I know I have infused a little bit of culture, history and nature into my recent posts about the Henry Ford Estate and today I have even more culture and nature to share … (and no, not about that venue).
In 2023, once again the Detroit Institute of Arts (“DIA”) and local parks and communities partnered to showcase weather-resistant reproductions of some of the DIA’s famous paintings. This is the 14th year of the DIA’s program entitled “Inside/Out” where the paintings are placed in various venues in the Tri-County area from May through October. You may recall last year I did two posts about DIA paintings featured in my City and also at Willow Metropark. When the DIA posted their 2023 list of venues for their paintings, I knew I had fodder for a post, just three miles from my home.
I chose to visit only the three paintings at Dingell Park. I perused the DIA map to pinpoint the location of each painting and knew my stroll would take me along the Riverfront, all the way to the Park’s Marina about a half-mile away.
Wandering along the waterfront.
I admit I have not been as diligent beating a path down to Dingell Park in my quest to see Mute Swans and their cygnets since I saw a family at a lagoon in Lake Erie Metropark last year. Actually, it is pretty hit or miss seeing Mute Swans in the cove area, except for Winter when they preen while sitting on ice floes or are ungracefully diving for aquatic plants, tails in the air.
The Canada Geese are always plentiful at this venue however. Here they are picking and preening …
This female Mallard was woolgathering.
There was not much to grab my attention, so I stepped away from the pavilion area to walk along the Boardwalk. June is National Rivers Month, so I enjoyed my walk along this busy waterway known as the Detroit River on a picture-perfect day.
The sun cast some interesting shadows.
Michigan’s Walleye season begins in early April and goes through May in conjunction with the warming water and the Walleye’s migration up the Detroit River to spawn. I have been to several Detroit River waterfront venues in early Spring when fisherman line the shore and waterways are congested with so many boats, it seems like one could step from one boat to the other. The boats are filled with fisherman dangling multiple lines while hoping for their big catch of the day.
Today was a little subdued though – maybe the fishermen and women were worn out from Walleyepalooza?
The noise and wake from this motorboat spooked a group of geese and they frantically flew toward Mud Island.
It looks like someone reeled in a big one here – oops, seaweed doesn’t count.
Memorial Day was the weekend before this walk was taken on Sunday, June 4th. The City of Ecorse has a service plus a memorial honoring their war dead. Evidently, the City was still honoring them by flying the flag at half-staff. It was a windy morning and the flag was flapping mightily in the breeze.
A marriage of culture and nature at the Riverfront.
The first painting in my artwork treasure hunt was easy to find … just beneath the flagpole. Who could miss the bright colors of this painting “Mexican Pueblo” by artist Jose Clemente Orozco?
Then, in a nearby grassy part of the park, there was “Rounded Flower Bed” painted by Claude Monet in 1876.
To find the third art treasure, I needed to meander along Jefferson Avenue to the Marina and Boat Launch …
… where, embedded among the buoys and boats, a pair of Canada Geese with one gosling were wandering about as you see in the header image and below.
Here I found the last painting “In the Garden” by Mary Cassatt (also featured as the header image).
On this gorgeous mid-morning walk, surprisingly there was no activity at the marina or boat launch, save for a few geese paddling around the boats.
I saw a few boats with interesting names.
On my return trip, I retraced my route.
While Dingell Park’s shoreline muck and mire hardly rivals the Sargassum blob, er … bloom that is over 5,000+ miles wide and weighs 10 million tons, the muddy seawood tangle marred the shoreline as it moved in tandem with each wave that lapped against the seawall.
Some places were worse than others. I saw a couple of fishing bobbers, but wait, what is moving in the middle of the muck and mire? Can you guess?
I zoomed in and smiled to myself. I’ll share what I saw in this week’s Wordless Wednesday post.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Wonderful you sharing an artsy amble. Beautiful art history & culture. Excellent art painting. Beautiful all photos. Beautiful riverfront. Nice park.
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Glad you like this post and beautiful Dingell Park Raj.
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Thanks,Linda!
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So much to see along that waterfront, boats, people, art, birds. A little of everything. The fishing must be good there, always people fishing. It is relaxing.
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Yes, you’re right Sandra … a little bit everything in this walk. I am glad I went when I did because wigh all the torrential rain, storms, hail, etc. I wonder just how much this artwork can tolerate.
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Canadian Geese, Canadian night crawlers…..what,no Canadian Bacon?
I like the Monet the best and those look like carrots.
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I like the Monet best too Wayne. You’re right – we need something else Canadian to throw into mix here. Canadian bacon sounds yummy!
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Maple syrup, cause we be just so damn sweet!
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That’s for sure says this Canadian!
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I have never heard of CDN Night-crawlers before? I’m pretty sure they weren’t caught in Canada.
As a youngster I would go out all night with a organized group to Golf courses and such to pick worms! I had a 28 oz can on my right and left leg. Bicycle tube kept them strapped to my leg. One was for the worms and the other had saw dust in it. Using the saw dust helped capture them and also reduced the damage.
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Wayne, I see those discarded canisters all the time and kind of wondered why the container said “Canadian Night Crawlers” … so seeing your comment made me Google “Canadian Night Crawlers” and unbelievably it is a “thing”. 🙂 See what I found below – who knew? But first, how does the saw dust help? It must have been a lucrative business for you as a youngster.
“Canadian nightcrawlers (Lumbricus Terrestris) are earthworms that live in Canada. They are also known as Granddaddy Earthworms or Dew Worms. This is also one of the largest species of earthworms that often reach up to 30 cm in length. (1) The Canadian nightcrawler is an anecic worm that can be found in different areas.”
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the saw dust helps stop bruising. When you grab them the first thing they do Is try to get back down the hole. So there is a bit off a tug of war and that’s when they can get damaged and a damaged worm is a dead worm.
First twenty dollar bill I ever made was from picking worms! I think the most I ever picked was 1500?
The best was when two of them were stuck together! A twofur!
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How interesting Wayne – in fact, I figured worms that were sold for bait were grown on a worm farm. I know kids have worm farms and ant farms and I just figured it was a larger scale. That is a lot of money from picking worms!
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maybe worms are grown now on farms? Not when I was a kid.
I think that would of been around 67 or so?
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We’re the same age Wayne … definitely things were normal when we were kids!!!
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Love the paintings!
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Glad you liked the paintings Kate.
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The “Inside/Out” idea is clever; more museums should take this approach. I assume the originals are in the DIA and these are inexpensive reproductions. Regardless, it’s good marketing targeted at those who probably wouldn’t go to any museum (even a free one). Maybe the summer heat will help patronage.
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I think it is a clever idea too Dave. Yes, there are originals of all the paintings in the DIA and all residents in the Tri-County area (including me) have free admission to the DIA. This past weekend there was an article on the news that one of our northern counties has a park with 10 of these paintings and they are offering guided tours on certain days through the park to see each painting.
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I had to laugh at the boat named Eternal Debt IV! I guess the owner loves being out on the water so much he took out loans for it four times already! It’s so nice the museum puts the art reproductions where people can see them while they’re enjoying the great outdoors. I love the Mary Cassatt painting. I always marvel at the way the paintings are described by curators. They seem to find words to eloquently point out features I would not have noticed, like the girl looking at her mother, instead of the artist.
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That is a funny title for a boat name – I agree with you Barbara. I always check out the boats whenever my walks take me to a marina. Sometimes I get lucky that a boat with a funny name is in the well and I can photograph it. This is a great idea with the DIA’s outside paintings. Another park, not near me, has 10 DIA paintings scattered around that park and someone gives guided tours to check them out.
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What a great way to introduce art to people who may not enjoy museums (and encourage people to go to museums… I noticed that the DIA entrance fee was zero for those who live in specific counties). I love the Orozco painting. I’m going to check out more of his work.
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I like the idea too Janis – in fact, one park that is located in one of the northern counties, has 10 paintings with occasional guided walks and it is free for all of us in the Tri-County area. I wonder if you have ever sen any Orozco paintings while vacationing in Mexico?
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I don’t think so. I know I’ve seen that style of painting but Wiki says that his murals are mostly in areas other than where we stayed. One of these days, I’d love to get to Mexico City where many of his – and Diego Rivera’s – murals can be found.
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OK. I remember some of the artwork you showed us from your time spent in Mexico. Diego Rivera is big here in Detroit at the DIA. There is a wing of the DIA (the Diego Rivera court) and there are the 27 separate panels of a mural of “Detroit Industry” (men working on the line at Ford Motor Company). My boss is a labor attorney for management and has reproductions of many of the panels hanging together on the office walls.
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What a lovely walk, Linda, so much to see and do. It must take quite an effort to display the art along the waterfront.
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I am glad you enjoyed the walk Terri. It is nice to walk this boardwalk along the Detroit River … the nature, the freighters going by … a nice ambiance and these art installations make it even nicer. One park (not near me) has 10 paintings this year and because there are so many they offer guided tours to view them. I’m not sure how difficult it is to put the paintings and descriptions there but each one is fairly large.
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Oooohhh…another cliffhanger! Can’t wait to see what was moving in all that gunk.
We were in Cleveland last weekend. The river was full of debris from the recent rains. We didn’t see any waterfowl trying to navigate the gunk, but some kayakers tried. And failed!
Thanks for adding a bit of culture to our day. Mary Cassatt is one of my favorites.
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Yes, another cliffhanger Laurie! It is difficult to tell what is in the gunk ’til I zoomed in. I think Cleveland had the bad storm we had last Wednesday night. They were forecasting tornadoes (two), 70-80 mph winds and tennis ball-sized hail. I was very worried. We did not get tornadoes, had 55-60 mph winds and small hail. The large hail in Lapeer (not near me, about an hour from me) was tennis ball-sized and injured many people as well as dented cars and smashed through windows in an auto dealership. We are having a storm now and I’m about to leave here. You’re welcome – this culture trip was fun to take. I liked Mary Cassatt’s painting of the attentive little girl and whom I’ll assume was her mom.
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Miss Linda…………….thanks…………………..It’s awesome that someone who treasures art to put the paintings in our area ……………thank you for sharing for all of us who no longer can get to see such art…………….out and about……………and I don’t even have to drive down to the DIA to see real art!
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Isn’t that a great idea Ann Marie? There are two other DIA paintings, one at Pepper Road Park in Ecorse and one at the Ecorse Library but I wanted to just focus on the paintings in Dingell Park so I didn’t go to see them. You and Steven should try and get down there – you could park along Jefferson to see the two at the Riverfront and then park at the Marina Boat Launch area to see the third one. No hurry as they are there until October. I agree with you as to going to the DIA … I’ll bet you took your students to the DIA when you taught school. I have not been to the DIA since a 9th grade field trip!
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Nice way to promote the art museum.
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Yes it is Eilene. I heard on the news that there is a park in the northern suburbs that has 10 DIA paintings and a person who conducts a walking tour of them. This is something new this year for the Inside/Out event.
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It’s so fun to take these walks with you virtually – you have a gift of finding things to share with us, perhaps you could be a tour guide in your retirement? 🤔😉 I love the Monet painting and the one by Mary Cassatt. I chuckled at the Eternal Debt boat – yeah, that’s how we felt when we had a boat, you never get your money out of them, especially in our region of the USA – we have too long of winters and with crazy weather like Michigan has had, I bet the boat has been sitting at the pier longer than it has been out in the water? I look forward to seeing what you found in the sludge! 😉
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Thank you Shelley! I’m glad you enjoyed the walk. Those were my favorite paintings too … I am not big on modern art or abstract art. There is a nature center/park in the northern suburbs that has 10 different DIA Inside/Out paintings this Summer, one of them a Van Gogh self-portrait. (How did they get so lucky?) It is not near me or I would have done a post there instead. I always look for fun boat names at the Marina or on the water … this one and the other “Pier Pressure” were funny. I believe it with you and your weather. By the time it warms up enough to take it out, it’s almost time to shrink wrap it or put it back into storage again. Hope my sludge sweeties make you smile. 🙂
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Yes, I enjoyed the walk! I’ve never been to those places so I always appreciate you sharing what you see.
LOL – Yeah, Van, he had his moments didn’t he? 🤣
Pier Pressure – that’s a good one too!
Yep, same with snowmobiles – $$$ goes out the window with those too!
I’m sure I will – your posts always make me smile!
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I am lucky to live close to so many different waterways and it was a special treat seeing the artwork along the way … a little culture and a little nature. Will have another culture and nature post from pics I took last Saturday. It was unexpected, all the nicer. I have to go thru pictures again. Hope you like today’s post Shelley … they are cuties.
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Yes you are lucky! We only have one park that close. I look forward to your next post. I just took a peek at the Wordless Wednesday post – you’re right!!! AW…those cuties are SO CUTE!!!
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That was an unexpected treat … I’ve seen ducklings a few times this year, but not close enough to me for a good shot.
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A highlight of this crazy summer!!
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About the only thing to smile about this crazy Summer!
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😉😊🤗
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Very interesting. What a fun and informative way to go for a walk. Pretty, pretty.
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Glad you liked it Ally. As soon as I heard the news story about the 20 locations for this year’s “Inside/Out” event, I went to their site to see what artwork was around me. A nature center in the northern suburbs got 10 DIA reproductions and they have for tour groups on some weekends.
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Any idea how the works of art are weathering all the storms we have had? It would be a shame to have them ruined by being out in a storm.
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They must be made of hardy materials Ruth. They were in good condition when I was there and we’d already had some torrential rains. I think it is a great idea putting them in with a nature setting. We are just starting Round 2, another torrential storm as I write this comment. That was a pretty wild storm earlier – hope you fared okay.
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So far just some wind and heavy rain this afternoon. Not that we need any more rain, but it could be worse.
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I was pretty worried when they said we might be in for a derecho. I remember the one from 1980 – very scary. I hope Friday’s storm is tamer.
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I enjoyed the beautiful artwork and the history behind them, I’m glad you took a picture of the signs. The Eternal Debt boat says it all, especially with the cost of doing things today! Another wonderful post Linda.
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Thanks Diane – glad you enjoyed it. It was a nice day to go meandering around the marina and the artwork with a small goose family as well. I like looking at the funny boat names – this is true for sure!
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This was your most comprehensive post yet, with art, wildlife, boats, and waterfront shots. I really enjoy looking at those paintings.
I loved the boat name, but how eternal can the debt be if they have to enumerate the editions? 🙂
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Thank you JP – I am glad you liked it. It was fun to put together. The DIA put multiple paintings in 22 different locations this year … one venue, a big nature park, has 10 paintings and a docent conducts tours on weekends. I wish that park was closer to me. You make a valid point … maybe the fourth time in debt for their hobby/passion. Of course with global warming, maybe Michiganders will be able to boat many more months a year giving them more bang for their buck!
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Love the museum’s approach to share art in a public space where it can reach many more people than just inside a museum! I was so happy to see the artwork by Mary Cassatt, whom I’ve been a fan of since high school.
Great photos of your journey!
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Glad you liked my artsy amble Esther. I also think it is a great idea … this gives people a chance to see art in the great outdoors – many people won’t go to an art museum. I have not been to the DIA since 9th grade, but have been to a few art museums in my travels. I liked that painting too – the little girl watching her mom intensively. The painting info said that’s how May Cassatt painted people – looking at one another instead of straight ahead.
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And this is a great way to inspire interest in people who don’t like museums!
Yes, I read in your picture how Mary Cassatt painted people looking at each other. The perspective changes the painting.
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Yes, I think it is a great idea too Esther. I think the painting has dimension instead of being flat looking.
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