Current Exhibitions

Detroit's modern urban farms provide fresh produce to schools, restaurants, and stores. In 2023, the city even created the Department of Urban Agriculture, bolstering Detroit's thriving food network. However, Detroiters have a long history of growing their own food.

This exhibition, created by Wayne State University history graduate students Ryan Baker, Nalissa Dace, Amanda Miller, and Rebecca Phoenix, shows how in feast or famine, Detroit’s urban farmers have managed to get out there and grow.  

Working in disciplines ranging from calligraphy to photography; from illustration to letterpress, Ralph Rinaldi (1945-2022) deployed all of these abilities in support of the arts in his beloved Cass Corridor neighborhood.  

See letterpress and posters created over Rinaldi's career in this new exhibition, which also recalls legendary Cass Corridor institutions, artists, and musicians.

Join us as we celebrate a decade of preserving and amplifying Black Detroit’s history in this 10th Anniversary Exhibit that highlights the journey of Black Bottom Archives through zines, podcasts, photos, and interactive displays. Learn how the organization went from Pedal to Porch to the Black Bottom Street View exhibit and explore how BBA has grown as a hub for community memory and advocacy. Celebrate the past, engage with the present, and imagine the future!

In 2022, the Detroit Historical Society began a series of exhibits, events, public programs, and educational offerings in The Hustle, a program designed to celebrate and honor Detroit's Black entrepreneurs, told in their own words.

The finale exhibition, The Hustle: Detroit’s Unsung Entrepreneurs, featured 34 honorees selected from nearly 800 crowd-sourced nominations and was on display from Fall 2023 - Spring 2024 at the Detroit Historical Museum.

A dynamic, self-directed walking tour of Detroit's historic Black Bottom neighborhood, told through the lens of former residents and their descendants. 

The tour was created by the Detroit Historical Society, Design Core Detroit and Octane Design for the 2021 Detroit Month of Design, with community partnership from Bailey Park Neighborhood Development Corporation and Black Bottom Archives. 

As the hotel marks its 100th anniversary, the Detroit Historical Society has partnered with the Westin Book Cadillac team to create an on-site historical exhibition to recognize its century of history.

View the virtual exhibit here.

In 2023 Bedrock reopened Book Tower in downtown Detroit after a complete renovation. 

To highlight the landmark building’s 100-year history, the Detroit Historical Society has partnered with Bedrock to create a Historic Exhibition in the building’s lobby, featuring items items salvaged in the building’s renovation along with unique artifacts loaned by the Book family.

Detroit’s rich heritage lies with the men and women who’ve always called Detroit “home,” even as they went on to help shape our nation’s cultural landscape.

We cheered their accomplishments on the field, welcomed them into our lives through television and radio and were thrilled to see them perform on stage. Their championships became our championships and their hit songs formed the soundtracks of our lives.