One month, one painting : Labour Day, “Detroit Industry Murals”, USA

Hannah, our American teaching assistant, is from Detroit 😉 ! In November, our ELC students learned about the history of Detroit and Hannah had them work on “Detroit Industry Murals”. These murals (1932–1933) are a series of frescoes by the Mexican artist Diego Rivera, consisting of twenty-seven panels depicting industry at the Ford Motor Company and in Detroit. The frescoes surround the interior Rivera Court in the Detroit Institute of Arts. The Detroit Industry Murals were designated by the Department of Interior as a National Historic Landmark.

The two main panels on the North and South walls depict laborers working at Ford Motor Company’s factory. Other panels depict advances made in various scientific fields, such as medicine and new technology. The series of murals, taken as a whole, expresses the idea that all actions and ideas are one.

Discover more murals with Detroit Mural Guide

(Teaching English as a second language : for educational purposes only)