Last chance to experience “Bitter|Sweet: Coffee, Tea & Chocolate” at Detroit Institute of Arts Popular exhibition about history of coffee, tea and chocolate ends March 5
Updated Feb 14, 2017
February 14, 2017 (Detroit)—Only a few weeks remain to enjoy the special exhibition “Bitter|Sweet: Coffee, Tea & Chocolate,” on view at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) through March 5. The exhibition tells the fascinating story of the introduction of coffee, tea and chocolate to Europe beginning in the late 16th century, and the far-reaching social and economic changes that occurred as a result.
These “new” beverages profoundly changed European drinking habits, tastes and social customs, and created an insatiable demand for specialized vessels such as tea canisters, coffee cups, sugar bowls and chocolate pots. Exquisite porcelain coffee and tea sets, a gold coffee grinder once owned by Madame Pompadour, silver coffee pots and paintings all help to tell the story.
“Bitter|Sweet” is also the first DIA exhibition to engage all five senses. In addition to the artworks, there are videos about the preparation of coffee, tea, and chocolate as well as opportunities to touch, hear, smell and taste—at the end of the exhibition visitors can sample hot chocolate from an Aztec recipe and an 18th-century European recipe.
“With the art at center stage, the exhibition reveals global cultural connections that will resonate with visitors today,” said Salvador Salort-Pons, DIA director. “The rich, complex story we’re telling, and the innovative visitor-centered ways in which we are presenting it, have been very popular—and the chocolate tasting is a delicious way to make a very personal connection to the art.”
The exhibition also touches on the human cost of procuring the raw materials to produce coffee, tea and chocolate as well as the sugar used to alter their bitter taste. Coffee was imported from Africa through the Middle East, tea from Asia, chocolate from the Americas, and sugar harvested by slaves on colonial plantations. To meet demand and keep prices down for the European market, Dutch and British merchants cultivated tea and coffee bushes on foreign lands colonized under their rule.
Tickets are $14 for adults, $10 for Wayne, Oakland and Macomb county residents, $7 for ages 6–17, $5 for Wayne, Oakland and Macomb county residents ages 6–17, and free for DIA members.
The exhibition is organized by the Detroit Institute of Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
February 14, 2017 (Detroit)—Only a few weeks remain to enjoy the special exhibition “Bitter|Sweet: Coffee, Tea & Chocolate,” on view at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) through March 5. The exhibition tells the fascinating story of the introduction of coffee, tea and chocolate to Europe beginning in the late 16th century, and the far-reaching social and economic changes that occurred as a result.
These “new” beverages profoundly changed European drinking habits, tastes and social customs, and created an insatiable demand for specialized vessels such as tea canisters, coffee cups, sugar bowls and chocolate pots. Exquisite porcelain coffee and tea sets, a gold coffee grinder once owned by Madame Pompadour, silver coffee pots and paintings all help to tell the story.
“Bitter|Sweet” is also the first DIA exhibition to engage all five senses. In addition to the artworks, there are videos about the preparation of coffee, tea, and chocolate as well as opportunities to touch, hear, smell and taste—at the end of the exhibition visitors can sample hot chocolate from an Aztec recipe and an 18th-century European recipe.
“With the art at center stage, the exhibition reveals global cultural connections that will resonate with visitors today,” said Salvador Salort-Pons, DIA director. “The rich, complex story we’re telling, and the innovative visitor-centered ways in which we are presenting it, have been very popular—and the chocolate tasting is a delicious way to make a very personal connection to the art.”
The exhibition also touches on the human cost of procuring the raw materials to produce coffee, tea and chocolate as well as the sugar used to alter their bitter taste. Coffee was imported from Africa through the Middle East, tea from Asia, chocolate from the Americas, and sugar harvested by slaves on colonial plantations. To meet demand and keep prices down for the European market, Dutch and British merchants cultivated tea and coffee bushes on foreign lands colonized under their rule.
Tickets are $14 for adults, $10 for Wayne, Oakland and Macomb county residents, $7 for ages 6–17, $5 for Wayne, Oakland and Macomb county residents ages 6–17, and free for DIA members.
The exhibition is organized by the Detroit Institute of Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.