Over the weekend, my family and I visited downtown Farmington, Michigan for the annual Art on the Grand, which is an artisan festival that I am sure we have all experienced in in one fashion or another in our communities. Tents with local artists exhibiting and selling their works of art to the public. You have to admire each of the artists conviction and endurance in exhibiting in this manner. These shows are not easy for artists and in many cases this is how they make their livelihood.

The inside of the mobile cart classroom from Art on the Grand.

One of the new additions for this years festival was the DIA Away: Think Like an Artist, a free, mobile interactive classroom. A very welcomed and popular mobile art classroom.

This is a fully furnished, vibrantly designed 53’ double-expandable trailer that will provide a rich educational program beyond the museum’s walls. Inside, participants will discover some of the ways artists think and then have the opportunity to try out creative thinking skills at digital and hands-on stations.  (DIA Away website description of mobile classroom)

The interactive stations allowed adults and children to experience art on their terms.

I applaud the Detroit Institute of the Arts (and their community relations department!) for once again bringing art out to the communities. This was an excellent opportunity to demonstrate and teach to all ages the importance of art. It allowed children to interact with digital media and get them excited about art.

I watched as several people walked out of the trailer thoroughly impressed by what they experienced – in many cases, most had no idea what they would see.

A brilliant marketing move was to add a video booth in this mobile classroom, allowing participation to record a message for the DIA. I happily contributed! Here is what I said on camera: