[1][2][3] The institution was formed in 2009 in Detroit, Michigan by Tate Osten,[4][5] who has stated that she chose light art because it shows how the 21st century has progressed with technology.
The German word "kunsthalle" was also used to provide for wide and international access to the Midwest's "most blighted city" as to the new, fruitful grounds for arts and cultural development.
Currently, international projects expanded to Germany, where a 200-year-old mansion is being restored and converted to an art venue in the small village of Glashütte (Lamspringe, Lower Saxony).
Kunsthalle Detroit has held multiple exhibitions, starting in 2011 with "Time and Place".
Artists that have been exhibited included Bill Viola, Joan Jonas, William Kentridge, Ange Leccia, Mariana Vasileva, Sebastian Diaz Morales, Saskia Olde Wolbers, Jesper Just and many others.