Events by Month

Limited tickets still available!

The stage is ours as we visit the Pontiac Little Art Theater, built in 1868, home to many retail operations, and finally, today, the building is an adaptive re-use piece of history as a center for performing arts.

Join the Making It Count Community Development Corporation and Detroit’s own Dr. Michael Eric Dyson for a Juneteenth lunch and learn experience on Saturday, June 10. The discussion, titled “Still Fighting For Freedom in America,”  will center around learning the tactics that big tobacco companies use to keep the public in chains as it pertains to using menthol and flavored tobacco products.

Join us at the Dossin Great Lake Museum for an evening performance of “Women of the Watch, Keepers of the Light”, written and performed by Anna Marck. Take a trip through Anna’s childhood adventures to Michigan Lighthouses and her tales of meeting the women who kept their lights on. The performance will be followed by a short Q + A with Anna Marck.

During the early 19th century through 1865, Detroit was an integral part of the network known as the Underground Railroad. Given the code word “Midnight,” our city was the last stop for many freedom seekers as they sought passage to Canada. However, the Underground Railroad was only the first of many acts of civil disobedience our city has witnessed.

SOLD OUT!

Join us for a special members-only tour of our Collections Resource Center at Historic Fort Wayne. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the Society’s treasures, including our resource room, handcrafted furniture, costume collection, famed “bubble cars,” and new state-of-the-art imaging system.

The Detroit Historical Society is proud to present New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Eig in conversation with award-winning scholar and author Professor Randal Jelks.

This discussion will center on Eig’s new book King: A Life and launch a week of celebration and commemoration of Juneteenth and the 60th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s 1963 Walk to Freedom in Detroit.

Reception 5:00-6:00
Discussion and Q&A 6:00-7:30

Come experience the new exhibition Giving Back: The Soul of Philanthropy and help us tell Detroit's story of giving as we honor eight local philanthropists.

On Juneteenth, The Soul of Philanthropy Michigan, in partnership with Detroit Historical Society and Urban Arts Orchestra, invites the entire family out to see Black giving in its many forms in an afternoon of visual and performance art.

Limited tickets still available!

School’s out, time for fun!

Explore the campus of Arts and Scraps, known for their community projects, donation center, and use of upcycled materials. We will learn about company’s mission and have a chance to make art in the process.

Join us for a family day program to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Detroit Walk to Freedom. The days activities will include a reading and short poetry instruction by  Nandi Comer, Poet Laureate for the State of Michigan, crafts including poster-making and time capsule design, a  kid-friendly peace walk around our block,  and a kid-friendly performance  about  Dr. King and his work.  Share your stories from the past and present of experiences with civil rights in Detroit at our oral history booth.

Free admission day at the Detroit Historical Museum 

June 26-30, 2023  | 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Dossin Great Lakes Museum | Belle Isle, Detroit

Ages 8-12

This year's camp is SOLD OUT! Contact education@detroithistorical.org with questions. 

Campers will learn how the Detroit River has served and shaped our city throughout history in a fun, encouraging environment.

Topics will include: