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DETROIT –
Trying to photograph Detroit Institute of Arts Vice President of Operations Elliott Broom in front of his favorite painting was an unexpected challenge. As the 47 year old, brown-skinned, gay man posed, a group of students on a docent-led tour poured into the room and immediately pooled in front of the piece. The teenagers' excitement flooded the air as they pulled out their cell phones and clamored for a closer look. Some rushed to read the painting's description, and others stood in awe.
Broom stepped back and watched with arms folded over his chest and a smile on his face. "Isn't this great," he said. "This right here is what I love most about working here. I get to watch kids get inspired by art."
The painting, called Officer of the Hussars by Khinde Wiley, nearly reaches the ceiling and is as wide as several students standing side by side. A powerful red sky and a smoky battleground set a scene that is common in European artworks which portray a heroic subject. And in the center, riding a big white horse with a leopard-skin saddle and brandishing a mighty sword, is a modern-day black man taking on the world in his Timberland boots, low-riding blue jeans and chrisp white tank top.
"He looks so victorious the way he is portrayed," Broom said. "For most of the young people that come through here it's the first time they have seen an African American portrayed positively in art."
Broom noted that in many paintings throughout history, young black men are portrayed only as slaves or servants. "What I really love about Wiley's work is that he typically takes modern African American males and puts them in a classic scene, making them the hero," he said. Officer of the Hussars is a modern remake of the Theodore Gericault's classic of the same name done in 1812. Gericault's work shows a French soldier in uniform, complete with brass-buttoned jacket and black fur hat. It is currently on display in the Louvre in France.
The painting is just one of the many things Broom loves about his work at the DIA over the past four years. The Detroit native spent many years away from the city of his start, travelling all over the country doing operations in the hotel and hospitality business. It's Broom's job to make sure the museum's building is well-cared for and the staff is operating smoothly. "I do everything but manage the art," he said. "Security, volunteers, events, food service, group sales and visitor services." Apparently he is lead goof-ball as well, keeping the staff in good spirits with his child-like fascination and joy.
His years of hotel management experience paired perfectly with his BS in Art History from the University of Michigan, and the timing of the job opening could not have been better.
"I moved around a lot. It seems like every three years they'd open a new hotel or a new opportunity would come up," he said. "I was working in Dallas when they told me they wanted to move me to Florida, and I didn't want to do that. I was done with moving around. It was time to move home."
Growing up in Detroit in the 70s and 80s, Broom kept his homosexuality in the closet. "When I was in high school I remember the gay community being in Palmer Park, but they weren't protected. There were hate crimes happening and police turned a blind eye. I did not come out until after I moved away."
And now that he's back he is surprised at how little progress Detroit has made. "Detroit is very much the same as when I left. I expected to return to a great city. I was out of state, but I heard all these great things about the comeback of Detroit – the Super Bowl, the All-Star game. I was really struck that we aren't further along in the revival. I knew we were in a recession, but I didn't realize that we were ahead of the curve and that the recession hit Detroit earlier than other places.
"I also thought Detroit would be further along in our relations. I was shocked to hear there are so many people who won't go south of 8 Mile. The only way Detroit is going to move forward is if city and suburbs become one and work together."
Broom bought a home in Midtown Detroit, in an area where a third of his neighbors happen to be gay. "My plan is to stick around," he said. "I think I'm in the right place in the right time in my life. It's time, at age 47, in the middle of my career, that I should be getting involved and giving back."
One of the ways Broom is giving back is by serving on the Board of Midtown Inc, a group that is behind a lot of the initiatives that are reviving that neighborhood. Their Detroit Arts X project and D-lectricity have infused the neighborhood with art, while development programs attract businesses and homeowners and a security coalition keeps everyone feeling secure.
He recently spoke at the Model D Scarab Club event to help promote LGBT leadership in Detroit https://www.pridesource.com/article.html?article=53972, and he recently graduated from Leadership Detroit Class #33 through the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce. Broom was excited about the class, saying it gave him so many connections that are going to be crucial in further developing the city.
And of course his work at the DIA gives him the opportunity to inspire young minds and bridge gaps between communities. The DIA's educational opportunities stretch far beyond the walls of the monolithic historical museum. The Inside Out program places weather-resistant reproductions in public spaces throughout Detroit and the suburbs. These temporary instillations inspire others to enjoy art, and attracts visitors to the museum. There is also a program with the Detroit Children's Hospital where sick children have art making workshops, and there are various outreaches and talks given at schools, senior centers, libraries and for groups.
Besides enabling him to do good community-building, Broom's job has a couple of more selfish perks. "I love art and I get a real charge watching the docents do their tour, and I love being able to walk through when there is nobody else here and look at the artwork all by myself."
He also gets access to the parts the public doesn't see. "When I graduated high school I wanted to be an architect. It's an honor working in a building designed by Paul Philippe Cret and I love being able to see all the little details of it. Like the plaster dome. The dome that you see is not the true ceiling. Above the plaster dome there are two more stories to the top, and the whole thing is suspended inside by giant cables. Most people don't realize that, or get to see it. I am fascinated by things like that so I am really lucky."
To find out more about the DIA visit http://www.dia.org/.
