MOCAD: Doors Open  celebrates the seventeen-year history of the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD). The exhibition displays archival materials and collections related to the Museum’s history, including artists’ books, commissioned artist prints, access to digital archives, exhibition ephemera, and publications.

The idea of MOCAD originated in 1995 when Detroit Free Press art critic Marsha Miro and renowned gallerist Susanne Feld Hilberry envisioned a museum that would educate, expand, and nurture the city of Detroit through the positive impact of contemporary art. In 2006, MOCAD opened its doors at a renovated Albert Khan building in the heart of the city, honoring Detroit’s industrial legacy. In the words of co-founder Miro, MOCAD was intended to prove “how important contemporary art is for the life of the city.” The Museum immediately absorbed this; amplifying its scope to music, performance, architecture, fashion, activism, and diverse practices on the vanguard horizons of two words: art and community. 

MOCAD: Doors Open  features a diagram reflecting the Museum’s exhibition history and its commitment to the expanded field of contemporary art. Previously presented exhibitions highlighted in MOCAD: Doors Open  include Meditation in an Emergency (2006) and Visions in a Corn Field (2013). This presentation of MOCAD’s archive offers a rare glimpse into the institution’s rich history of supporting contemporary art on a regional and international scale, reimagining the idea of a traditional museum collection. MOCAD remains responsive to the cultural content of our time, fueling crucial dialogue, collaboration, and public engagement.