The MSU Museum is partnering with National Geographic to present “Taking Back Detroit,” inspired by the magazine’s recent feature depicting the city of Detroit’s comeback as it emerges from bankruptcy.
“Taking Back Detroit” profiles real Detroiters in their own words, and gives a glimpse of the challenges, hopes, ideas, grit and determination that will help reinvent the city. The exhibit opens in the MSU Museum’s Main Gallery June 24 and runs through January 2017.
“National Geographic’s brand of storytelling has allowed us to produce an accurate, narrative exploration of what has happened to one of America’s most important cities,” said Susan Goldberg, National Geographic editor and an MSU alumna. “The result is a story that, no matter how much you’ve read about Detroit, is a deeper, richer exploration of the city and its people than anyone else has done.”
The exhibition will expand on the views of investors, innovators, young adventurers and die-hard natives who abound, as the nation’s biggest urban bankruptcy is in the rearview mirror. National Geographic’s “Taking Back Detroit” has many MSU connections, making it right at home in the science and culture museum at Michigan State University.
The exhibit, produced in partnership with the MSU College of Communication Arts and Sciences, premiered in Detroit with Bedrock Real Estate Services and Quicken Loans. “Taking Back Detroit” was written by MSU graduate Susan Ager and will include images taken by Wayne Lawrence, along with a newly created National Geographic signature map of the city.
Beginning July 18, the exhibit will also profile the work of MSU faculty, researchers, educators and students who have participated in community-based projects to enhance quality of life in the region.
Featured research projects include interactive stations exploring neighborhood redevelopment, health and safety: “Neighborhoods Impact Our Health,” and work drawn from the departments of Criminal Justice and Geography; “Neighborhoods Help Meet Our Needs,” from Geography Environment Spatial Sciences; and “Neighborhoods Change Over Time,” with the School of Planning, Design and Construction.
“In this way, exhibitions like these serve as a platform for informal learning, personal discovery and public debate,” said Lora Helou, MSU Museum acting director.
Previously the MSU Museum produced the exhibition titled “Detroit Resurgent,” a series of photographs and profiles as part of a 25-year, global project exploring work and workers by Paris-based photographer Gilles Perrin and interviewer Nicole Ewenczyk.