Scarab Club

On the cusp of its centennial anniversary, the Scarab Club (founded in 1907) weaves itself into the city of Detroit's and the state of Michigan's artistic cultural heritage. From its humble beginning as the Hopkin Club to its current status in the 21st century, the Scarab Club focuses on fine, performing, and technical arts and is still housed in its original 1928 building, a historic local, state, and national landmark. The club's exhibitions, programs, and costumed balls, the prominent visitors' and members' signatures on the second-floor beams, and the architectural decor of the clubhouse combine for its unique distinction. From its inception, the Scarab Club's mission has been to educate and enlighten its members and the community in the arts. The organization maintains a clubhouse for the exhibition of arts, provides facilities for artists for the advancement of their craft, and for other activities directed toward the education in the arts."

Michael E. Crane, Detroit Institute of Arts assistant curator of American art and Scarab Club member; Patricia Reed, Scarab Club archivist and past president; and Christine Renner, Scarab Club executive director and historic preservationist, found the club's archival storage rich with inspirational material, used here to resurrect the voices of the Scarab Club's past for this first-time public presentation in the nonprofit organization's 100-year history.