The Detroit Institute of Arts unveils 20 reimagined galleries with 375 works

After the better part of 10 years in the making, the Detroit Institute of Arts is ready to unveil two brand new exhibits featuring 20 new galleries and 375 pieces spanning from the 19th century to now.

"New stories, new works of art, new voices," Salvador Salort-Pons said.

Salort-Pons, the director of the DIA, says these galleries haven't been reinstalled for more than 20 years. After countless community-led discussions and this wing's museum makeover including new floors and ceilings they're providing a newfound navigation throughout a brand new installation.

WATCH JEFFREY'S VIDEO REPORT:

The transformation has already drawn excitement from museumgoers.

"Of course it's good news," Zackariah Frah said.

"The new exhibit sounds really beautiful," Jacob Tennant said.

"I think they are going to be amazed and wowed by it," Salort-Pons said.

The new contemporary and modern exhibits blend different media throughout the space.

"You're going to see galleries that have sculpture, installation, video, photography all these different media shown side by side," Katie Pfoho said.

Pfoho, the DIA's associate curator of contemporary art, says similarly to some of the compositions around the new contemporary and modern exhibits, the 20 uniquely themed galleries blend different perspectives into one.

"Here we're standing in the America gallery, but if you walk down the hall you can see how artists in Europe or other parts of the world were making their own art at exactly the same moment," Ben Colman said.

"And so we're able to create a story here," Jill Shaw said.

Shaw, the DIA's head of modern and contemporary art, and Colman, curator of American art, are just a couple of the passionate people hoping the exhibits featuring artists from 30 different countries serves to invoke insightful conversation.

"Love artLove it!" Shaw said.

"I love art," Colman said.

"To inspire people to think about the world differently," Salort-Pons said.

"And having inspired conversations with people you care about is one of the best ways to pass the time," Tennant said.

Although the curators say some of the galleries showcase 20th century art when artists were more experimental with different materials more than half of the contemporary art is made after the year 2000. And inside each gallery is at least one work on display made by a Detroiter.

"So, we have artists in Detroit in dialogue with artists across the world," Colman said.

"Detroit artists are really a part of a much broader vision," Pfoho said.

The DIA houses more than 60,000 pieces of art altogether, and curators say they are thrilled to start showing off 375 new works of art.

"Bring it. I can't wait," Shaw said.

"I love this museum so much," Frah said.

If you'd like to check out this new space, it's open to the public beginning on Sunday, and it's free for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne county residents.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.