Speakers & Exhibitions

CCS is proud to host a variety of prominent artists and designers from around the world each semester for our Speakers and Exhibitions Series. Open to the CCS community and the public alike, this series brings creative leaders in their fields to exhibit and speak at CCS.

All exhibitions and lectures are free and open to the public.

Woodward Lecture Series

Since 1998, The CCS Woodward Lecture Series has remained one of Southeast Michigan’s most prominent visiting speaker series, attracting over 100 renowned artists, critics and scholars to Detroit. In addition to public lectures, Woodward Lecturers directly engage with CCS students through critiques and roundtable discussions, fostering a greater understanding of and appreciation for contemporary art and culture. The Series is made possible by a generous endowment gift from an anonymous donor.

Toyota Lecture on Design Series

The Toyota Lecture Series was established through a generous $1 million endowment gift to the College for Creative Studies from Toyota Motor Corporation to feature presentations by prominent guest speakers from the international design community at CCS and directly engage with CCS students through critiques and roundtable discussions. 

Exhibitions

CCS’s galleries present some of Detroit’s best exhibitions of contemporary art and design. They provide sites of interaction, experimentation, collaboration and dialogue and are an indispensable resource for our students and the community.

Previous Speakers