Dlectricity Outdoor Light Show to Return to Midtown

Dlectricity, an outdoor show of art and light installations, is slated to return to Detroit’s Midtown neighborhood in September.
775
2017 Dlectricity exhibit
Dlectricity will return to Detroit for its fourth show in September. Pictured is a photo from the last show, which took place in 2017. // Photo courtesy of Midtown Detroit Inc.

Dlectricity, an outdoor show of art and light installations, is slated to return to Detroit’s Midtown neighborhood in September.

The show, which last took place in 2017, will be produced by Midtown Detroit Inc. and supported by the DTE Energy Foundation. It will take place throughout the Cultural Center District and Beacon Park on Friday, Sept. 24 and Saturday, Sept. 25. It is free to the public, and artists and event details will be announced in the coming months.

“We are incredibly grateful to DTE Energy Foundation and our foundation partners for supporting the return of Dlectricity,” says Sue Mosey, executive director of Midtown Detroit Inc. “We are committed to producing a beautiful outdoor event and have engaged expert partners as we plan to safely come together, connecting with art and one another.”

The 2021 show will include the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, College for Creative Studies, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Historical Museum, Detroit Public Library, Michigan Science Center, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, The Scarab Club, the University of Michigan’s Rackham Building, and Wayne State University. The festival debuted in 2012 and runs every two years (pre-COVID-19). Video from the 2017 event is available here.

“At the DTE Energy Foundation, we know a healthy, energized Detroit is the underpinning of a healthier, more vital Michigan,” says Lynette Dowler, president of the foundation. “That’s why we support Dlectricity, which will once again transform the Motor City through the power of art and culture. We’re grateful to bring Dlectricity to visitors from our own backyard – and those joining us from around the globe – and to continue to deliver energy and light to our city as we continue to lift each other up and move past the pandemic together.”

The event’s curatorial committee will soon close the process of reviewing artist submissions received through its 2020 open call for Dlectricity. More information on the event, including information on how to submit work, is available here.

Midtown Detroit Inc. is looking into the creation of more pedestrian plazas and the use of open spaces as a safety measure due to COVID-19. The organization is working closely with health and safety experts, including NSF International, a global public health organization based in Ann Arbor, to develop public health and safety protocols. Midtown Detroit Inc. worked with NSF to safely reopen cultural center institutions in 2020.

The show is presented by DTE Energy Foundation, and partners providing funding for the initiative include the William Davidson Foundation, Knight Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, Detroit Institute of Arts, Midtown Detroit Inc., and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. Sponsorships for the show are still available.

Midtown Detroit Inc. is a nonprofit planning and development agency that works to revitalize Detroit’s Woodward Corridor. It represents more than 150 area stakeholders including Detroit’s anchor educational, medical, and cultural institutions and provides public space maintenance and security services, marketing support, technical assistance, infrastructure and real estate development, small business support, grant administration, and arts programming for the district.

The DTE Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Detroit’s DTE Energy. DTE Energy serves 2.2 million electric customers in southeast Michigan and 1.3 million natural gas customers in Michigan. In 2020, the foundation provided more than $16 million in grant support and about $21 million in COVID-19 relief to nonprofits.

The Cultural Center Planning Initiative is a reimaging of Detroit’s 83-acre anchor cultural district. It works to unify landscape, architecture, and technology.