This design studio at the Madison Building downtown will kick off a scavenger hunt Friday while an effort to save the Detroit Institute of Arts intensifies.

And Smith didn’t hesitate Wednesday to give his stance on an Aug. 7 DIA millage that supporters claim will save the cash-strapped venue from potential closure.

“We’ve always been ones that wear our hearts on our sleeves,” said Smith, who oversees a staff of 27 full-time employees. “We think that art and the creative industry is vital for the city, and the DIA is part of that. If the DIA went away, we would lose something tremendously vital.”

Critics of the millage proposal for residents in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties should hear Smith out before they decide to oppose a 10-year, .2 mill increase (about $15-$20 per homeowner).

Smith is an entrepreneur who runs a company that was founded in 1959 and works with about 70 clients annually that range from automobile manufactures to sports team and non-profits.

And Smith will tell you that without the DIA, companies like his probably wouldn’t attract as much talent as they currently do, or have the creative capital to invest in the region.

“We just hired a person from Grand Rapids,” Smith said, “and if we didn’t have a museum, they might have moved to Chicago or New York, places that has those kinds of things.

“When you start to lose the talent, then the skill that goes along with that starts to erode. Then everything is a vicious cycle; then all the work starts to go to other places like New York or Chicago.”

Skidmore Studio moved from Detroit after stints in Royal Oak and Southfield last October and is expected to create and hide Friday anywhere from 30 to 70 colorful pieces of art in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.

The event is similar to other “Free Art Friday” hunt the studio has held since its move to downtown Detroit last fall, and was planned well before the DIA millage proposal was put on the ballot.

Those who find the pieces of art can keep them free of charge; all Skidmore employees ask is that they post a photo of each object so they know the pieces have found a good home.

Members of the public are also encouraged to create art for the scavenger hunt and post clues of the drop spots online.

A Free Art Friday rally, in support of the DIA millage and scavenger hunt, will be held 10-11 a.m. Friday at the DIA, 5200 Woodward Avenue.

Besides up to 70 Skidmore-created pieces of art, Smith expects an additional 30 to 50 pieces created by the general public, designed to give the hunt a community-based feel,

“The idea is that you hopefully get a little piece of art, and think it’s cool,” Smith said. “Then hopefully, going forward, people will continue to participate and create even more.”

Scavengers eager to drop hints of locations or show off their findings can do so at Skidmore’s Facebook page (

) or post to

.

Working in an art-inspired environment that embraces events like scavenger hunts and cultural institutions like the DIA is exactly what Detroit-native Andre Foster, 41, looked for out of college.

Now this College of Creative Studies alum is an illustrator and graphic artist at Skidmore, energized by the city’s willingness to innovate through creativity.

“I never thought we would actually move down here,” said Foster, who took a break from working on a mobile phone app in his downtown office. “But then I started seeing things happening here, and it really made sense.

“There are real people with real money and a real motive to help turn this city around.”

Foster, however, can’t help but wonder how all the positive momentum for art, design, marketing and technology in Detroit would be affected by refusal of the DIA millage.

If passed in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, residents in those areas would be able to visit the DIA free of charge for the next 10 years.

Foster grew up on Detroit’s west side, near Six Mile and Schaefer, and majored in illustration in college. Foster remembers fondly trips to the DIA as a child and how the exhibits he saw helped him develop a career path.

“In every major society, a healthy art culture is what you need, it’s what you have to have,” Foster said. “I would just hate to see something happen to the DIA; it’s almost sacrilegious.

“You can’t let that happen – in any city.”

Graham Beal, the DIA’s director, said in a radio interview Tuesday with WJR that the Midtown Detroit cultural institution is strapped for cash because painful budget cuts and a lack of revenue.

Beal claims the DIA's budget is currently $25 million, exactly $9 million less than it was 13 years ago, and could dwindle to $20 million if the millage doesn't pass.

Under this scenario, Beal claims the DIA would likely have to reduce its hours to two to three days a week and eliminate special exhibitions.

"It's not a very open museum," Beal said of the scenario. "We become a very unattractive entity."

Beal expressed optimism during the interview that the millage will pass in Wayne and Oakland counties, based on polling data, but said the chances of support in Macomb appear "very tight."

If one county approves the millage, Beal said the DIA will have to launch a major fundraising campaign.

If two end up on board, Beal said the situation would still be "very tough.”

A poll of 237 adults, conducted by EPIC-MRA of Lansing, said 69 percent of voters in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties plan to vote for the DIA millage.

The results,

, also said 2 percent are leaning toward voting yes, while 25 percent plan to vote no and 4 percent are undecided.

The strongest support for the millage, based on poll results, reportedly came from Wayne and Oakland counties.