DETROIT, MI.- As part of its 125th anniversary celebration, the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), in partnership with SM/ART Editions, presents Inside|Out, which takes 40 framed, life-size digital reproductions of art from its collection to the streets and parks of Wayne, Macomb, Oakland and Washtenaw counties.

DIA: Inside|Out aims to connect with audiences outside the museum walls, treating metro Detroit as a grand, open-air gallery. Each work is displayed in an ornate frame, accompanied by an information plaque. Some of the reproductions will be installed on walls and others on free-standing posts. Several of the works have already been installed, with the rest expected to be up by early September. They will remain on view through November.

“We are thrilled to be able to bring some of our most significant works of art to our local communities in the places where people do business and spend their leisure time,” said Graham W. J. Beal, DIA director. “These are very high-quality reproductions and we hope people will be surprised and pleased when they see them.”

DIA: Inside|Out is one of several initiatives the museum is undertaking to celebrate its 125th anniversary. “125 years is an important milestone for the DIA and its extended family, and to properly celebrate the occasion required something exceptionally fun and surprising,” said Larry Baranski, DIA director of public programs. “The sites we approached immediately understood why temporarily installing large-scale replicas of old master paintings on landmark main streets and park settings was a perfectly natural way to reconnect with the legacy of the DIA’s collections.”

Beal said many of the businesses are excited to have these masterpieces displayed in their locations. “We are pleased to learn that some of the venues are already planning educational programs around ‘their’ works of art for school children and local citizens. We hope people are inspired to visit the museum to see the actual works of art.”

Keith Howarth, owner of Noir Leather in Royal Oak, is excited about his store being one of the 40 venues. “We are very proud to participate in this project,” said Howarth. “I have been a supporter of the DIA since I was a teenager, and always feel enlightened when I visit the museum.” Visitors to this weekend’s Arts, Beats, and Eats festival can stop by Noir Leather to see a replica of Henry Fuseli’s world-famous masterpiece The Nightmare.

The life-like replicas are produced on waterproof vinyl by SM/ART Editions, a local company specializing in large-scale vinyl reproductions for home and office décor. Marc Schwartz, owner of SM/ART Editions, is sponsoring the manufacture of the reproductions, and copies will be available for purchase at www.ArtDoneSmart.com.

Among the locations and works displayed are:

• Merrillwood Building, Birmingham, Flowers in a Glass Vase, Rachel Ruyschi
• Centennial Park, Oxford, Bank of the Oise at Auvers, Vincent van Gogh
• Detroit River Walk’s Rivard Plaza, View of Le Crotoy, Georges Seurat
• Borders Books and Music, Grosse Pointe, The Marquise de Vintimille as Aurora, Jean Marc Nattier
• The Henry Ford/Greenfield Village, Dearborn, Girl and Laurel, Winslow Homer
• Metro Beach Metropark, Harrison Twp, Seascape: Sunset, Martin Johnson Heade
• Riverside Park, Ypsilanti, In the Garden, Mary Cassatt
• Macomb Center for the Performing Arts, Clinton Twp, Drummer Boy, Thomas Couture
• Purple Rose Theatre, Chelsea, Staunch Friends, William Frederick Yeames

An interactive map of all 40 locations and works of art installed at each will be available in mid-September.