“With Eyes Opened: Cranbrook Academy of Art Since 1932” is on view at Cranbrook Art Museum from June 18 to September 19, 2021. It is the largest exhibition to expansively chronicle the Academy’s 90-year history as a radical experiment in the education of artists.
It is the result of a four-year research project and it features more than 275 works by 220+ artists that represent the Academy’s various programs of studies. All of the museum’s galleries combine works from different disciplines and mix historic and contemporary pieces to bring into dialogue different artistic visions and voices across the school’s history. A special focus of the project is to expand the historical legacy of the Academy’s early reputation in design by expanding the canon of artists and designers associated with the school through the inclusion of women and artists of color.
The museum has also published a landmark 624-page companion book to commemorate the impact of the Academy. The exhibition and publication were conceived as parallel projects that share a title but not a checklist; several artists are included in one but not the other.
