Inspiring Vision: Detroit Institute of Art

“I am interested in people; what they make, how they work, and what they struggle to become.” — Diego Rivera

I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Detroit Institute of Arts, and this space stopped me in my tracks. Standing in the Rivera Court, surrounded by Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry Murals, you’re not just looking at art; you are marveling at a historical celebration. Industry, labor, technology, humanity, progress, and all of their tensions coexist on the walls. No single panel tells the whole story. Meaning emerges only when you take it in collectively. He didn’t romanticize work, nor did he reduce it to efficiency or output. Instead, he honored complexity, the dignity of labor, the power of machines, the costs of progress, and the interdependence between people and systems. It’s a reminder that the most honest representations of progress don’t smooth over contradictions; they hold them.

The lesson I took with me is one I keep returning to in leadership and life: if you want to understand what’s really going on, you have to step back far enough to see the whole scene. Focusing on a single figure—or a single metric—can be comforting, but it’s rarely truthful. Insight comes from context. Wisdom comes from integration.

In a world that rewards speed and reduction, this space invites a different posture: slow down, widen your lens, and remember that meaningful work—whether in art, organizations, or communities—is always the result of many hands, many perspectives, and many stories unfolding at once.