The Snite Museum of Art will open its doors at 6 p.m. Thursday to welcome the public for a night of Halloween fun and engagement with the artworks that the museum has to offer. Registration is not required to receive a screen printed t-shirt and partake in the festivities.
The Snite Fright is organized by the Snite Student Programming Committee (SSPC), a group of students who aim to connect the Snite’s collection with the student body through welcoming and engaging activities. Snite Fright became a traditional event over the past few years.
“It is one of our best attended and most well-loved events that we have at the Snite,” said Alexis Kelly, sophomore co-coordinator of SSPC.
Combining all special Halloween activities with the Snite’s artworks, the event highlights both the art and music scenes of campus.
“We have a scavenger hunt about who stole one of the paintings, that’s no longer on view,“ she said. “We have pumpkin decorating in our decorative arts portion of the museum. There is going to be live music, which is really exciting. It’s something that we haven’t done for a few years. And we have screen printed shirts that are exclusive. You can only get them at this event, one night only, with a design that’s Halloween themed and is from one of the works in our collection.”
While the SSPC is trying to fill the night with a spooky atmosphere, it also plans on erasing the intimidating image of the museum being a place for only art experts, Kelly said. SSPC is trying to show the student body that the Snite Museum can be an excellent place for relaxation and meditation for anyone, despite their art history knowledge.
“What we love to do with these events is to engage people in a way that draws upon their own experiences,” Kelly said. “Even if they have no idea what a painting is representing, they can look for it in a scavenger hunt and, in doing so, they will accidentally learn some things about the art and the gallery.”
Because of COVID-19, this year’s event will look different with all the safety guidelines in place.
“The onus is really on the Student Programming Committee to make sure that people are following and being respectful of social distancing, while in the gallery spaces,” co-coordinator junior Abigail Patrick said.
(Editor’s Note: Abigail Patrick is a copy editor at The Observer.)
SSPC has worked hard to activate the space and help students engage with the art.
“We’ve had to think critically about the way we’re using the spaces and the materials we’re using,” she said. “Tracking who’s going to be there by coming up with quotas for the rooms, how many people can be in a gallery at a time, spacing and minimizing touching as much as we can.”
Even though Snite Fright is an open house event, the Snite is planning on having around 75 to 100 people in all the spaces at a time.
“The only thing that will be limited is with the music,” Patrick said. “We can only have around 20 to 25 people in that actual space, but, hopefully, you’ll be able to hear it in other parts of the museum. So get there early if there’s someone you really want to see.”
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