Cranbrook Art Museum

Well...I love the doors. I love the band too but this is more about the literal doors. The texture, the material, the weight. I know when I see them there will be something special behind them. The weird thing is there is something special as you approach them, and as you make the approach to the stairs, the pool, stabil. I keep going back. I wonder what it would be like to be a student here. This is a place that I find I like to just be at. If you just like to be...try it.

We had a WONDERFUL time seeing the Haas Brothers exhibit and the Destroy All Monsters exhibit. The staff are all so kind and knowledgeable. We really liked a few of the older pieces in the lower gallery, as well. There was some confusion and difficulty with getting my wheelchair in, but we were thankfully directed to the barrier free entrance/exit. So, just to note: Park in the full lot to the left, not the parallel handicap spots to the right that go into the main entrance. Otherwise, a lovely visit!!

I am a wheelchair user, and I found this experience to be pretty accessible. Part of the exhibit was closed, so a staff member had to escort me through the closed part of the museum as that was the only way to avoid stairs. I would potentially take off a star for this since I had to sit and wait before I could really leave, but it was actually kind of cool to go through the closed part of the museum and the staff was friendly and helpful so I really didn't mind. I also was thrilled to see a small metal ramp has been fixed on the outside steps, this is such a simple and easy solution that many places don't bother with, despite it being the difference between disabled people being able to access the museum or not. I would definitely recommend to other wheelchair users.

I had the Perfect Sunday afternoon museum visit! The exhibits were wonderful, and grounds are always stunning! They also had mini golf available in the courtyard. One of my favorite places to visit especially in the fall when the leaves change... really beautiful it's breathtaking! A must see!

Cranbrook grounds are beautiful! In the Fall, Spring and Summer friends and I will sometimes walk the grounds for our exercise. The museum is great and often has exhibits, they also usually have events or activities for kids! It’s a beautiful place and definitely worth a visit !

Amazing space. Will return just to check out the campus and walk around. Museum worth visiting.

Magical place for a walk or a picnic. The tour of the mansion is interesting and make sure to check out what exhibits are on at the gallery. They also have tours of the artist townhouses on site as well as the Frank Lloyd Wright house in Bloomfield Hills.

Our visit was on a Thursday, and we came to play mini golf. We did tour the museum, too, and really enjoyed it. The grounds were lovely and the architecture was beautiful. The mini golf was a great idea and was very well done. I would definitely return again to see new art/artists and enjoy a few hours here.

This is an eye-opening museum and worth a trip from other areas of the Detroit metropolis. The museum and connected Academy of Art has a distinguished alumni, as well as a fascinating rotation of exhibits. I visited here over a Thanksgiving holiday many moons ago. My wife Kelly is a native of the Detroit Metropolis and introduced me to this gem. In turn, I introduce it to you and give you my fullest recommendation to visit as soon as you possibly can.

I visited this museum during Black History Month and I was pleasantly surprised by the number of African American artists featured. Mostly large canvases, masterfully created by local artists. The museum is very well curated. Small and intimate. I was extremely impressed. I'm looking forward to visiting during the summer months as well as on Fridays (when they allow you to tour the archival collection).

This is a nice museum with beautiful grounds and outside water fountains and sculptures. As a local, I've been here quite a few times and always feel like the shows are well curated and displayed.

It's free to visit on Thursdays so of course that's what we did! We reserved online too but I'm not sure if it's required. There's a good amount of art to see. Quite a lot on the first floor. And some stuff on the lower level. They feature art from artists way in the past and recent ones. Mostly people who went to the Cranbroom art school. Very cool! There's a little bit of some greenery and a fountain to see outside. It's not a large place but something fun to do!

visited on a thursday so admission was free. there was only one room of art to see, about 10 pieces. not bad for free but i wouldn't pay $10 to see 10 pieces

We visited the museum via its miniature golf experience twice this summer. It's one of my favorite family-friendly outings around Detroit! The campus is beautiful, the course is unique and fun for kids (some holes aren't like any I'd seen before), the golfing is affordable (9 holes includes access to the museum), and the staff are very friendly. Tee times are staggered to help prevent bottlenecking. It's completely different other miniature golf courses! I didn't understand it before we went ourselves. It's instantly gone to the top of activities we'll share with our-of-town friends during the warm weather months.

Really enjoyed seeing the their Transformations show. The museum was small but peaceful and full of diverse work. I felt safe as their galleries are spacious and largely empty. The staff was very helpful and directed me to the gardens on the campus which were beautiful. Would recommend as a short break away from this covid madness

Such a modestly sized museum out here in rich people's land. I much prefer our art museum in downtown Detroit - and the admission fee for residents of the tri-county area, too. There is some great work here to see; there's just not anywhere near the amount I would hope for. The basement held a bunch of pewabic pottery that didn't elicit much of a reaction from me. There was also lots of fanzine like objects that held precious little content but looked and felt ever so artsy. The novelty of being able to handle them was the only thing that saved this exhibit from being insufferably pretentious. Speaking of pretentious, one of the upstairs galleries was a room where you could subject yourself to Andy Warhol's infamous Empire State Building film, a shot of I-forget-how-many-hours of nothing but, you guessed it, the Empire State Building. It's just as stupid and pointless as it sounds. I hope it's what John Giorno was sleeping through in his Warhol endurance test. I have respect for Andy's pop art and respect for him as a con man, but the works that are nothing but a con, uh, not so much. Another room was a foam covered all-black room built within a big white gallery. Inside where some dim light bulbs that gave just enough illumination for you to find your way around and a few speakers emitting Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music, an album's worth of zoning-out-on-heroin droney noodling. It struck me as a room to trip out in or meditate and since I wasn't high on drugs I tried the later. It was nice to sit down on the floor with my back against a foam wall in an art gallery, but my mind was busy and my stomach rumbling so my attempt at meditation lasted only about 5 minutes. I wish I would have caught the Nick Cave show. It seemed more interesting than anything they had going on when I went though I think he should throw an initial into his name to differentiate himself from the Australian musician. The highlight of my trip was the used book sale by the front door. I got a book about old school graff artist Dondi White for $25 and it's awesome. So in my opinion Flint Institute of Arts is greater than the Cranbrook Art Museum. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Wonderful art museum on Cranbrook's beautiful campus. Yes, it is small. But it is also mighty! The Saarinen-designed building is lovely. The museum seems to focus on modern and contemporary art, architecture & design. It is worth a few hours of your time to spend in the museum and also leave time to wander the grounds and campus. I have been to several exhibits here over the years. Loved my most recent visit for the Warhol album covers and I happened upon a display of archived letterhead that was fabulous!

Finally made it here! This place was on our list of places to visit ever since we moved here, and we couldn't have picked a more perfect day to go. :) We came here on a Saturday with picture perfect skies, and the temperature was just right, with a cool and crisp breeze. Ahhh...:) Anyhow, onto the museum. While I honestly have to say that I was surprised at the size of it all (I thought it was going to be bigger), it was really well designed. Mind you, we didn't get a chance to see all the exhibits due to transitioning into newer ones, we got enough of a glimpse to really like it. Because the exhibits were all under construction, the admission fee was waived, and they were on a donation-based system. However, the REAL treat we got to experience was going on that Saarinen House tour. BEST $15 SPENT. It was about an 1.5 hour long tour, and I HIGHLY recommend it. Our tour guide, Susan, was very informative and thorough. We were also blessed to have met Eero Saarinen's grandson and great-great grandson. I had absolutely no idea that they'd be there, and our tour guide was equally surprised! SO COOL! What are the odds? :) What was even cooler was that throughout the tour, we got personal insight on the design inspiration, and the initial ideation process. For a designer like me, I just soak up all that amazing knowledge. The house isn't fancy by any means, but the thoughtfulness that went into the design was very inspiring. Aside from the house tour, we walked around the campus, and admired the beauty and subtle asymmetry that was sprinkled throughout the garden spaces. It is really a beautiful campus, and even though you're not an art fan, please come and enjoy the fountains, sculptures, and public garden spaces. Heck, you can even have your wedding here too! One thing is for sure, I will be back to see the newly instituted exhibitions later in the year!

I finally made my way to the Cranbrook Art Museum for the Shepard Fairey (OBEY) exhibit ("Salad Days") this past weekend. Everything went smoothly - from signage on where to park to the actual exhibit itself. I was able to also meet the artist in a very approachable way - so thank you, Cranbrook! :)

Thought I'd venture out with my little one on this sunny January day. The Basquiat, Ryan McGinness, and Keith Haring exhibitions piqued my interest. For those with strollers, be prepared to take a round about way to get into the museum and to walk if the parking lot is full. Other than those inconveniences, the museum was well curated and definitely worth the $10 admission. Plenty of picture opportunities for those that want to "do it for the gram".

Cranbrook is basically right up the street from our house who knew that there were such beautiful gardens and museums there we will be going back

Beautiful building, interesting statues and lovely grounds! The museum won't take you very long far as a visit.

Cranbrook's Museum is on my list of Detroit 'to-dos' and I'm finally able to check it off. The museum itself is very nice, though not on the scale of what one might expect of the DIA. From what I can tell, it has exhibits that come and go, and this comprises the ground floor, which consists of several galleries. The basement is dedicated to the architectural history and development of Cranbrook, which I found highly interesting. There's a ton of history floating about the place, and it's interesting to see how all of what Cranbrook is came to be. This collection consists mostly of archival stuff, architectural plans, and some fairly impressive architectural models of both Cranbrook and Kingsbury. An added bonus was just experiencing the campus itself. I spent about twenty five minutes in the museum. I just have a tendency to dash through them. See it, appreciate for a moment, and move onto the next exhibit. But I spent about an hour and a half meandering across the grounds, getting some pretty breathtaking views of lakes, swans, Asian gardens, architectural masterpieces, all of which was very well laid out, thoughtfully maintained, and a treat to behold. I plan on going back when they have a new exhibit in the spring and the autumn, just to be able to see both new art and also to see the grounds in new seasons, which is an unexpected but welcome surprise.

We came to see the Nick Cave exhibit and as Margaret mentioned the museum is small but nice while the grounds around Cranbrook are beautiful in their own rite. The exhibit was interesting and it utilized all the rooms available, which are few, so you won't be spending an entire afternoon here. That said, for special exhibition this is a really intimate venue. It's a great place to bring a date if they're offering an exhibit you're interested in...or simply come walk around and take in the scattered sculpture.

The best part of this visit were the beautiful gardens and grounds!! Nice exhibit on Andy Warhol album covers. Several other small but interesting exhibits. Definitely not the DIA but a nice way to spend the afternoon.

Don't miss the Michigan Modern exhibit, until 13 October! A solid little museum on the Cranbrook Campus. Building designed by Eliel Saarinen and is wonderfully sited. The collection seems small, but the shows they put together are usually top notch, if also small. But then, that's the nature of the museum--so enjoy what's on offer. the exhibitions change rather frequently.

Cranbrook is the ritz of schools. The grounds are amazing. Best of the best in Michigan. Amazing spot to check out art or to just sit back relax and at their parks or enjoy the lakes or just have a picnic... great to take a first date here as well or maybe even watch a meteor shower, Who knows you might just get lucky

Maybe it's the word "museum" that is throwing people off and creating some expectation that this place will be a huge art institution, but put that aside. It is still totally cool and the grounds are beautiful as is the drive there. We went today to see the Nick Cave "Here Hear" show and it was fantastic. The galleries were spacious, light, and the displays were effective. Furthermore, on a summer Sunday morning, it was very quiet which allowed me to really take my time enjoying the work. Cranbrook is well worth the jaunt from Detroit.

Small as afore mentioned, but contains some really great artwork and is worth a visit!