OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Detroit City Council DIA Budget Hearing - March 18, 2026

City CouncilWednesday, March 18, 2026
BodyDetroit, Michigan
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, March 18, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 57:38

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Councilmember Mary Waters.

0:02

Council Member and the Captain.

0:04

Member Waters did submit her team did just uh memo indicating that she would not be present for the AM uh budget hearings, so it is excused.

0:13

So noted.

0:14

Councilmember Angela Whitfield Calloway.

0:16

Member Whitfield Callaway indicated that she would be absent for the day.

0:19

Her absence is excused.

0:21

Council President Pro Them call me on the second.

0:23

Here.

0:26

Mr.

0:26

Chair, you have a quorum.

0:27

I'm sorry, and I think I neglected to mention that Member Johnson also indicated that she would not be a present for the AM budget hearings.

0:35

So noted, Mr.

0:36

Chair.

0:36

Thank you so much.

0:37

All right.

0:37

So we are now going to dive right into the DIA's budget hearing.

0:41

So come on down.

0:44

Thank you all for being here, and thank you for your patience as well.

0:50

And when you get to the uh upfront, just keep in mind that the mics, if you see red, that means they're off.

0:56

You've got to push that button at the bottom until it turns green, and then we're ready to go.

1:01

So whoever would like to begin, the floor is yours.

1:04

Welcome.

1:05

Thank you.

1:05

Thank you and good morning.

1:07

Um we really appreciate uh the chance to come and attend the budget hearing every year.

1:13

Uh while we're not part of the formal budget process, we're really happy to take this annual opportunity to come and share all that's happening at the museum in detail the special benefits that are available through the Wayne County Art Services Agreement.

1:29

Um before we begin, I want to introduce the leadership team that's here with us today.

1:34

Um, beginning with Salvador, there you are.

1:38

Salvador Salar Pans, our director, president, and CEO.

1:42

Um, Elliot Broom, our chief operating officer, and then in the gallery, we have Kate Spratt, our chief financial officer, Anthony Smith, our vice president of learning and audience engagement, Judith Dolcart, Deputy Director of Art Education and Programs, and Melissa Pena, um, executive director of talent, culture and operations.

2:08

And I am Julie McFarland, I'm executive director of public affairs and community engagement.

2:14

Um so we have a brief presentation today.

2:18

Uh Salvador will begin with information on current and upcoming exhibitions.

2:23

Um Anthony is gonna share a little bit about our museum's art and wellness suite of programs.

2:30

Elliot will provide an overview of the cultural center planning initiative, and then I'm just gonna finish up with um a brief walkthrough of benefits for Wayne County residents.

2:42

So um handing it over to Salvador.

2:45

Yes, thank you, Julie, and thanks for the opportunity.

2:49

Uh if we can move the slides forward, uh our first slide is uh three images of our new rinstall African American galleries that we opened last October.

3:00

We are one of the first museums in the country to collect African American art.

3:03

We have one of the largest collections of African American art in the world.

3:07

Um we also have uh curatorial department devoted to African American art.

3:12

We are the first encyclopedic museum to have this department devoted to African American art.

3:18

And uh we decided as a team uh to bring the African American collection to the center of the museum experience next to Rivera Court and tell the history of African American art from the 1800s to the uh 1980s.

3:32

So very very exciting material for the schools and the general visitor to really learn uh like if you are reading in a handbook, the history of African American art and culture.

3:44

You know, many visitors to the museum come and they want to see the Impressionist galleries and they can do that, or the Renaissance galleries now they have the opportunity to really learn this part of our history in the context of the history of the history of art in the world.

3:58

So very excited about this.

4:00

Next slide, please.

4:03

We are also in the process of reinstalling our modern and contemporary collection in the uh north wing second floor.

4:11

This is been uh a work in process for the last year.

4:15

We are planning to have these galleries open in uh the fall, and uh it will show a new um re uh rethought uh installation of these galleries with uh new um uh floors, new ceilings, and a new navigation throughout throughout uh uh the building, including as I mentioned, uh all the impressionist collection, post-impressionist, early modern, and contemporary all the way to 2026.

4:47

Very very excited.

4:48

It will include in each gallery for contempor contemporary Detroit artists in the context of uh the contemporary art that is happening today in the world.

5:00

Next slide, please.

5:04

Uh we are offering to the residents of Oklahoma Kong County as well as the general visitor from other counties and around uh the country.

5:15

Uh a wonderful exhibition on Anishnabe art.

5:18

We have uh been working with the 13 tribes in the Great Lakes.

5:23

This is uh a phenomenal exhibition on contemporary Native American art and has been very successful.

5:29

We've had uh over 60,000 visitors already.

5:33

It's a great compliment for the schools who come to the museum to see our Native American galleries, but now they have and can deepen into the experience of the Great Lakes, uh, Native American tribes.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Arts And Culture█████████████████████████████████████████████74%
Engineering And Infrastructure████7%
Personnel Matters███5%
Procedural██4%
Budget██3%
Public Engagement██3%
Pension Matters2%
Transportation2%
Summary of Proceedings

Detroit City Council DIA Budget Hearing - March 18, 2026

The Detroit City Council held a budget hearing for the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) on March 18, 2026. DIA leadership presented updates on exhibitions, programs, capital projects, and services provided under the tri-county millage. Council members asked questions about parking infrastructure, workforce, unionization, community partnerships, and future plans.

Attendance & Opening

  • Council President Mary Sheffield presiding. Councilmembers Mary Waters, Angela Whitfield Calloway, and Johnson were excused for the morning budget hearings. A quorum was present.

DIA Presentation

  • Salvador Salar-Pans (President & CEO) highlighted the new African American galleries (opened October 2025), the upcoming modern/contemporary wing reinstallation (fall 2026), the Anishinaabe art exhibition (over 60,000 visitors), and the Georgia O'Keeffe exhibition (September 2026).
  • Anthony Smith (VP of Learning & Audience Engagement) outlined the new Art and Wellness initiative, including programs like Healing Arts (with Children's Hospital), Minds on Art (with Alzheimer's Association), and Art and Medicine (with Henry Ford Health System).
  • Elliot Broom (COO) discussed the Detroit Cultural Center Association (DCCA) plan: renovation of the underground parking garage (estimated $49 million), which would enable creation of a great lawn and sunken garden. The garage currently has about 200-250 spaces if rebuilt; removal would cost ~$20 million. $12 million in grants have been raised.
  • Julie McFarland (Executive Director of Public Affairs) summarized service agreement benefits: free admission (nearly 60,000 Detroit residents in 2025), K-12 field trips (nearly 12,000 Detroit students), senior group program (34 Detroit groups), and community partnership programs (Inside Out, community exhibitions, etc.).

Discussion Items

  • Grand Bargain contributions (Councilmember Young): DIA CFO Kate Spratt confirmed ongoing payments through the Foundation for Detroit's Future.
  • Immigrant and community-specific art (Councilmember Young): DIA is open to representing Bangladeshi and other communities; no specific exhibition planned but feedback welcomed.
  • Parking garage cost-benefit (Councilmember Benson): Questioned the $49 million cost vs. $20 million removal. DIA argued rebuilding is necessary to transform the surface lot into a gathering space and that foundations are supportive. Councilmember Benson noted the city was barred from owning the DIA under the Grand Bargain; DIA said it would analyze whether the city could provide financial support.
  • Cultural district collaboration (Councilmember McKenna): DIA confirmed cooperation with Charles Wright Museum and Car Center through DCCA.
  • Workforce and Detroit residency (Councilmember McKenna): DIA committed to providing data on Detroit employee percentage and workforce pipeline programs.
  • Photography program for City Hall (Councilmember Santiago-Romero): Proposed a DIA partnership to place photography projects in the 13th floor of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center. Council directed staff to include this in a closing resolution (passed without objection).
  • Unionization (Councilmember Santiago-Romero): DIA recently recognized AFSCME Cultural Workers United for over 200 employees, bringing total unionized staff to over 300 across three units. Contract negotiations to begin within 90 days.
  • Membership decline (Councilmember Miller): Free admission reduced membership, but special exhibitions (like O'Keeffe) are expected to boost it. Suggested competitive youth art contests.
  • Digital art commitment (Council President Sheffield): DIA hired first Chief Digital Officer two years ago; summer digital interactives in Gray Hall will be tested.

Key Outcomes

  • Councilmember Santiago-Romero's motion to include a photography program for the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center in the closing resolution was approved without objection.
  • DIA will provide written answers to late-submitted questions from Councilmembers Callaway and Johnson by Friday, March 21.
  • No formal budget vote was taken; the hearing was informational.

Meeting Transcript

Councilmember Mary Waters. Council Member and the Captain. Member Waters did submit her team did just uh memo indicating that she would not be present for the AM uh budget hearings, so it is excused. So noted. Councilmember Angela Whitfield Calloway. Member Whitfield Callaway indicated that she would be absent for the day. Her absence is excused. Council President Pro Them call me on the second. Here. Mr. Chair, you have a quorum. I'm sorry, and I think I neglected to mention that Member Johnson also indicated that she would not be a present for the AM budget hearings. So noted, Mr. Chair. Thank you so much. All right. So we are now going to dive right into the DIA's budget hearing. So come on down. Thank you all for being here, and thank you for your patience as well. And when you get to the uh upfront, just keep in mind that the mics, if you see red, that means they're off. You've got to push that button at the bottom until it turns green, and then we're ready to go. So whoever would like to begin, the floor is yours. Welcome. Thank you. Thank you and good morning. Um we really appreciate uh the chance to come and attend the budget hearing every year. Uh while we're not part of the formal budget process, we're really happy to take this annual opportunity to come and share all that's happening at the museum in detail the special benefits that are available through the Wayne County Art Services Agreement. Um before we begin, I want to introduce the leadership team that's here with us today. Um, beginning with Salvador, there you are. Salvador Salar Pans, our director, president, and CEO. Um, Elliot Broom, our chief operating officer, and then in the gallery, we have Kate Spratt, our chief financial officer, Anthony Smith, our vice president of learning and audience engagement, Judith Dolcart, Deputy Director of Art Education and Programs, and Melissa Pena, um, executive director of talent, culture and operations. And I am Julie McFarland, I'm executive director of public affairs and community engagement. Um so we have a brief presentation today. Uh Salvador will begin with information on current and upcoming exhibitions. Um Anthony is gonna share a little bit about our museum's art and wellness suite of programs. Elliot will provide an overview of the cultural center planning initiative, and then I'm just gonna finish up with um a brief walkthrough of benefits for Wayne County residents. So um handing it over to Salvador. Yes, thank you, Julie, and thanks for the opportunity. Uh if we can move the slides forward, uh our first slide is uh three images of our new rinstall African American galleries that we opened last October. We are one of the first museums in the country to collect African American art. We have one of the largest collections of African American art in the world. Um we also have uh curatorial department devoted to African American art. We are the first encyclopedic museum to have this department devoted to African American art. And uh we decided as a team uh to bring the African American collection to the center of the museum experience next to Rivera Court and tell the history of African American art from the 1800s to the uh 1980s. So very very exciting material for the schools and the general visitor to really learn uh like if you are reading in a handbook, the history of African American art and culture. You know, many visitors to the museum come and they want to see the Impressionist galleries and they can do that, or the Renaissance galleries now they have the opportunity to really learn this part of our history in the context of the history of the history of art in the world. So very excited about this. Next slide, please. We are also in the process of reinstalling our modern and contemporary collection in the uh north wing second floor. This is been uh a work in process for the last year.

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