Arts & Entertainment
College Night at the Museum
Museums woo younger patrons with balls, parties and movies – and free parking
mt1254@nyu.edu
The regalia of 3,500 college students in glittery masks, capes and gowns lit up the lobby of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Venetian masquerade, a free student-only event to mark the opening of an African mask exhibit, had been advertised mainly on Facebook. It was one of a series of events meant to inspire more young people to patronize the museum.
“It’s a good idea to get students involved,” said Sonya Burlan, 18, a student at Fordham University in the Bronx who attended the fall 2007 event. “I feel like our generation has lost sight of it.”
Indeed: museum-going has long been seen as a province for well-heeled middle aged and elderly art-lovers, with the younger visitors tending to be art students. Now museums around the country are working harder to woo young people, who could develop into future patrons, donors and members.
“You start your evening with art, get a little culture, hang out at the café,” said Rebecca Kagan, who coordinates a 20-member College Group at the Met, which plans free events for other students, sending out an e-newsletter and maintaining the Facebook page.
Other museums have jumped on the trend. The Museum of Modern Art in New York, for example, has university professors on hand to conduct gallery lectures, and is hosting a PopRally series focused on music, performance and movies, said MOMA spokesman Margaret Doyle.
The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles hosts an annual college night, themed to a special exhibition, and offers free parking to students who visit as part of an organized event, according to Getty education specialist Peter Tokofsky.
The intent is to attract young people who aren’t art or art history students.
“That’s our goal,” Tokofsky said. “When we have a program like a college group, we do get a broader cross section of college-aged people. It’s something we have to do consistently.”
Photography and modern art seem to be big hits, said the Met’s Kagan.
“It’s a huge museum and it’s overwhelming, so we help you find what you’re looking for,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be about walking around the museum quietly anymore.”
The Metropolitan Museum of Art drew some 3,500 students to a free Venetian Ball, by advertising on an e-newsletter and Facebook.
Photo by Mehrnoosh Torbatnejad