DIA Characters Pop Up in Empty Wyandotte Storefront

Artwork from the Detroit Institute of Art will be but an empty downtown storefront got an early start to the fun Thursday afternoon.

In an effort to promote , the city's Downtown Development Authority created a window display in the former Sears Building featuring several popular characters from the DIA.  

The display near the corner of Biddle and Maple contains cutouts of the DIA's "Hatman" character and his friends, all viewing art in and around downtown Wyandotte. Keeping it local, the display also includes a few downtown landmarks, including the clock tower and .  

"I thought that this was a wonderful low-cost opportunity for us to both promote the DIA Inside|Out project and clean up an unsightly storefront," DDA Director Natalie Rankine said. "The building has been vacant for over 10 years and we thought that a small project like this would make a big impact on the aesthetics of downtown. I am so thankful for all of the volunteers that helped me with this project. It just goes to show you what a difference a few people can make."

Assisting Rankine were Heather Thiede, the city's special event coordinator; Vicki Lucas of , Dianne Woodruff of, Jeremy Hanson of , Noel Galeski and Tom Faryniarz.

The Inside|Out program, which brings high-quality reproductions of art pieces into communities across the state, runs from April to June. A number of special events, including live music and hands-on art, will take place in Wyandotte to coincide with the program.

For more on those events and the project as a whole, . For clues on "surprise" activities planned during the two-month run, follow the Wyandotte DDA on Facebook and Twitter.