By Ben Hernandez, Public Programs Coordinator, MOCAD

From its earliest days, MOCAD’s public programming – a variety of music, lectures and panels that complement the Museum’s exhibitions – has provided the community of Detroit with treasures that will carry on for years to come. The breadth of these experiences continues to broaden season by season. The impact of MOCAD’s public programming is felt most profoundly during Family Day workshops, in which the museum draws in local artists to engage directly with community residents.

Recently MOCAD hosted our annual “Block Party,” a series of multi-phase, multi-generational, participatory workshops that included mural painting with artist Nivek Monet; puppetry with The Matrix Theater; a raw food demo from The Cacao Tree Café; and, a perennial favorite, breakdancing with Hardcore Detroit. It was a wonderful party offered up for free to a delighted, wide-reaching audience that spanned all ages, ethnicities and geographies. Through strategic partnerships with regional artists and organizations, MOCAD’s Family Days have managed to grow continually in scope and scale season to season.

Another privilege that the museum affords has been to present events that feature some of the finest, most progressive and interesting artists of the modern age. Past successes have included an evening spent listening to the words of Beat poet John Giorno; a wildly humorous presentation by Underground Comix artist Gary Panter; and teaming up with Detroit’s Burton Theater to present the bizarre films of cinema star Crispin Glover. This month, we are fortunate enough to present Syrian superstar Omar Souleyman on July 9 and an original dance performance from local troupe MGM Grand on July 15.

With each passing moment MOCAD’s programming becomes more exciting, focused and dynamic and, with each passing event, the thrill of presenting the best the world has to offer to hungry and accepting Detroit audiences grows exponentially.