Public Event
Albert Kahn: Designing Detroit & the University of Michigan
Thursday December 10, 2015: 7:00pm to
8:30pm
Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room
Public Event
Award-Winning Mystery Author Allison Leotta Discusses Her Detroit-Based New Novel "A Good Killing"
Friday May 15, 2015: 7:00pm to
8:30pm
Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room
Film & Video Events
Film and Discussion: "Let's Have Some Church Detroit Style: The Hallelujah Singers"
Monday September 28, 2015: 6:30pm to
8:30pm
Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room
Adults And Teens Grade 6 And Up
Public Event
Michigan Notable Book Author and U-M Professor Sally Howell Discusses Her Book “Old Islam in Detroit: Rediscovering the Muslim American Past”
Monday October 5, 2015: 7:00pm to
8:30pm
Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room
Blog Post
2015 Michigan Notable Books Announced
by Sara W
Each year, the Library of Michigan selects a list of titles for recognition as Michigan Notable Books. These have been singled out as exceptional titles published in the previous year that highlight Michigan people, places, and events.
In addition to drawing attention to books with a Great Lakes region focus, "...the list continues to offer something for everyone. The 2015 list represents fiction, short story collections, history, children's picture books, mysteries, poetry and memoirs," says State Librarian Randy Riley. This 2015 list includes a range of diverse offerings, from dystopian fiction bestseller Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel to Derek Jeter's YA novel The Contract, from a history of Detroit's crucial supply role during WWII in A.J. Baime's The Arsenal of Democracy to Josh Greenberg's River of Sand guidebook to fly fishing in the waterways of the Great Lakes region.
Ready to explore the books for yourself? Here's a Michigan Notable Books">list of this year's honored titles in the AADL catalog.
Blog Post
Diego & Frida
by manz
From now through mid-July the Detroit Institute of Arts is hosting the exhibition Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Detroit. The exhibit focuses on their lives and work before Detroit, during Detroit, and after Detroit. Diego and Frida spent 1932-1933 in Detroit, where Diego worked on the Detroit Industry murals that are painted on the walls of the DIA. The work is amazing, as is the exhibit. Here’s a sneak peek of the magic if you haven’t been yet.
There’s been a lot of buzz about this exhibit and the artists are popping up all over the place, particularly Frida. Feeling inspired for more? Take a peek at the Caldecott Honor picture book Viva Frida!. There are also many other books and DVDs on Diego and Frida in the AADL collection, including the exhibit catalog that’s on order, and the visual book Diego Rivera: The Detroit Industry Murals.
Lectures & Panel Discussions
Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Detroit
Thursday March 5, 2015: 7:00pm to
8:30pm
Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room
Blog Post
Happy 313rd Birthday, Detroit!
by manz
Another year, another birthday for the D. But this year’s celebration stands out because it’s the 313rd birthday for a city with area code 313! That number rings loud and clear in Detroit and surrounding cities. 313 is worn with pride on shirts and tattoos across town.
To get more of your fill of this dynamic, struggling and recovering city, check out some of the newer books in our collection regarding Detroit food, travel, art, recreation, and more:
Detroit food: coney dogs to farmers markets
Lost Detroit: stories behind the Motor City's majestic ruins
Belle Isle to 8 Mile : an insider's guide to Detroit
Detroit country music: mountaineers, cowboys, and rockabillies
Built in Detroit: a story of the UAW, a company, and a gangster
Detroit City is the place to be: the afterlife of an American metropolis
Best bike rides Detroit and Ann Arbor: great recreational rides in Southeast Michigan
For more titles, be sure to check out the rest of the book titles in our collection. There are so many good ones!
Exhibits
Sights and Sounds: Photomontage by KaraLynn Kinsman
Monday June 30, 2014: 9:10am to
Saturday July 12, 2014
Downtown Library: 3rd Floor Exhibit
Blog Post
Reveal Your Detroit
by manz
Reveal Your Detroit: An Intimate Look at at Great American City is a community engagement project led by the Detroit Institute of Arts.
The Detroit Revealed exhibition at the DIA featured more than fifty works created from 2000 to 2010. The artwork captured a diverse Detroit, featuring urban architecture, urban gardens, community, art, and decay.
Reveal Your Detroit is a community based public art response to the exhibit. The project was a dialog between the museum, established artists and community organizations, asking these questions:
What does your Detroit look like?
How do you want others to see it?
After it was announced in March 2012 the project received over 10,000 images taken with disposable cameras in less than three months. The photographs included in this book are from that lot and are photographs taken with disposable cameras by local residents, and for the most part not hobbyist or professional photographers. Even if you did not visit Detroit Revealed at the DIA this book is a wonderful celebration of collaboration and community and is a positive look at the heart of Detroit: its people.