Clinton Township's Most Seasoned Residents Enjoy Day At DIA

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, MI — The Detroit Institute of Arts is a popular place for local seniors.

Just this week, seniors from Clinton Township Senior Adult Life Center toured the Detroit Institute of Arts and created their own luminaries as part of the “Thursdays at the Museum” program.

Every Thursday at 1 p.m., the DIA welcomes adults 55 and older with special programming including films, lectures, art-making and tours followed by a complimentary coffee and cookie reception. In 2017, more than 5,000 seniors participated in the program.

“We go to the DIA every other month and typically get such a great response from our seniors that we fill a 50-person bus,” said Debbie Travis, program coordinator at the Clinton Township Senior Adult Life Center. “Every experience at the DIA is unique and seniors love being able to enjoy rich art, culture and history.”

This week seniors toured the museum and made luminaries using tissue paper and glass jars.

“The DIA is as much of a cultural experience as it is a social outing for seniors,” Travis said. “Some seniors are isolated and live far from family and friends. Experiencing arts and culture in a social setting resonates much deeper because they can share those moments with others. It is so much more memorable to be able to share impressions you have with someone walking beside you.”

“Thursdays at the Museum” is funded by the tri-county millage, which was passed in 2012 and provides free admission to residents from Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties and free bus transportation for any tri-county group of 25 or more.

“One of the biggest challenges for seniors is transportation, and we appreciate that the DIA provides buses for our seniors,” Travis said. “For seniors on a fixed income, the free admission supported by the millage is a wonderful thing.”

Next month, senior groups from across the tri-county area will tour the permanent collection, enjoy a lecture by Nancy Barr on her exhibition Lost & Found: Photographs from the DIA's Collection and create and decorate their own accordion books as part of the“Thursdays at the Museum” program.

“From seeing Diego Rivera’s world-renowned Detroit Industry murals to viewing unique films, these are experiences seniors can’t find in books, on TV or on the Internet,” said Salvador Salort-Pons, DIA director. “Free programs like ‘Thursdays at the Museum’ help the DIA to better connect to residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.”

Photos via Byrum & Fisk