We spent this evening at the Detroit Institute of Art. It had been in the news recently for being at the center of the Detroit Bankruptcy controversy--should the collection be sold to benefit the city's creditors? At this point that is being blocked, and thank goodness. It was a wonderful experience. It also echoed much of what we've experienced already in our trip.
Something we've been hearing from the beginning of the trip is that Detroit's biggest asset is its people. We heard it at Sacred Heart, at Earthworks, and at the restaurant. Tonight was no different. I was speaking to a security guard at the museum and he told me that what keeps him here is the people. That sentiment persisted throughout the evening. When a gentleman had to pass me in the hall, he was ridiculously polite. When I was sneezing, everyone in a 15 yard radius said "bless you." When I was in the elevator, the people I was riding with went out of their way getting to know me. Finally, there was an exhibit of portraits of average Detroit residents. The artist statement said, "my conclusion is that it's about people; it's about people empowered."
Another thing that struck me, both about the museum and the city as a whole, was its commitment to not succumb to the inertia that seems so likely to claim it. We saw it, of course, all week among the men and women at Earthworks. We saw it at the museum tonight as well. Every Friday night, the museum has free music. Tonight featured music written for the dedication of the Duomo in 1463. A city that didn't care would not go out of its way to find such a spectacularly talented musical group to preform historic music. And the venue--it was one of the original galleries with beautiful plaster crown molding and cornices and marble panels. The wall between the the original molding and marble panels, however, was covered with mural scenes from the city's history. That fusion of history and reality is Detroit.
Finally, the reaction of the wonderful students I have had the pleasure of accompanying this week gives hope for the city. On the way to the museum, they were excited but a little unsure--after all, how good can Detroit's museum be? After getting into the museum and seeing what it was like, I heard more than one student saying that the 3 hours we had would not be enough. As with just about every experience we have had this week, they are still talking about things they saw at the museum and will be doing so for the foreseeable future.
As we've learned this week, learning can take many forms in many situations. It can be in a classroom, it can be facilitated by a professor outside a classroom, or it can be with a community partner. It can be from people you trust, people you dislike, or people you at one point were uncomfortable with who earned your trust. It can be in the context of intentional explanation, self discovery, or spontaneous interaction with peers. It can happen in a garden, a museum, or an apartment. I have been privileged to see learning in all these situations and more this week. That experience was the true priceless masterpiece of this trip.
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