Museum Reaches Out to College Students through Arbus Exhibit
by Tamara Gilkes
The Harlem Shakes in Metropolitan Museum of Art, April 20, 2005. Photograph taken by Tamara Gilkes
On April 20, New York City college students, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a revolutionary photography exhibit and a college rock band joined forces in a way never seen before. That night, the Met offered students a free midnight viewing of the Diane Arbus Exhibit “Revelations.” The event headlined the Harlem Shakes, a college band featuring students from Bard College, New York University, and Yale University, who had the unique opportunity of performing under the museum’s arches.
The event, known as “College Students Take the Met,” was created by the College Marketing Group, as well as the College Advisory Committee, which is made up of Ash Anderson, Donna Sutton, and 18 students from NYU, Columbia and Barnard, Fordham, Brooklyn College, Medgar Evers College, and City College, as well as peer employees at the Museum. The event was an attempt to create a different kind of relationship between the Met and college students.
“We want students to come to the Museum even when they don't have an art history paper to write,” explained Anderson. “We want them to feel welcome and at home here, to feel a sense of ownership of this place.”
The arches of the museum were illuminated with blue, green, and purple lighting, donated by Frost Lighting, transforming the lobby of the museum into an array of colors. Add tiny decorated tables and a 9 x 12 foot screen displaying recent on-site photos taken at the party by student photographers, and you had a museum converted into a lively party scene.
Lexy Benain, lead singer of the Harlem Shakes, said, “Behind the stage you’d see a Hellenistic man in the Greco-Roman wing and you knew you were in the Met, but then you’d look out front and think that you were at any normal concert.”
Aside from the aesthetically pleasing entryway, the many desserts, and the bar of assorted soft drinks, there was still the main attraction waiting at the top of a grand staircase. The exhibit was open to all, and for many this was the first glance that they ever had of Arbus’s work, and while for other more seasoned art admirers, this was a great opportunity to view the exhibition, free of the usual masses.
Arbus, born Diane Nemerox, was known for her photography of those on the outskirts of society, as well as her way of photographing people and highlighting their moments of abnormality. Arbus is known mostly for her photos of transvestites, twins, people on the streets, and asylum inmates. The “Revelations” exhibit was on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art from March 3rd through May 30th. Aside from its public viewing, there were a few limited tickets sold at $50 per person on select Mondays, for a more private viewing. This daring exhibit, however, was shown completely free to students during the “College Students take the Met” event, and it was not merely a coincidence that Arbus’s work was chosen as the focus of this college event.
“We thought that the Arbus images would resonate with this generation,” said Anderson. “In a way, I think the show was uniquely provocative for the Met, which was also appropriate for this particular audience.”
In combination with the entertainment of viewing the exhibition, the Harlem Shakes set up stage. It was not long before a group of fans reached the front as many swayed back and forth and danced joyfully to the rhythmic beats of the songs.
“The sound wasn’t great but it’s not anyone’s fault,” explained lead guitarist Ian Fiedorek. “I thought it was great, we had a lot of energy and the show was awesome.” All of the bands fifty demos were distributed that night, and the band, as a whole, was happy with the turnout.
“It felt great to make a group of sober kids on a Wednesday night start dancing in the lobby of the Met,” Benain said. He added jokingly, “[the coordinators] kept telling us that if we played any louder, the porcelain on the second floor would shatter.”
In the end, over 2100 students from over 68 different schools attended the event. This was the first event like this for the Met, but according to Anderson, there will be more in the future, possibly more intimate events as well as events similar in size to the April event. Judging from the email and survey responses of many students who attended the event, Anderson said that the event was a success.
“I think people understood and appreciated the fact that the party was the Museum's way of reaching out,” said Anderson.
If students would like to become a part of future events, recruitment for the student College Advisory Committee takes place each August and January. Those who are interested in receiving an application can send an e-mail to college.marketing@metmuseum.org.
