(May 4, 2016) – For people interested in planning a one-of-a-kind road trip this summer, four museums across the country have something delightfully unexpected in store.

Thanks to the Akron Art Museum, the Detroit Institute of Arts, Pérez Art Museum Miami and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, people all across America can experience InsideOut, a community program that takes high-quality, large-scale reproductions of museum masterpieces out of the galleries and on to the streets. The works are within walking and biking distance of each other, and some museums offer free admission to see the real masterpieces, presenting an opportunity to see great art inside and outside of museum walls in Akron, Detroit, Miami and Philadelphia. 

Featured artists range from master painters Paul Gauguin and Claude Monet to modern and contemporary artists such as Andy Warhol, Ed Clark and Alma Thomas.

In June, the four museums will launch the #InsideOutUSA Photo Contest on Instagram. The contest kicks off with a simultaneous Instameet at InsideOut locations across the four cities from 6 to 9 p.m. EST on June 3. During this time, Instagrammers in each city will come together to document #InsideOutUSA in their communities.  For example, Instagram photos tagged #InsideOutUSA @philamuseum will be entered to win a contest judged by professional photographer Conrad Benner of @streetdept.  The contest runs through June 12, and winners from each InsideOut city will be announced on June 16. Visit InsideOutUSA.org for contest rules and prize information.

“It is one thing to see such incredible works of art in a museum, but it is an entirely new experience to view them outdoors and in your community,” said Victoria Rogers, vice president for arts at Knight Foundation, which funds InsideOut nationally. “By bringing InsideOut to cities across the U.S., we’re able to share the treasures of the museums more broadly and engage people directly as they go about their everyday lives.”

The Detroit Institute of Arts conceived of the program in 2010. Because of its success, Knight Foundation funded InsideOut’s expansion to Akron, Miami and Philadelphia in 2015, with more cities to come.

Block parties, bike tours celebrate exhibitions

The museums have been building upon the success of the program to bring more art to more people.

The Akron Art Museum is installing 40 artworks across eight communities, including Firestone Park and Goodyear Heights, neighborhoods best known for their rubber industry roots. The museum is celebrating each community with an InsideOut block party, inviting residents and organizations into the museum for food, fun art activities and guided tours of the original artworks in the galleries.

Around metro Detroit, communities plan bike and walking tours and costume contests inspired by the masterful reproductions. Some highlights this year include a two-day art festival and weekly walking tours, including one led by museum Director Salvador Salort-Pons, in Hamtramck, a densely populated and culturally vibrant city almost surrounded by Detroit. InsideOut is also featured along the Dequindre Cut Greenway, a former railway line that has been converted into an urban recreational path, and will be part of a weekend-long celebration of the expansion of the path into Eastern Market, the largest historic market in the country.

Miami’s Pérez Art Museum Miami’s has installed InsideOut in the town of Homestead, nestled between Everglades National Park and the Florida Keys, and in the vibrant neighborhoods of Hialeah and the West End.

This year, the Philadelphia Museum of Art has expanded the program to 12 communities, including the bustling Old City district near the Delaware River waterfront. Some 15 high-quality reproductions can be found in this neighborhood alone, a stone’s throw from historic attractions such as Independence Hall and the Betsy Ross House. Six communities through July 15 are hosting pop-up installations, with another six communities taking part from Aug. 1 through Nov. 1. InsideOut in Philadelphia aims to engage communities and invite students who live in those neighborhoods to the museum for field trips to learn more about the art.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities, and foster the arts. Knight believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit knightfoundation.org.

About the Akron Art Museum

The Akron Art Museum, dedicated to enriching lives through modern and contemporary art, showcases regional, national and international art created since 1850. The museum’s collection is presented in a spectacular facility designed by Viennese architectural firm Coop Himmelb(l)au and includes over 5,000 works of art, with a strong focus on contemporary painting, sculpture and photography. Nearly a dozen exhibitions each year present prominent artists in various media including painting, sculpture, photography, video, design and glass. In addition to its ever-changing collection and exhibitions, the museum offers many opportunities to Live Creative through programs that include films and video, lectures, workshops, tours and concerts. Visit AkronArtMuseum.org

About the Detroit Institute of Arts

The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), one of the premier art museums in the United States, is home to more than 60,000 works that comprise a multicultural survey of human creativity from ancient times through the 21st century. From the first Van Gogh painting to enter a U.S. museum (Self-Portrait, 1887), to Diego Rivera’s world-renowned “Detroit Industry” murals (1932–33), the DIA’s collection is known for its quality, range and depth. The DIA’s mission is to create opportunities for all visitors to find personal meaning in art. Visit DIA.org.

About Pérez Art Museum Miami

Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) promotes artistic expression and the exchange of ideas, advancing public knowledge and appreciation of art, architecture and design, and reflecting the diverse community of its pivotal geographic location at the crossroads of the Americas. A 29-year-old South Florida institution formerly known as Miami Art Museum (MAM), Pérez Art Museum Miami opened a new building, designed by world-renowned architects Herzog & de Meuron, in Downtown Miami’s Museum Park on December 4, 2013. The facility is a state-of-the-art model for sustainable museum design and progressive programming and features 200,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor program space with flexible galleries; shaded outdoor verandas; a waterfront restaurant and bar; a museum shop; and an education center with a library, media lab and classroom spaces. For more information, visit www.pamm.org

About the Philadelphia Museum of Art

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is Philadelphia’s art museum. We are a landmark building. A world-renowned collection. A place that welcomes everyone. We bring the arts to life, inspiring visitors—through scholarly study and creative play—to discover the spirit of imagination that lies in everyone. We connect people with the arts in rich and varied ways, making the experience of the Museum surprising, lively, and always memorable. We are committed to inviting visitors to see the world—and themselves—anew through the beauty and expressive power of the arts. Visit philamuseum.org.

Contacts:

Dominic Caruso, design, marketing and communications coordinator, Akron Art Museum, 330-376-9186 x229, [email protected]

Larisa Zade, communications specialist, Detroit Institute of Arts, 313-833-7962, [email protected]       

Alexa Ferra, public relations manager, Pérez Art Museum Miami, 786-543-8810, [email protected]

Joy Deibert, press officer, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 215-684-7864, [email protected]

Marika Lynch, communications consultant, Knight Foundation, 305-898-3595, [email protected]