On the go
http://www.michronicleonline.com/articlelive/articles/1992/1/On-the-go/Page1.html
Melody Deniece Moore
By Melody Deniece Moore
Published on 11/8/2007
CARLITA KILPATRICK, wife of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, is one of four co-chairs for the Detroit Institute of Arts' "ArtsAlive gala. The event will celebrate the grand re-opening of the art institure. - Andre Smith photo
Preparing for the Detroit Institute of Arts’ grand re-opening is among one of Carlita Kilpatrick’s duties
.
The 37-year-old Washington, D.C., native is one of four co-chairs for the “Arts!Alive” gala, which will showcase the DIA’s new look on Saturday, Nov. 10. The event will feature DJ Cassidy, who has served as a DJ for celebrities such as LL Cool J, Oprah Winfrey and Mary J. Blige. Additional entertainment includes Chris Nunez from the TV show “Miami Ink.” Nunez will be the evening’s tattoo artist. Osadia, a theater company from Barcelona, the Alex Doner Band and Detroit’s Mosaic Singers will be among the other performers.
Kilpatrick, wife of Detroit’s mayor and a mother of 11-year-old twin boys and a 5-year-old boy, said she enjoys serving as event chair. She joins Mary Kay Crain, Jennifer Fischer and Marianne Schwartz.
“It was an honor for me to serve in this position,” Kilpatrick said. “I wanted to bring something different to the table. I wanted to reach out to the younger people in the city and let them know that the DIA has something to offer them too. I want them to see how impactful the DIA can be to their lives.
“Part of my role in the event planning has been to bring a new image of the DIA to the community. The DIA is a wonderful institution, unlike any other institution in the nation, but in order for it to survive and thrive, the community must continue to sustain it.”
Not only has Kilpatrick aimed to make others aware of the arts, she also spends time ensuring that her own children are exposed to the arts.
“My husband says that I am his arts and culture arm,” she said. “My kids have been to see the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater and to all of the museums. I let them choose what they want to do, but then there are some things that I just want to expose them to so we go. I want them to understand how important arts and culture can be.”
Kilpatrick graduated from Florida A&M University in 1992 and moved to Detroit, where she was employed as a conflict resolution consultant, working with area public schools. In 1995, she married Kwame M. Kilpatrick.
In addition to serving as co-chair for the “Arts!Alive” gala, Kilpatrick is affiliated with several area organizations, including Open Arms, Girl Scouts of Metropolitan Detroit, the Detroit Opera House, Black Family Development, Inc., the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and the Detroit Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
While managing her duties as a wife, mother and community leader, Kilpatrick’s role as a co-chair has been a challenge, but she contends that her life is not different from any other mother’s.
“I dare not say that my life is harder than any other mother who takes their children to school, to soccer practice, attends the games and does all of those things. But I do have to balance my time in being a wife and a mother.”
The planning for the DIA’s major event has been unde way for more than a year. In that time, Kilpatrick has helped secure additional donors and developed some of the event’s features.
The DIA will open to the public for 32 consecutive hours starting at 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 23, until 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 24. Free admission will be offered. Among the renovations are 58,000 additional square feet and a South Wing addition.
The grand opening celebrates a $158 million building renovation that has been going on for nearly seven years. Each gallery will have its own theme, including “Art and the Cycle of Life,” which will display objects from African cultures; “Images of Spiritual Power,” which highlight Native American objects; and “The Dutch Golden Age” featuring Dutch art.
For more information, call (313) 833-7900.
Preparing for the Detroit Institute of Arts’ grand re-opening is among one of Carlita Kilpatrick’s duties.
Carlita Kilpatrick serves as DIA event co-chair, balances tasks as mother and wife
CARLITA KILPATRICK, wife of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, is one of four co-chairs for the Detroit Institute of Arts' "ArtsAlive gala. The event will celebrate the grand re-opening of the art institure. - Andre Smith photo
Preparing for the Detroit Institute of Arts’ grand re-opening is among one of Carlita Kilpatrick’s duties
.
The 37-year-old Washington, D.C., native is one of four co-chairs for the “Arts!Alive” gala, which will showcase the DIA’s new look on Saturday, Nov. 10. The event will feature DJ Cassidy, who has served as a DJ for celebrities such as LL Cool J, Oprah Winfrey and Mary J. Blige. Additional entertainment includes Chris Nunez from the TV show “Miami Ink.” Nunez will be the evening’s tattoo artist. Osadia, a theater company from Barcelona, the Alex Doner Band and Detroit’s Mosaic Singers will be among the other performers.
Kilpatrick, wife of Detroit’s mayor and a mother of 11-year-old twin boys and a 5-year-old boy, said she enjoys serving as event chair. She joins Mary Kay Crain, Jennifer Fischer and Marianne Schwartz.
“It was an honor for me to serve in this position,” Kilpatrick said. “I wanted to bring something different to the table. I wanted to reach out to the younger people in the city and let them know that the DIA has something to offer them too. I want them to see how impactful the DIA can be to their lives.
“Part of my role in the event planning has been to bring a new image of the DIA to the community. The DIA is a wonderful institution, unlike any other institution in the nation, but in order for it to survive and thrive, the community must continue to sustain it.”
Not only has Kilpatrick aimed to make others aware of the arts, she also spends time ensuring that her own children are exposed to the arts.
“My husband says that I am his arts and culture arm,” she said. “My kids have been to see the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater and to all of the museums. I let them choose what they want to do, but then there are some things that I just want to expose them to so we go. I want them to understand how important arts and culture can be.”
Kilpatrick graduated from Florida A&M University in 1992 and moved to Detroit, where she was employed as a conflict resolution consultant, working with area public schools. In 1995, she married Kwame M. Kilpatrick.
In addition to serving as co-chair for the “Arts!Alive” gala, Kilpatrick is affiliated with several area organizations, including Open Arms, Girl Scouts of Metropolitan Detroit, the Detroit Opera House, Black Family Development, Inc., the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and the Detroit Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
While managing her duties as a wife, mother and community leader, Kilpatrick’s role as a co-chair has been a challenge, but she contends that her life is not different from any other mother’s.
“I dare not say that my life is harder than any other mother who takes their children to school, to soccer practice, attends the games and does all of those things. But I do have to balance my time in being a wife and a mother.”
The planning for the DIA’s major event has been unde way for more than a year. In that time, Kilpatrick has helped secure additional donors and developed some of the event’s features.
The DIA will open to the public for 32 consecutive hours starting at 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 23, until 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 24. Free admission will be offered. Among the renovations are 58,000 additional square feet and a South Wing addition.
The grand opening celebrates a $158 million building renovation that has been going on for nearly seven years. Each gallery will have its own theme, including “Art and the Cycle of Life,” which will display objects from African cultures; “Images of Spiritual Power,” which highlight Native American objects; and “The Dutch Golden Age” featuring Dutch art.
For more information, call (313) 833-7900.