science Center’s aggregate parts might be unified by deploying sustainable technologies to activate the building facade. The approach envisions the architecture operating as a machine for learning that demonstrates best practices and new building methods. Photovoltaics, wind energy, solar gain, vegetable shading, and water management systems are among the deployable strategies explored in this phased approach.
Beyond sustainable engineering, CCPI offers an opportunity to augment the Michigan Science Center’s visibility in the District. Lighting effects activate the dome on Warren Avenue, transforming the architectural element into an urban marker. Projections on the building’s east elevation contribute to District-wide events or announce new programming. On a daily basis, the proposal clarifies the entrances, improves the sense of welcome, and makes recommendations for easier navigation. The Michigan Science Center’s outdoor experience is where significant transformation is possible. The plan reimagines the Center’s shared surface parking lot as a series of outdoor classrooms, temporary exhibitions, and demonstration gardens capable of hosting a breadth of formal and informal programming for a cross-generational audience. Here rocket installations co-exist with inflatable performance spaces and climate machines that illustrate environmental cycles at scale.
Detroit is a very proud city and deserves an intervention representative of that pride. I would like to see a design for the district that celebrates the accomplishments and influences of the city. “
In this proposal, the surface parking lot is transformed into a public garden designed to host a range of temporary installations and programs for the Michigan Science Center.
The Michigan Science Center
In Conversation With Christian Greer
Christian Greer serves as President and CEO of the Michigan Science Center, a popular educational destination that connects with audiences and communities through innovative onsite, offsite, and online programming. Greer brings a unique passion for science and learning to everything he does. From his office on John R, he shared how hands-on learning inspires people of all ages and shapes public programming.
Anya Sirota (AS): Let’s start with an establishing shot. For someone coming to the Michigan Science Center for the first time, what would that visitor encounter and what is the mission of the institution that you direct?
Christian Greer (CG): We have a more official mission, but our value proposition is we put you at the center of science and STEM learning. Our focus and reach extends far beyond childhood audiences to include a full gamut of family experiences and intergenerational learning opportunities.
For example, earlier this year, we opened an exhibit that addresses weather phenomena called ‘Earth, Wind and Weather.’ The exhibition invites audiences of all ages to interact directly with material experimentation with water, providing displays that actively splash, form clouds, and even simulate an avalanche!
When this level of interactivity is possible, we’re clearly not operating as an art museum, nor a history museum. We’re something very different. When you walk in, you can see artistry in the curation of our space. We make science active by encouraging trial and error.
Anya Sirota (AS): Traditionally science centers are educational venues, and yet you’re talking about the Michigan Science Center as being intergenerational and focused on diverse audiences interested in understanding how the world works. How do you ensure that the interests of such a broad audience are met?
We start by learning from childhood interactivity. Kids don’t need permission to try something. They run up to an exhibit and intuitively press all of the necessary buttons. That’s how they engage. As we get older, we begin to restrain ourselves by questioning if this is something we should do. By intentionally creating the right environment, all that disappears and everybody becomes a curious learner. When we get that ambition right, as in the exhibition of a 12 foot tornado, people want to engage immediately and intuitively.
Kids are typically the first ones to interact with an exhibit and that automatically creates a pecking order. We design our exhibits in such a way that audiences in the back can still engage. For example, when children are interacting with an exhibit up close, there’s also a screen above so that teens, parents, grandparents, and others can also see what’s going on. Intergenerational learning is important because families that learn together, grow together. They are more inclined to teach each other, and they respect personal knowledge gained over the years.
Ultimately, we want to encourage human curiosity.
We’re witnessing science centers across the nation becoming platforms for serious conversations that touch on collective health, climate change, pollution in our oceans, the role of technology, and building civil society, to name a few. As the director of an institution that foregrounds play, interactivity, and joy in the experience of the exhibits, how do you position the institution? Does the Science Center participate in these pressing conversations?
There’s a difference between science centers and science museums. A science museum has a rich collection of scientific objects and cultural objects related to science or technology - each one of those objects tells a specific story that shapes our society in ways that are more than just having fun with your family. Science centers, on the other hand, offer a creative, dynamic, and interactive way of teaching science. I think science centers are starting to feel like they need to be more like science museums and provide a platform to host some of these conversations. As an institution we are ready to discuss topics like pollution, vaccination, and climate change by demystifying them from a neutral, objective position. I think the Science Center should take things out of your daily life and teach you a little bit more of the science behind it. I believe we can not demystify the realities of everyday life if we’re preaching dogmas. Instead, it is our responsibility to provide accessible and intelligent tools for people to develop informed opinions about top of mind issues.
We’re seeing institutions more engaged with outdoor programming and outdoor exhibitions. How do you imagine the Science Center activating public space? Do you imagine that it’s possible to take some of that energy currently housed within the museum and bring it outdoors?
If we consider the cultural district design - the Necklace element gives us ample opportunity to reconceptualize outdoor exhibitions. The design of the public space invites us to dream big, even to extend beyond the footprint of the district to engage Detroiters more broadly. Imagine, for a moment, activating Woodward with a scale model of the solar system. The sun could be located downtown, and then we could measure the entire distance of the solar system. Distances and proportions could be perceived at the scale of city blocks. How amazing is that? Absolutely. The topics of exploration germane to the Science Center do not need to be contained in the institution alone. Gravity, for example, works uniformly indoors and out. Activating outdoor space with science and learning would support our mission of growing awareness about the mechanics of everyday life.
Science continues to play a role in the development of this planning initiative. We have been working with scientists, engineers, and consultants to find imaginative ways that the landscape can introduce ecology, biodiversity, and water management into this urban public context. Would the Michigan Science Center have an appetite to install exhibitions in the landscape to make the systems more legible?
That would be fun! I think all the institutions in this district need to get out of their four walls.
In Constructivist learning theories, which envision learning through direct action, no two people discern knowledge in the same way. New information is coupled with a full repository of prior knowledge and contributes to one’s unique cognitive framework. Once you learn how to read things, you just don’t see it the same way. And that perspective is singular and remarkable. As an aside, I once traveled west with the famous paleontologist Paul Serino. It was a great opportunity for me to witness a true dinosaur hunter, one who could literally “sniff out” dinosaurs. Suffice it to say, that experience shifted my perspectives and inflected the way that I understand paleontology and geology. We work to deliver that level of captivating, direct learning experience in all of our exhibitions.
Taking that energy to the outdoors, I would love to see the Necklace deployed as a teaching opportunity. Imagine carefully curated outdoor exhibitions that introduce visitors to the region’s native ecology. How fantastic would it be to know how to read leaves on your way from point A to point B in the district.
If we were to harness your inspired imagination and ask you about what you would like to see on the CCPI grounds, whether that’s adjacent to your institution or somewhere else, what would that be? No idea is too outrageous.
Detroit is a very proud city and deserves an intervention representative of that pride. The world may have influenced Detroit, but Detroit also has influenced the rest of the world. I would like to see an intervention in the district that celebrates the accomplishments and influence of the city.
I like to work backwards. I explore successful projects in cities and institutions around the world and ask myself: how did that happen? How can we reimagine these strategies for the Detroit context? Video conferencing, for example, is, to a large extent, ubiquitous. But at the right scale and with connections to partnering institutions around, visitors to the district could experience an unprecedented, radical sense of connectivity across time zones.
Connection is important in my mind because there are so many people in Detroit that have not had the luxury or privilege to travel regionally or globally. So the idea of installing a live interactive portal to other places on earth is particularly meaningful here. On the flip side, organizations in the district have world renowned collections, and sponsor exhibitions of a very high caliber. It would be equally beneficial to broadcast our activities out to the world.
There has to be an exchange, and the cultural district should be at the center of this exchange. Detroit connects to the world, and the world connects to us.
You’re saying that the Cultural District is ready to step onto an international stage?
Absolutely. We have to be ready for that. The Cultural District is unique in the city, and well poised to help Detroit shine on an international stage. What would people from other places come in and see? How would everyone feel welcome? When I think about the existing assets and the future urban design – Wow, it could be great!
College for Creative Studies
The College for Creative Studies’ unique and architecturally significant campus illustrates the District plan’s adaptability as it works to unite this educational institution with its neighbors while maintaining the integrity of the Walter and Josephine Ford campus.
The proposed campus connection to the District plan will be light and wellconsidered. Continuity will be made possible through the integration of water management infrastructure. upgrades of the hardscape; urban furniture improvements that match the materials and sensibilities introduced in the Necklace; and the integration of lighting and technology to offer a playable landscape for events and projections.
Integration of the campus will allow for the college to extend its reach and visibility beyond the boundaries of its immediate footprint. An axial sculpture garden along the Square will extend to Warren Avenue and connect to the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. The space creates an opportunity for temporary installation of student and faculty work. The John R above ground parking lot transformed into the Common Green will offer students a quad experience in the heart of the city. Additionally, the Brush Street Arts Vitrine and Welcome Center will create extended opportunities for exhibitions and public engagement.
The campus’s current operations are retained and improved. Student shuttle drop off, delivery access, as well as space for sculpture and exhibitions, remain central to the continuation of current campus functions. Proposed connections invite the College for Creative Studies to expand its presence and programming by activating newly available public space with innovative design generated by the institution.
A really important part of the experience has been learning more about the challenges and opportunities facing the other institutions in the cultural center area. This is especially true for the smaller neighboring institutions. The process has created a regular jumping off point for other collaborations. “
The Walter and Josephine Ford campus is a natural hinge in the plan with its sculpture garden and outdoor spaces for encounters with the arts. CCPI connects to the College for Creative Studies through light touch interventions that retain the spirit of the campus.
The College for Creative Studies
In Conversation With Don Tuski
A three-time college president and Michigan native, Don Tuski leads the College for Creative Studies with his spirit of inquiry across disciplines and creative collaboration. An unwavering advocate for the value of an art and design education, Tuski is driven by the opportunity to build on the College for Creative Studies solid foundation to propel them into the future. We caught up with Don to learn more about his thoughts on the CCPI plan.
Anya Sirota (AS): Tell us about your experience collaborating on the CCPI plan to date?
Don Tuski (DT): CCS has been involved from the beginning of the process, with our former president Rick Rogers participating in the initial steering committee helping to choose the consultants. Since I have taken over as president, I have sat on the steering committee, and a variety of senior staff have been engaged in work groups and in other ways. A really important part of the experience has been learning more about the challenges and opportunities facing the other institutions in the cultural center area. This is especially true for the smaller neighboring institutions. The process has created a regular interaction and been a jumping off point for other collaborations.
Anya Sirota (AS): How do you think the CCPI can support the mission of your institution?
As a small institution, CCS can sometimes be overshadowed by its neighbors. The planning process continues to grow awareness of CCS as an integral part of the cultural center and hopefully in the future, bring new visitors. The initiative also offers meaningful ways for our students, faculty, staff, and programs to connect to other institutions for even greater impact. Our entire campus community benefits as the surrounding district becomes more vibrant and responsive to their needs.
What opportunities do you see in expanding programming to the outdoors? In sharing resources with neighboring institutions?
CCS is investing in experiential learning as a core component of its educational process. Our cultural center neighbors are often exploring contemporary issues that connect to our curriculum or have the types of jobs that our students seek post graduation. We can expand the relevant experiential learning opportunities available for our students by sharing resources with these neighbors. For many of our students, this type of experience is the most valuable part of their education. In addition, the outdoors provides a canvas and a space to not only raise awareness of student and faculty work to a much larger audience, but also to experiment. The outdoors can become a neutral space to encourage collaboration across our institutions.
CCS looks forward to seeing many members of the campus community involved in the implementation of the plan. Students, faculty, staff, and alumni can all play a part - either by producing new works that can be exhibited in outdoor spaces, supporting the implementation of specific projects through their creative expertise, or developing and participating in new public programming. As more visitors are attracted to the district, the opportunities for a broader community to see and experience CCS’s creative outputs increases. CCS is especially excited about the opportunities relating to digital technologies and sustainability. We support the intersections offered within our academic programs, including Communication Design, Entertainment Arts, Film, User Experience, Design for Climate Action, and many others. How can the CCPI plan support the broadcast and exhibition of CCS’s creative outputs - both faculty and student-centered?
Above: The World Cafe along the Square. Next Page: The proposed renovation for the International Institute of Metro Detroit brings the World Cafe to the ground floor to connect the interior life of the organization to the outdoors. The architectural facade is updated with contemporary materials to signify the safety of a quilt and engage the sun to create new signage with shadows.
The International Institute of Metro Detroit
The International Institute is already a place brimming with heart, legacy, and hidden gems—from immigration advocacy to English language immersion classes to affordable eats. But these assets are tucked behind a mid-century envelope that belies the welcoming nature of the institution and the multi-cultural offerings within. To broadcast the compelling work of the International Institute, the design team proposes to connect the interior life of the organization to the outdoors, both as a visualizing political action and an invitation for people to engage.
The proposed International Institute renovation participates in a symbiotic relationship with the district plan: harnessing pedestrian traffic, while helping to activate the street. Appropriately, the International Institute’s World Café is upgraded and moved from the basement to the ground floor. In addition to the efficiency gained by sharing a kitchen with the Institute’s Hall of Nations, the commercial programming adds discernibility to the building’s southern facade.
Food, as we know, is the connective tissue of culture. Currently, the International Institute’s portion of the shared parking lot adjacent to the building is underutilized on weekends. The addition of landscaping and water management infrastructure will form an aesthetic buffer and help temporarily transform a surface lot into a site for food trucks. Not only can these enterprises serve as opportunities for first-generation businesses, they will improve access to food in the District.
The plan brings a taste of the International Institute’s diverse constituency, and their social mission, into partnership with the cultural institutions in the District.
We are dedicated to working with low-income, foreign, and native born populations in an effort to establish a more inclusive, equitable, and just society. The Detroit Cultural District is the perfect space to convene the diverse, multi-cultural population that we serve. “
Wojiech Zolnowski, Executive Director, The International Institute of Metro Detroit
Transformation of the Hellenic Museum’s Courtyard into a shared event space.
Hellenic Museum of Michigan
Small but mighty institutions make excellent neighbors. The Hellenic Museum of Michigan, dedicated to preserving the rich heritage of Greek music, art, literature, philosophy, and language moved to the District in 2009. It is an example of a modest organization with an overabundance of energy, collective imagination, and appetite to connect with new and old friends nearby.
An early contributor to piloting the CCPI project, the Hellenic Museum is creating a courtyard for outdoor cultural programming, which the organization intends to share with the adjacent Carr Center. The suggested improvements made to the outdoor space in conjunction with the addition of apertures to the museum’s historic carriage house improve the organization’s curb appeal, draw interest, and offer the Hellenic a destination-worthy space for private events. Additionally, the Hellenic Museum is working to enhance the building’s south facade by opening shielded windows to reveal public programming within. On a small scale, the Hellenic Museum demonstrates the pragmatic advantages of networking to steward shared cultural infrastructure and the activities it sponsors.
Our museum is dedicated to sharing the richness of Hellenic heritage and its contributions in shaping our world. In many ways the CCPI offers Detroit an agora “ for diverse audiences to come together and participate in the civic life of the city.
The Carr Center
Building on the Carr Center’s mission to preserve, promote, and develop African-American arts traditions within Detroit’s multicultural community, CCPI recognizes that cultural programs are as essential to the vitality of the District as the public spaces that sponsor them. The Carr Center has a strong reputation for creating African-American cultural experiences that challenge, inspire and educate by nurturing and amplifying excellence in the arts. In this capacity, CCPI welcomes the Carr Center’s numerous compelling programs into the outdoors. In the first stages of the project, the Carr Center will share the Hellenic Museum’s refurbished courtyard to stage public programming. Temporary installations by Detroit-based and international artists on the Square will provide signals that the public is welcome to enter and participate.
As CCPI takes shape, the Carr Center stands to benefit from the outdoor cultural infrastructure designed to host music, theater, dance, experimental performances, and installations. Likewise, the District will be energized by the Carr Center’s high caliber of artistic excellence and commitment to elevating African-American arts for all.
CCPI promises the provision of space for each institution’s needs. The outdoor cultural infrastructure developed in the plan will deliver on the promise of creating collective benefits. For the Carr Center, which has a tradition of opening up to the world
“in new and exhilarating ways, the relationship to the District will be symbiotic.
Oliver Ragsdale, President, The Carr Center
The Carr Center is renowned for sponsoring outdoor programming and installations. This inflatable event archway, is an example of a deployable installation to signify activities open to the public in the adjacent courtyard of the Hellenic Museum.
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is an esteemed neighbor to the Cultural District, with nearly 25,000 students, 200 plus acres, and over 100 research and education buildings comprising its historic urban campus. The exceptional mutual benefits of Wayne State’s direct adjacency to CCPI cannot be overstated. Through a reciprocal relationship between the academic and cultural campuses, each plan extends reach, grows its daily audiences, broadens its public assets, and increases access to a breadth of cultural amenities. CCPI works intentionally and symbiotically with Wayne State’s recent master planning effort to actualize distinct and compelling connections, bringing landscape elements from the Cultural District’s design into the university’s grounds. At the same time, CCPI extends street improvements along major arteries in order to create an urban continuity with the Wayne State plan.
Specifically, CCPI proposes to expand the Necklace, the District’s walking path, into Wayne State University’s footprint, interlacing the many architectural treasures on campus with the cultural institutions to the west. The Square, the District’s pedestrian framework, engages Prentiss Hall and its ground floor vitrines, perfectly poised to broadcast the university’s many cultural programs and achievements. At this important intersection between the educational and cultural campuses, the lawn of the Detroit Public Library is terraced for public occupation, creating a mixing ground for students, faculty, staff, library patrons, and visitors.
The beauty of our urban campus, stitched into the very fabric of the city, is the fluidity it provides; effortless connections with CCPI, its cultural institutions, Midtown, and the region beyond - ensuring our “ institutional thresholds are easy to traverse and inviting for all remains top of mind.
Ashley Flintoff, Director of Planning and Space Management, WSU
In addition to facilitating lingering, CCPI is focused on improving the pedestrian experience, creating more visible, safe, and efficient crosswalks, providing shared streets for people, cyclists, public transportation networks, and strategically easing the presence of automobiles in order to make room for people.
With a few acts of integration to blur the lines between master plans, Wayne State University can claim the wider Cultural District as an asset for its campus—a benefit that few, if any, other public research institutions can share.
The Detroit Public Library’s landscape on Cass Avenue is terraced along the Band to meet Wayne State University. The subtle urban gesture transforms an underutilized space into an inhabitable attractor for students and visitors to the District.
