“Magic in the Museum” | Visit Detroit

It feels a little like being in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Our tour group is shuffling through the ground floor of the Cranbrook Art Museum when we come to a massive, curved steel door. Gregory Wittkopp, the director of the Cranbrook Art Museum who could give Mr. Wonka a run for his money in the […]

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“From Here to There: Alec Soth’s America” Draws Critical Acclaim

The Detroit Free Press takes a look at metro Detroit’s art exhibitions to go see this holiday season. Of the current Alec Soth exhibition at Cranbrook Art Museum, writer Mark Stryker says, “It’s a diverse and impressive body of work, including a printed newspaper that meditates on themes of community, and it’s a good example […]

HuffPost Detroit Takes a Closer Look at Soo Sunny Park and Alec Soth

In an upcoming exhibition, two artists document place and transform space, with work that captures individualized moments of the American landscape and experience. Soo Sunny Park’s installation “SSVT (South Stafford, Vermont) Vapor Slide (2007)” and “From Here to There: Alec Soth’s America” open at the Cranbrook Art Museum Saturday, running through March 30, 2013. Though […]

George Nelson Retrospective at Cranbrook Art Museum | Contract Magazine

On June 16, the first comprehensive retrospective of the work of George Nelson opened at the Cranbrook Art Museum, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. "George Nelson: Architect | Writer | Designer | Teacher" first opened in Germany in September of 2008 at the Vitra Design Museum, marking what would have the American designer's 100th birthday. The exhibition then traveled to Spain before landing state-side at the Oklahoma Art Center in the winter of 2011, moving along to San Antonio and Seattle before arriving at the legendary design institution's newly renovated gallery space in Michigan (Contract, June 2012).

New Cranbrook Art Museum Lighting System Featured in Architectural Lighting Magazine

The innovative new lighting system on display at the renovated Cranbrook Art Museum is praised as a restoration of Eliel Saarinen’s original vision for the space in the June issue of Architectural Lighting magazine. The SmithGroupJJR oversaw the project, referencing Saarinen’s blueprints and construction documents to install lighting in the coffered ceilings that is in line […]

“The Anchor Art Museums in and of Detroit” | Art21

Because of its solid foundation, I am confident that Detroit will have a renaissance in the arts (among other fields). This confidence springs from a community of art enthusiasts who invested heavily in cultural institutions. Images of abandoned buildings steal a lot of the headlines, but the media often fails to balance those images with […]

The Detroit News Highlights George Nelson’s Contributions to American Design

The Detroit News explores the interesting story behind George Nelson’s journey from architect and journalist to iconic American designer. The vision of the Herman Miller Furniture Company and the talents of Nelson ultimately changed design as we know it. “George Nelson: Architect / Writer / Designer / Teacher” makes it’s final stop at Cranbrook through […]

The Mod Man | Hour Detroit

If you’ve ever kicked back in your family room, maybe perched in a midcentury Coconut Chair and reading under a Bubble Lamp, you’ve got designer and architect George Nelson to thank. The Hartford, Conn.-born Nelson (1908-86) came up with the idea of the family room in his 1945 book Tomorrow’s House, and was responsible for […]

“No show this summer brings more smiles,” says the Detroit Free Press

“New exhibitions ably display the breadth and range of art in metro Detroit”

The New Collections Wing Featured on the Cover of Contract Magazine