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Report shows Detroit Institute of Arts continued to exceed its service goals during the past year

Residents of Wayne County are continuing to benefit from the 2012 millage that provides funding to the Detroit Institute of Arts, DIA officials said in an Oct. 1 report to the Wayne County Commission.

The DIA met and exceeded all of its 2018 commitments to Wayne County residents as outlined in the service agreement between the museum and the Wayne County Arts Authority, which monitors DIA programs.

Wayne County Commission Chair Alisha Bell said it is important to have DIA representatives meet periodically with the commission.

"These updates provide vital information on all the good work being done at the DIA," Chair Bell said.

Commissioner Tim Killeen (D-Detroit) who serves as arts authority vice-chair, said he was also pleased with the report.

"We are hitting all our targets and going over them," Commissioner Killeen said. "It's a new day at the DIA."

Some 137,344 Wayne County visitors to the DIA took advantage of the free general admission offered as part of the millage. In addition, some 46,166 county visitors participated in reduced price admission to special events, with the DIA's Star Wars exhibit becoming one of its most popular ever.

A 2018 year-end report detailing DIA activities on behalf of the service agreement shows that 34,360 Wayne County students received free bus transportation and field trips in 2018, up more than 5,000 from the previous year. Of those students, roughly 18,000 were from Detroit schools.

Some 580 Wayne County teachers participated in free professional development programs offered by the museum.

The DIA's Thursdays at the Museum program, offered free to senior citizens, attracted 2,831 participants.

The DIA also maintained its outreach program to Wayne County communities and opened a new center at Detroit Wayne County Metropolitan Airport. That center is expected to move to a new site within the airport's McNamara Terminal in the coming year. Information on DIA programs is also expected to be available in the coming year at Michigan Secretary of State offices in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, officials said.