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RDJ Visits the DIA
July 14, 2024
On May 29th, students from the Religious Diversity Journeys program enjoyed their final Journey of the school year to the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA). Students had the opportunity to participate in the museum’s new “Objects of Devotion” tour. This immersive and engaging experience helped students to understand the complex stories devotional objects can reveal and how they are used in religious traditions around the world.
The “Objects of Devotion” tour was specially and carefully developed to showcase religious artworks and artifacts from different cultures and historical periods. The tour featured items such as a 14th Century choir stall, Medieval metalwork, stained glass windows, a ceremonial skirt, tiles, ancient texts, and much more highlighting Christian, Jain, Babylonian, Buddhist, African, Islamic, Assyrian, Ancient Egyptian and Judaism traditions.
Throughout the tour, students were engaged through interactive discussions facilitated by wonderfully knowledgeable DIA Gallery Teachers. They specifically learned to understand and appreciate the differences between devotion, the sacred, religion, and the secular, and how each of these concepts is uniquely expressed through art.
The visit to the Detroit Institute of Arts and participating in the “Objects of Devotion” tour was definitely a highlight for the Religious Diversity Journeys students. By learning about the diversity of religious expression through art, students were able to make critical connections to the world faiths they study in school and the faith communities they visited as a part of their time in the Religious Diversity Journeys program.
