Harrison Township

Inside|Out program comes to Harrison Township

By Julie Snyder
C & G Staff Writer

» click to enlarge « Photo by Julie Snyder Riders and walkers who travel along the 16 Mile Road bike path in Harrison Township will enjoy this re-creation of Renoir’s “Woman in an Armchair,” which is located near Jefferson as part of the DIA’s Inside|Out program. Photo by Julie Snyder Riders and walkers who travel along the 16 Mile Road bike path in Harrison Township will enjoy this re-creation of Renoir’s “Woman in an Armchair,” which is located near Jefferson as part of the DIA’s Inside|Out program.

HARRISON TOWNSHIP — The Detroit Institute of Art’s Inside|Out program has finally come to Harrison Township, bringing five re-creations of some popular masterpieces placed at some of the township’s more frequented spots.

Now through September, the high-quality reproductions of masterpieces from the DIA’s collection will be visible at a local park, bike paths and restaurants.

Township Supervisor Kenneth Verkest said residents and business owners are welcome to organize and host their own activities, such as bike tours or meal specials centered around specific Inside|Out works or all of them.”

“It’s a neat program,” said Verkest. “There’s value in exposing our residents and visitors to these masterpieces.”

The re-creations around Harrison Township include: “Bude Sands at Sunset,” by John Randall Brett at MacRay Harbor, 30675 North River Road; “The Wreck,” by Eugene Louis Gabriel Isabey at Crews Inn Restaurant, 31988 North River Road; “Woman in an Armchair,” by Pierre Auguste Renoir at Metropolitan Parkway and Jefferson; “Chevy,” by Edwin Henry Landseer at Metropolitan Parkway and Crocker; and “Watson and the Shark,” by John Singleton Copley at Lake St. Clair Metropark.

Each community chosen for this round of the program, which is sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, has five to 12 reproductions clustered within walking or bike-riding distance of each other. Neighboring Clinton Township has six pieces on display. Both Harrison and Clinton township residents can visit the DIA for free on Sunday, Sept. 16. A driver’s license is required as proof of residency.

Organizers say the program’s benefits are not only bringing outstanding works of art to the neighborhoods, but also serving as a reminder to residents in Southeast Michigan of the world-class art museum that’s located only a short distance away.

“This is one of many ways the DIA serves the community,” said Graham W. J. Beal, DIA director in a statement. “We’re glad to be continuing our third year of the extremely popular Inside|Out program, and we look forward to 2013.”

Coinciding with the now three-year-old program, the DIA will also have an online photo contest and a geocaching series. Organizers have also set up an Inside|Out Facebook page where users can interact online and share experiences.

For more information, go to www.dia.org/insideout or visit www.facebook.com/dia.insideout.

Those who would like to promote or organize tours around Harrison Township are encouraged to call the supervisor’s office at (586) 466-1445.

“We are planning some organized tours of the masterpieces now,” said Verkest. “We have docents that have volunteered to speak about the art, with bus tours through the senior center. We want to organize a bike-path-style tour. The program provides us a good opportunity to get people out to our communi

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Julie Snyder at jsnyder@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1039.