Current Exhibitions

For almost six decades, the Annual Scholarship Awards & Exhibition has fostered collaboration between the Detroit Artists Market (DAM) and Detroit’s leading art colleges, rotating annually among the College for Creative Studies (formerly the Society of Arts and Crafts), Cranbrook Academy of Art, and Wayne State University. 

This year, the Detroit Historical Museum is proud to present the show in its Community Gallery, while the DAM building undergoes restoration.

From the earliest days of fandom to the rise of iconic superheroes and gritty anti-heroes, Detroit has been a quiet but powerful force in shaping comic book history. Heroes vs. Villains: Detroit’s Comic Book Story shares the histories of the iconic characters and local creatives who helped define the modern world of comics.

Learn about the story of Christopher Street Detroit ’72, the first-ever LGBTQ+ pride celebration in Michigan held over 50 years ago, through a full-color, nonfiction comic book by freelance illustrator Isabel Clare Paul and historian Tim Retzloff. 

Working in disciplines ranging from calligraphy to photography; from illustration to letterpress, Ralph Rinaldi (1945-2022) deployed all of these abilities in support of the arts in his beloved Cass Corridor neighborhood.  

See letterpress and posters created over Rinaldi's career in this new exhibition, which also recalls legendary Cass Corridor institutions, artists, and musicians.

Join us as we celebrate a decade of preserving and amplifying Black Detroit’s history in this 10th Anniversary Exhibit that highlights the journey of Black Bottom Archives through zines, podcasts, photos, and interactive displays. Learn how the organization went from Pedal to Porch to the Black Bottom Street View exhibit and explore how BBA has grown as a hub for community memory and advocacy. Celebrate the past, engage with the present, and imagine the future!

In partnership with the Detroit Lions and showcasing artifacts from both the team’s collection and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, this exhibition will explore the franchise’s roots and the NFL of the 1930s, period of dominance in the 1950s, Hall of Fame-level star power players, and the Dan Campbell-led gritty Lions of today.  

Exhibition presented in partnership with the Detroit Lions, Gilbert Family Foundation, and Visit Detroit.

After World War II, designer Richard Arbib of the The Henney Motor Company - Packard’s coachbuilder - was tasked with refreshing Packard’s styling. Arbib’s design called for a 1952 Packard convertible to be cut in half horizontally in order to remove a four-inch strip of body to reduce its height in a process known as sectioning. To lengthen the car, Henney drastically extended the rear quarter panels while the windshield was cut and lowered for a sportier look.

This vehicle is the first of six Pan Americans that were built for the show circuit - four of which remain - and belonged to Edward Macauley, head of Packard design in the 1950s.

Detroit-brand diesel engines have powered everything from 18-wheelers to presidential yachts since their founding in 1938. A local institution, it has employed generations of Detroiters and continues to be a leader in the design, manufacture, and sale of diesel engines both on and off the highway. 

See this new exhibition highlighting the company’s start as GM Diesel, its evolution into Detroit Diesel, and celebrates the innovations and contributions of the largest, hardest working engine producer in Motor City history.