2022 marks the 13th year of the Detroit Institute of Arts INSIDE/OUT program that has artwork popping up all around the three counties in the metro area that support the museum by paying into a dedicated millage to support its operations. DIA INSIDE/OUT provides Metro Detroit communities with high quality reproductions of artwork from inside the museum to display outside in public spaces. A nice reminder of the treasures that can be seen at the Detroit Institute of Arts and a fun way to spend some time wandering around local civic centers, downtowns, neighborhoods and parks hunting for posted artwork.
Participating communities rotate from year to year to differ things up and spread the visibility of this outreach program throughout the region. INSIDE/OUT returns this year to our neck of the woods with artwork on display in a variety of public spaces around the city of Troy, Michigan. We had a good time engaging in an art hunt to check out all of the DIA art placed throughout Troy.
We started off with a hike through the Lloyd A. Stage Nature Center encountering a group of wild turkeys and seeing some grazing deer before coming across Talking Oak (1857) by William Maw Egley. Then it was time to meander around the city's historic green to see Asafo Flag (1863) which was a rally flag for the Asafo movement to combat African colonialism. Next it was off to Boulan Park to take a look at Jose Clemente Orozco'sMexican Pueblo (1930).
Our art hunt led us to the city's civic center to view another five paintings. The Community Center featured Savoy Ballroom (1931) by Reginald Marsh, City Hall highlighted an ancient dragon that once stood guard on the gates into Babylon, Troy's Racquet Club displayed Solomon Irein Wangboje'sMother and Child (1960), Chief Shoppenegons (1910) welcomed us to the library, and the Jeanne Stine Community Park showcased Mary Cassatt'sIn the Garden (1904). We wrapped up our walkabout by stopping at Dairy Queen for a treat to celebrate finding all of the DIA INSIDE/OUT art pieces we were searching for. Our DIA art hunt across Troy, Michigan provided us with quite a bit of exercise and enjoyable moments making for an entertaining afternoon excursion close to home.
DIA INSIDE/OUT artwork will be on display in Troy and other participating communities now through November if you want to go out on your own art hunt. 2022 communities are:
Six years ago the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) began a community outreach campaign to expand the awareness and appreciation of the museum with local residents. The DIA placed weather-proof, high-quality reproductions of artistic masterpieces from its collection outdoors in a few select cities within the three counties surrounding Detroit for people to enjoy. The goal of the displays was to bring the art IN its galleries OUT into communities for people who may not normally visit the downtown Detroit museum to enjoy. These representations were so accurate that police departments in these communities began to receive calls from concerned citizens that stolen artwork from the DIA may have been put up as a prank. Rave reviews from the public about the displays have made INSIDE/OUT an annual on-going program since its inception.
The INSIDE / OUT program selects several local cities and townships each year to host these art displays. The nice thing about the program is that seven to twelve images are clustered within walking or bike-riding distance so you can have a fun family outing searching for the artwork and exploring the community where it has been placed. I've gone on an art hunt with my kids in at least one of the INSIDE/OUT communities hosting the displays each year since the program began. It is nice too that they've rotated the participating cities and townships during the life of the program so the displays aren't always hosted in the same places and new artwork is regularly introduced year to year keeping going on art hunts fun and exciting. Metro Detroit locations hosting INSIDE/OUT in 2016 include Eastern Market and the Dequindre Cut greenway trail in the City of Detroit, plus the communities of Hamtramck, Ecorse, New Baltimore, Pontiac, and Warren, among other locations.
Because of the popularity of INSIDE/OUT the displays will also be included over the summer in three northern Michigan towns popular with summer vacationers -- Alpena, Traverse City and Mackinac Island. If you are planning on going on an Up North Michigan adventure this summer these INSIDE / OUT exhibits will be on display until September. I hadn't realized that the INSIDE / OUT artwork was going to be on display in Northern Michigan until we stumbled upon one of the portraits during a family trip to Mackinac Island while walking to our hotel. Because of our family's past art hunts we instantly associated it with being INSIDE/OUT artwork.
Mackinac Island is known for prohibiting motor vehicles so walking, bike riding and horse drawn carriages are the primary means of getting around while visiting the Michigan state park which is filled with historical buildings, scenic landscapes, and lots of fudge shops and souvenir stands. The INSIDE / OUT artwork is sprinkled throughout the island's downtown and the grounds of the historic Grand Hotel. Some of the artwork really stands out along the island's thoroughfares while others are a bit more subdued so they are not so easy to discover without looking out for them. Of course we went on an art hunt to our Mackinac Island activities once we realized the DIA reproductions were there searching for all the INSIDE/OUT displays adding an extra element of fun to our trip.
I've shared a few of the Mackinac Island INSIDE/OUT portraits we discovered. If you visit can you find them all? If so let us know! Plus if you make it to Alpena or Traverse City this summer, have some Pure Michigan fun and go on an art hunt! Of course we'd enjoy seeing your INSIDE/OUT art hunt photos. Please share your pictures by tweeting them to @Geekdad248 so we can share in your fun!
If you are planning a Metro Detroit art hunt be aware that they switch up the locations and displays in August with the new exhibit locations staying up through October. Upcoming locations include Belleville (Wayne County), East English Village (Detroit), Beverly Hills (Oakland County) and Romeo (Macomb County). For more information, visit www.dia.org.
When I think of Easter Eggs it normally isn't the decorated holiday decorations that come to mind but rather the inside jokes and references that are often hidden within movies. Whenever we add a new movie to our family's home video library, I always enjoy going on an Easter egg hunt to find these hidden tidbits within a film. As an Easter treat here are ten of my favorite discoveries from the last year:
10. THE MARTIAN
When a group from NASA secretly works to save a stranded astronaut on Mars they call their effort Project Elrond in a reference to the secret mission that is the heart of the plot for The Lord Of The Rings. Also actor Sean Bean has major parts in both movies.
9. JAMES BOND: SKYFALL
The Mi6 safe house location in the film is hidden behind a storefront that says "Hildebrand - Prints and rarities - Established 1953, London" which is a reference to James Bond creator Ian Fleming's collection of five short stories titled For Your Eyes Only which included one called The Hildebrand Rarity.
8. STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
While rummaging through the Millennium Falcon, Finn comes across the training orb used by Luke Skywalker from when he trained with Ben Kenobi during his first voyage on the ship. A nice homage to the original Star Wars movie.
7. ANT-MAN
While watching the Ant-Man scenes within Hank Pym's house keep an eye out for shrunken items sprinkled throughout the house from the scientist's experiments. One of the items to look out for is a little red chair that is a reference to Pym's first comic book appearance in Tales To Astonish where he shrinks this chair to test his invention before using it on himself.
In another scene of the movie the character Darren Cross during his speech introducing the Yellow Jacket militarized shrinking suit jokes about Hank Pym saying "an Ant-Man sounds like tales to astonish" referencing the Marvel comic book series in which the Ant-Man and Wasp characters were first introduced. Hank Pym first appeared in Tales To Astonish #27 and the Wasp joined him in his adventures beginning with issue #44.
6. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
The movie references a popular character from past Mad Max films, Gyro Captain, in a gruesome scene. When the Road Warrior is captured by the War Boy's one of the captors is hoisting a totem that has a human skull mounted at the top wearing the Gyro Captain's cap and flight googles. Alas it appears this is the end of the road for the Gyro Captain in Mad Max films.
5. FANTASTIC FOUR
When the Johnny Storm character is introduced in the movie there is a hint to his future fate hanging from the rear view mirror of the car he is racing -- A Super Mario Fire Flower which spits out flames in the video game.
4. JURASSIC WORLD
Jeff Goldblum may not have appeared in Jurassic World, but the book God Creates Dinosaurs (written by his Jurassic Park character Dr. Ian Malcolm) is shown in the movie during several different scenes.
3. AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
When Tony Stark needs to replace JARVIS at the end of Age of Ultron to help him control the Iron Man suit he considers several alternate AI programs to use including versions called Friday, Jocasta and Tadashi. Friday is a reference to an AI secretary used by Stark in Marvel's comic books; Jocasta was a robot built by Ultron as his wife in a comic book story arc; and Tadashi refers to the character that created the Baymax robot in the Disney animated movie BIG HERO 6.
2. INSIDE OUT
Disney / Pixar films are know for being filled with Easter eggs, especially ones with clues to upcoming movies, and INSIDE OUT is no different with references to The Good Dinosaur and Finding Dory. In one scene you can see an image of Nemo on the box for a board game called FIND ME in a tease for the upcoming sequel. There is also a scene where Riley's family car has a run in with a dinosaur tale to tease The Good Dinosaur.
1. FURIOUS 7
While the Rock's character is staying in the hospital he's watching a football game that features footage of his real life self (Dwayne Johnson) playing as a defensive tackle in a Miami Hurricanes versus Florida State Seminoles game.
So what are some of your favorite Easter Eggs from movies that you've stumbled across?
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #InsideOutEmotions #CollectiveBias
It was a dreary summer day and the radar showed a series of storms was going to be rolling in and out of our neighborhood all afternoon and evening. During a break in the rain, I dragged my kids out of the house as we headed to the bank, post office and Walmart getting some errands taken care of before the next bout of bad weather began. As we were out and about, I was trying to think of something for the kids to do when we returned home that would keep them amused inside while it was storming outside.
As we passed a toy section in Walmart for the movie INSIDE OUT, I jokingly thought to myself how fun it might be to create movie posters that were customized to feature the Emotions (Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, Fear) actually pictured inside my kids' very own heads. Hey wait a moment we could actually do that and keep them amused for the rest of the afternoon. Everything we needed was right here at Walmart! So before heading to the cash register we grabbed some construction paper, poster board, and glue sticks to use in constructing our very own movie posters, some #InsideOut toys for inspiration, and Kellogg's fruit snacks to keep us fueled and energized to get this project accomplished. Walmart has a nice selection of plush Emotions from the movie that are nicely priced at $8.88 and are exclusive to the retailer. My son picked out Fear and my daughter Joy to take home with them.
Once we got home I broke out a few Tomy Inside Out toys that we had also picked up while at Walmart and used them as a teachable moment with my children to talk about some of the Emotions that may be in their heads and how they may at times take control of how the kids act. I mentioned how they may feel Angry or Disgust over something and those were a healthy part of coping with things in life, but like in the movie if they let those Emotions control their actions bad things could happen. My daughter then mentioned that like in the movie we need to feel sadness, fear, anger, or disgust so that based on circumstances in life that may bring out those Emotions we'll be brought back to feeling Joy. Sometimes those other Emotions protect us or balance our mental state during the rocky moments in life. I then told my kids we were going to make silhouettes of the Emotions inside their own heads and they got pretty excited.
Here's an easy tutorial on how you can make your own personalized Inside Out movie posters featuring the silhouette of a child's head.
SUPPLIES:
Computer & Printer;
Scissors;
Glue Stick;
White or Colored Construction Paper for the Background;
Black Poster Board for the Silhouette; Inside Out Printable to add Emotions to the Silhouette - preferably printed with color ink on a see through printable clear plastic sheet though standard white multipurpose paper will work fine too.
DIRECTIONS:
1. Take a profile style picture of your son or daughter;
2. Print it out on a piece of white multipurpose paper in grey scale sized so that the picture takes up most of an 8.5" x 11" space;
3. Cut out the child's profile from the paper;
4. Place the profile on top of your black construction paper, trace it, and cut out the shape carefully;
5. Print out the Printable of the Inside Out Emotions;
6. Cut out the Emotions so you can add them to the silhouette;
7. Find a black & white Inside Out movie logo on the Internet, download it, and print it on your white or colored construction paper. Another option is to print the logo on multipurpose paper, cut it out, and glue to your background piece of construction paper;
8. Glue down the black poster board silhouette of your child's profile onto the construction paper background for your movie poster;
9. Select the cut out Emotion(s) to add within the silhouette and glue them on;
10. Voila! You have a personalized INSIDE OUT movie poster!
My kids were really amused to see the INSIDE OUT Emotion characters inside their own heads. Once we wrapped up this craft project, the kids enjoyed those Kellogg's fruit snacks we'd bought at Walmart then spent some time playing with the Inside Out toys we brought home with us. Next thing you know a few hours had gone by, the storms were gone and my kids had some time to go outside and play.
Dealing with emotions can be tough for kids which is the theme of the Disney PIXAR movie Inside Out. The movie is an emotional journey within the mind of an 11 year old tween named Riley. How have you discussed emotions and how to handle them with the children in your life?
Sometimes it takes a little imagination to get through to children. That's why I believe Bing Bong was one of my family's favorite parts of Inside Out. Bing Bong is the"Imaginary Friend" Riley had as a preschooler who is part elephant, chesire cat, teddy bear and dolphin made of cotton candy with a nougat filled center - how can you not love that! Bing Bong turns out to be the hero that saves the day in this animated film and helps the emotions learn through their
journey that joy and sadness are two sides of the same coin when it
comes to helping steer Riley through the memorable moments in life. Engaging in imaginative play with the exclusive Walmart Inside Out plush dolls along with the Tomy Inside Out musical Bing Bong toy and Emotions action figures and control board playset was a nice way to have a productive conversation with my children about emotions while keeping them amused and busy on a rainy day. Combining that with a fun craft really sparked some productive yet lighthearted conversation on what can be a serious topic.
**Disclaimer: I attended an advance screening of INSIDE OUT as a guest of Walt Disney Studios. The opinions in this post are honest and my own** My little girl and I recently had a daddy-daughter night out on the town to grab a bite to eat and check out the newest Disney PIXAR animated feature film INSIDE OUT. This film takes its audience on an emotional journey - you see the primary characters are the emotions of an 11 year old girl named Riley. From the control room inside Riley's mind 5 emotions ( Joy - voiced by Amy Poehler, Fear - voiced by Bill Hader, Anger - voiced by Lewis Black, Disgust - voiced by Mindy Kaling & Sadness - voiced by Phyliss Smith) steer the girl through all the obstacles life throws her way both literally and figuratively. This movie was inspired by the emotional changes that Director Pete Docter observed his daughter go through as she matured from a young girl to a tween during the time he was directing the movies Monsters, Inc. and Up. INSIDE OUT opened in theaters on June 19, 2015 and features many moments that both parents and their kids can relate to. I was impressed that this is a very original movie with a fresh approach to its stories as too many Hollywood productions lately seem to be regurgitating material from past works. INSIDE OUT takes the road less taken and establishes its own memorable path to audiences' hearts.
Disney PIXAR has developed a tradition of thrilling audiences with delightful short films before their feature presentations and INSIDE OUT is no exception to that legacy with LAVA. I have to admit that I had forgotten about this and was a little perplexed at first on what a singing volcano had to do with the premise of INSIDE OUT before I realized that this was the traditional short proceeding the main movie. Ooops! My six year old daughter just adored LAVA with its bright animations and Hawaiian lullaby inspired soundtrack. When it looked like there may not be a happy ending she looked so distraught and then when things worked out in the end she giggled continuously with a huge smile on her face until INSIDE OUT began.
Riley (and her 5 emotions) seem to have a perfect and content life as the film begins. Then Riley's family picks up and moves across the country from Minnesota to San Francisco and things start to get all out of wack. Sadness starts to have a major role in the control room for reasons that none of the emotions can understand, including Sadness herself, so they try to isolate her because everyone wants Riley to be happy not sad about the changes in her surroundings and life. In a tussle about whether Riley's core memories should be classified as joyous or sad, the emotions accidentally flush them away to the far reaches of her mind where they may be lost forever. Joy and Sadness must leave the comfort zone of the brain's control room to find them and hopefully restore these core memories to their rightful place. The adventures that ensue take Joy and Sadness throughout Riley's mind visiting places like Long Term Memory, Imagination Land, Abstract Thought, and Dream Productions. While Joy and Sadness are venturing through the inner recesses of Riley's mind, that leaves Anger, Disgust, and Fear running the show when it comes to Riley's interactions in the real world...and that does not go smoothly at all for anyone.
While the 5 emotions are billed as the stars of the show, my daughter and I both agree that the best character and our favorite part of the movie was Bing Bong. Joy and Sadness stumble upon Riley's childhood imaginary friend wandering around in her long term memory trying to avoid being dumped into the forgotten memories grave yard by the workers who determine what needs to be stored to remember later and what can be tossed away as a forgotten moment. Hey who can't love a creature that is part elephant, half teddy bear, and a little bit cheshire cat while also being made out of cotton candy! In the end it is Bing Bong that saves the day and helps the emotions learn through their journey that joy and sadness are two sides of the same coin when it comes to helping steer Riley through the memorable moments in life. Joy can lead to sadness and sadness can lead to joy with both emotions playing a role in keeping Riley's overall life healthy and happy.
Just like starting out the movie with a short film is a Disney PIXAR tradition, so is subtly placing easter eggs throughout the movie. Easter eggs are intentional inside jokes or hidden messages that are placed within movies. For example, A113 was the graphic design classroom at California Institute of Arts where PIXAR honchos like John Lassetter and Brad Bird went to school. A113 has been incorporated into every PIXAR feature film including INSIDE OUT. According to Pete Doctor A113 just happens to be Riley's class room number at her new school in San Fran.
As you are watching the movie keep an eye out for pizza trucks, PIZZA PLANET trucks to be specific. First introduced in Toy Story, Pizza Planet trucks tend to pop up in PIXAR movies. According to the movie's director this truck appears in three different shots and should be visible to fans who search for it. I have to say I totally missed it so feel free to share with us where it appears if you catch site of it in the movie.
Also PIXAR has a habit of previewing upcoming characters from upcoming movies. For example, in Up, there were scenes that showed Lotso Huggin Bear who later appeared in Toy Story 3 and Fin McMissile who later appears in Cars 2. For INSIDE OUT, Doctor has mentioned that audiences can catch a glimpse of Arlo who is the lead character in the upcoming movie The Good Dinosaur. So just a few things to keep an eye out for when watching INSIDE OUT.
The one downside to INSIDE OUT was that it wasn't the type of PIXAR movie that parents can take their whole family to go see knowing children of any age would love the show. While there isn't content that is overly violent, scary or graphic in nature to make it inappropriate for younger children, I found that my six year old just didn't get most of the humor and jokes found within it as they were over her head for understanding what was going on so this may not be the best movie to take younger children to. I thought Joy, Sadness and Bing Bong trying to escape a furnace that will turn them into abstract thoughts was very hilarious and creative but I've also taken college level art classes too getting more of a meaning on jokes like these compared to a Kindergartener. My daughter told me she LIKED this movie but felt she just didn't LOVE it in the same way she does Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., and Toy Story which she will watch over and over and over again.
While the show is very creative and original over all, I was also a little disappointed that the ending was just a little too similar to the conclusion of another recent Walt Disney Studios movie Big Hero Six. This movie really was a roller coaster of emotions for both its characters and the audience so you may want to bring some tissues with you. It seemed as everyone around us was in tears as the movie was reaching its conclusion. This being said, that doesn't make it a bad movie just don't go into it expecting it to be entirely a feel good humorous comedy.
While INSIDE OUT didn't become my favorite Disney PIXAR movie, I did find it enjoyable to watch from my own adult perspectives. If you have tweens and teens at home I'd recommend taking them to go see it for a family outing to the movie theater. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll have a good time together.
