May 9, 2017 – Art lovers have a new reason to explore five cities this summer: Museums in Detroit, Miami, Philadelphia, Akron, Ohio, and Charlotte, North Carolina are taking quality reproductions of masterpieces out of the galleries and into the streets.
As visitors explore these cities, they can delight in discovering works from master painters Paul Gauguin and Claude Monet, and contemporary greats such as Fernando Botero and Ed Clark. The pieces will be placed in historic districts, along the water in a seaside village, and many other sites that draw visitors’ attention. Whether out to grab a Philly cheesesteak or taking a stroll along the ocean in Miami, people can experience great art.
The pop-up exhibitions are part of InsideOut, a program started by the Detroit Institute of Arts as a way to find new ways to engage the public. Because of its success, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation expanded the program to more cities in partnership with the Akron Art Museum, Pérez Art Museum Miami, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Charlotte’s Bechtler Museum of Modern Art and Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture.
“Encountering a work of art in an unexpected place is a great way to pique interest in seeing more of a museum’s collection,” said Victoria Rogers, vice president for arts at Knight Foundation. “InsideOut brings the joy, the inspiration of seeing a work of art in person directly to people in their everyday lives.”
From June 9 – 12, the six museums will host the #InsideOutUSA Photo Contest on Instagram, where people in each city will come together to document the pop-up exhibitions in their communities. Any Instagrammers who use the hashtag #InsideOutUSA in addition to the organizing museum’s handle will automatically be entered in the contest and will be eligible for a local and national prize. Visit InsideOutUSA.org for contest rules and prize information.
Here are some of the places where visitors can find InsideOut works:
Detroit: Discover InsideOut pieces throughout Metro Detroit, including in historic Franklin, which still has the appearance and atmosphere of an early Michigan village, and in the more urban Lafayette Park, interspersed between buildings by famed architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
Miami: Find contemporary works in three neighborhoods including Little Haiti, the cultural heart for the Haitian diaspora in Miami, North Miami Beach, a city at the “crossroads of South Florida,” and in Surfside, a charming beachside town known for its quaint downtown and seaside boardwalk.
Philadelphia: Savor a famous Philly cheesesteak at Pat’s King of Steaks, then stroll along contemporary Restaurant Row of East Passyunk Avenue while taking in masterpieces from the museum’s world renowned collection.
Akron: Explore reproductions of the museum’s collection as they are weaved into residential neighborhoods including Ellet, home to both the All-American Soap Box Derby and the Goodyear Blimp Air Dock, and Middlebury, Akron’s oldest neighborhood—predating the city itself—and home to the world headquarters of Goodyear tires.
Charlotte: Find works all around the city’s creative arts district, Plaza Midwood, where visitors can enjoy them as they walk between the local breweries and restaurants. In each InsideOut neighborhood, modern art from the Bechtler will be paired with contemporary works from the collection of the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, including some by Charlotte’s native son Romare Bearden.
To find out more about #InsideOutUSA and the InsideOut program, visit insideoutusa.org.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. We invest in journalism, in the arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. Our goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which we believe are essential for a healthy democracy. For more, visit knightfoundation.org.
Contacts:
Marika Lynch, communications consultant, Knight Foundation, [email protected], 305-908-2677