DIA attendance up 45 percent since renovations

In this last year since the DIA went through their enormous renovation, attendance has increased 45 percent. Some have loved it and some haven’t. The Freep have gathered reactions from both camps.Excerpt:In the year since the Detroit Institute of Arts reopened after a $158-million renovation, about 540,000 visitors have explored the museum, a 45% increase in attendance over a typical year that did not include a blockbuster exhibition.The crowds were met by the most sweeping reinvention of the DIA since it moved into its home on Woodward in 1927. Architect Michael Graves’ marbled design expanded the galleries and untangled the old floor plan. More revolutionary, the entire permanent collection was reinstalled, driven by director Graham Beal’s populist mantra of accessibility. The results were thematic displays, big interpretive labels in plain English and interactive elements, like videos and flip booklets.Read the entire article here.