Your library card – a thin, practically weightless piece of plastic that easily fits into your wallet or satchel – holds the key to an enormous amount of knowledge. At the library, you can check out classic literature or classic rock, books on tape or books about tapeworms, vegetarian cookbooks, a New York Times bestseller or Dr. Phil’s latest how-to.
And now, your local library is offering an even grander selection – art by the masters, hands-on history exhibits, science demonstrations that awe and inspire, and moving cultural presentations. How so? Because now you can check out a Museum Adventure Pass at the library, just like you would check out a book, and choose between 25 area attractions to visit – including Dossin Great Lakes Museum, Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History, Detroit Institute of Arts and others – for free!!
Here’s how it works:
1. Visit a local library and browse through the available Museum Adventure Passes. Most libraries have a kiosk holding the passes, but each library only has a limited number of passes for each venue. More than 150 southeastern Michigan libraries are participating; find the library nearest to you at
www.detroitadventurepass.org.
2. Select and check out a Museum Adventure Pass (one per person, per visit) using your library card. Some passes admit two patrons; others admit four. The library will give you a paper pass that admits you to the museum. The loan period is seven days. After seven days, the pass expires.
3. Have a great time visiting the museum using your pass! You don’t need to return the pass to your library, and you can check out another pass seven days after the first one was issued.
Oh, the places you'll go ...The only tricky element to using the Museum Adventure Pass program is deciding what museum to visit.
If you’re a Detroit music buff, grab a Museum Adventure Pass for two free tickets to
Motown Historical Museum, lovingly nicknamed Hitsville USA, where Berry Gordy turned his dreams into fame and fortune by capturing that notorious Detroit sound called Motown. The museum is located inside the little home on West Grand Boulevard where it all started. Learn about how Motown evolved and rocketed stars like Martha and the Vandellas, Jackson Five, Diana Ross and others to stardom. Stand inside Studio A and wallow in the glory of a 1960s Motown recording artist. Kitschy, inspiring and simple, the Motown Historical Museum is definitely worth a first-time visit and always warrants a revisit.
Motown Historical Museum is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; information at
www.motownmuseum.com.
Auto explorationIf you’re looking for an automotive-related experience, check out a pass for your foursome to the Detroit Historical Museum, which pays homage to southeastern Michigan’s automotive heritage. One of its most exciting permanent exhibits illustrates how Detroit and the auto industry are intertwined; it uses rare footage and photographs of Detroit’s automotive past that have been shaped into remarkable video vignettes.
Also on exhibit at Detroit Historical Museum through August is “1920s: Detroit’s Building Boom,” which features cool fodder on some of Detroit’s most captivating architectural landmarks built during the city’s automotive heyday, like the Fisher Building, the Ambassador Bridge and the Fox Theatre. The display also includes the Book-Cadillac Hotel – the super-swanky hotel was the tallest in the world when it opened in 1924. Compare the Book-Cadillac’s history to its current-day renaissance after 20 years of abandonment.
Detroit Historical Museum is open Wednesday-Friday, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; Saturday, 10-5 p.m.; and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. For holiday hours and more information, visit
www.detroithistorical.org.
Rhythms on displayCharles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the largest museum of African American history in the nation, offers four admission tickets through the Museum Adventure Pass program. On display through August is a nationally touring exhibit, Textural Rhythms: Constructing the Jazz Tradition, Contemporary African American Quilts. More than five dozen brilliant, beautiful works by African American fiber artists, including famous quilters such as Michael Cummings, Ediohnetta Miller and Tina Brewer, visually capture the moods and melodies of jazz.
The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History is open Tuesday-Saturday, 9-5 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Find information about the museum’s rotating and permanent exhibits and upcoming events at
www.maah-detroit.org.
Other Detroit museums participating in the Museum Adventure Pass program include:
And some great non-Detroit institutions are on the list, too, such as the
Cranbrook Art Museum and the
Institute of Science, the
Arab American National Museum, and the
Henry Ford Rouge Plant Tour.
So you've got a free pass, now get out and explore.
The Museum Adventure Pass program runs through October 24 and is sponsored by the Library of Michigan Foundation, Macy’s, and Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan.
For more information about the Museum Adventure Pass visit
www.detroitadventurepass.org.
Photos:
Detroit Public Library
Motown Historical Museum
Detroit Historical Museum
Photographs by Marvin Shaouni
Marvin Shaouni is the managing photographer for Metromode & Model D.
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