The city of Detroit is connected to larger cultural movements throughout its history. Yet, most people don’t realize the first free national public art museum has its roots in Detroit. 

Charles Lang Freer wasn’t born in the city, but moved here for opportunity and economic growth. He turned his Ferry street home into a living gallery, collecting thousands of American, Asian and Middle Eastern art works. 

He arrived in Detroit in 1880, when the city was on the brink of a cultural boom. The Detroit Institute of Arts opened in 1885. Pewabic Pottery opened in 1903. The Scarab Club began in 1907. The College for Creative Studies traces its roots to 1906 as the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts.

Following the success of his railroad car business, Freer retired at the age of 47. He became a student of art, collecting, traveling and amassing an impressive collection. The collection went on to form the country’s first national museum and Asian art museum in Washington DC. 

Dr. Chase F. Robinson is the director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art.  He and his team worked closely with the Freer House in Detroit to curate a new exhibition in honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary. He tells The Metro more about the history behind the Freer House.

A Museum in the Making will be on display June 27 through August 8 at the National Museum of Asian Art in the Freer Gallery of Art. 

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The story of retired baseball player Ron LeFlore is one  worth repeating. 

LeFlore was a gifted athlete who refused to let the mistakes he made during his childhood define him. His talent, perseverance and a little luck catapulted him out of his prison cell and onto the Detroit Tiger’s roster for six seasons. He led the league in stolen bases twice and secured a spot on the 1976 All-Star team. 

Although Ron LeFlore’s story has been told before in an movie and an autobiography, author Adam Henig felt there was still more to tell.

In Henig’s book “Baseball’s Outcasts: The Story of Ron LeFlore” he details the former Tiger’s journey from the streets of Detroit to the dugout, and LeFlore’s life after the major leagues. Henig  joined the show to explore some of the lesser known details about Ron LeFlore’s life. 

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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