Apr 26
From Arts & Crafts to Motown: The Detroit Experience
Carleton alumni are invited to a special event
From Arts & Crafts to Motown:
The Detroit Experience
featuring Carleton professor Andy Flory
Saturday, April 26, 2025
with optional add-on tours on Sunday, April 27
Join fellow Carls and Carleton music professor Andy Flory for this special opportunity to experience some of the most iconic treasures of Detroit: the renovated and expanded Motown Museum, the significant collections at the Detroit Institute of Art, the Charles Wright Museum of African American History, and more. Spend a day or make a weekend out of discovering the culture and history of the Motor City.
Saturday schedule:
1:00 - 3:00 p.m. Motown tour(s)
4:00 - 4:30 p.m. Arts & Crafts and the Scarab Club tour
4:30 - 5:30 p.m. Reception and Motown presentation by professor Andy Flory at the Scarab Club
5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Catered buffet dinner with beer and wine at the Scarab Club
Optional Sunday add-on schedule:
10:00 a.m. Detroit Institute of Arts
OR the Charles Wright Museum of African American History
12:00 p.m. Group lunch
1:30 p.m. The Ford Piquette Plant
OR The Cathedral Church of St. Paul
Cost
Tickets are $130 per person for Saturday's events.
Sunday's events can be added on individually:
- Detroit Institute of Arts $20 // $10 senior
- Charles Wright Museum of African American History $15 // $12 senior
- Group lunch $25
- The Ford Piquette Plant $18 // $15 senior
- The Cathedral Church of St. Paul $10 cash donation at the Cathedral
Purchase Tickets
By February 15.
Lodging
Lodging and transportation to Detroit and among the various sites are on your own.
Andrew Flory is professor of music at Carleton. He teaches courses about rock, rhythm and blues, and jazz. Andy is an expert on the music of Motown and has served as a consultant for several recent Motown reissues. He is also co-author of the history of rock textbook What’s That Sound.
Motown Museum is the ongoing heartbeat of the Motown legacy—a global tourist destination for music and history fans that celebrates the authentic story of Motown from its humble beginnings to its emergence as the “Sound of Young America” and beyond. The museum brings together fans, people, and ideas from different generations and captures the imagination to fuel dreams and inspire accomplishments.
The Scarab Club is an artists' club, gallery, and studio in the Cultural Center Historic District of Detroit. The Scarab Club is one of the oldest arts organizations in Detroit and has welcomed artists and art lovers without interruption for 115 years.
The collection at the Detroit Institute of Art is among the finest in the United States, with more than 65,000 works. William Valentiner, director from 1924 to 1945, acquired many important works that established the framework of the collection. Among his notable acquisitions are Mexican artist Diego Rivera's Detroit Industry fresco cycle, which Rivera considered his most successful work, and Vincent van Gogh's Self-Portrait, the first Van Gogh painting to enter a U.S. museum collection.
Founded in 1965, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History has for over half a century been a leading institution dedicated to the African American experience. The museum provides learning opportunities, exhibitions, programs and events based on collections and research that explore the diverse history and culture of African Americans and their African origins.
The Ford Piquette Plant is well preserved and largely unchanged from its original 1904 appearance. As the birthplace of the Ford Model T car, the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant is recognized as one of the most significant automotive heritage sites in the world.
Designed by renowned church architect Ralph Adams Cram, the Cathedral Church of St. Paul opened in 1911 and includes extraordinary woodwork, tile, and stained glass windows.
Interested in more of what Detroit has to offer? Check out Visit Detroit for the full list of Detroit attractions. Make a day or a weekend of it!
Questions?
Contact Alumni Relations at alumni-office@carleton.edu or 800-729-2586.