DETROIT, MICH.- Following the success of a year-long exhibition of works by the Detroit-based artist Tiff Massey, the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) announced today the acquisition of Baby Bling, a monumental multimedia installation and one of the show’s centerpieces. The work was featured in Tiff Massey: 7 Mile + Livernois, which closed in May 2025, and now enters the DIA's permanent collection as a testament to the museum's commitment to celebrating contemporary Detroit voices and expanding the narrative of American art.

“Tiff Massey represents the extraordinary creative spirit that defines Detroit today,” said DIA Director Salvador Salort-Pons. “Baby Bling exemplifies how contemporary artists can transform everyday objects into profound statements about identity, community, and cultural celebration. This acquisition not only honors Massey's remarkable vision but also ensures that future generations will experience this powerful meditation on Black beauty and resilience within our permanent collection.”

“Having Baby Bling become part of the DIA's permanent collection feels like coming full circle,” said artist Tiff Massey. “This is the museum where I first fell in love with art, and now my work will live alongside the pieces that shaped my artistic journey. I hope visitors see themselves reflected in this celebration of our hair, our culture, and our inherent worth – because our hair truly is our crown.”

A signature work of the DIA's 7 Mile + Livernois exhibition, Baby Bling (2023) transcends conventional sculptural boundaries through its masterful integration of steel beads, woven rope, and brass. The work operates as both homage and revolution, elevating Black hair culture from the margins to the museum's hallowed halls. Massey's sculptural alchemy transforms the humble hair elastic – a ubiquitous childhood accessory known to many Black girls and women as “bobos” – into a celebration of identity and imagination.

Baby Bling champions the invaluable currencies of creativity, play, and nurture. Commissioned specifically for the exhibition, the work emerged from Massey's profound dialogue with Donald Judd's Stack (1969), a piece that captivated her during childhood visits to the museum. This intergenerational conversation between minimalist master and contemporary visionary exemplifies the DIA's commitment to fostering artistic dialogue across time and tradition.

The popular exhibition featured Massey as the youngest artist with a solo exhibition in the history of the DIA and welcomed over 220,000 visitors from May 2024 through May 2025. The show's title honors the intersection of streets marking one of Detroit's most notable Black business and fashion districts – the neighborhood where Massey was raised and continues to create. Through this year-long celebration, the exhibition reimagined art’s role in the community, offering a vibrant and inclusive view of Detroit that explores the relationships between identity, public space, and urban transformation.

Massey’s Baby Bling will be prominently featured in the museum's newly reimagined Modern and Contemporary wing upon its reopening in 2026. Further details to be announced.

The museum extends its gratitude to its auxiliary groups The Founders Junior Council, Friends of African and African American Art, and the Friends of Modern and Contemporary art for their contributions to this acquisition, as well as several Detroit-based donors whose generous contributions made this acquisition possible, including Dr. Lorna Thomas, M.D., Joy and Allan Nachman, and acclaimed artist Mario Moore, who also has work in the DIA’s permanent collection. This collective commitment ensures that Massey’s important work will remain accessible to the community that inspired its creation.