COURTESY OF DENNIS AND DIANA GRIGGS

This Friday, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art (BCMA) will host Student Night at the Museum, a beloved biannual event where students dress their best to connect with their peers over art and hors d’oeuvres.

The first Museum Night was held in 2013, inspired by the success of an exhibition reception that attracted a substantial number of students. Director of Student Activities Nate Hintze shared how former President Barry Mills initiated the collaborative effort to bring the event to life.

“[Mills] was excited to see so many students there and how vibrant the event felt. Because of that serendipitous moment, he reached out to Dean Tim Foster and me to talk about ways to recreate it in the future,” Hintze said.

Since then, Student Night at the Museum has taken off in popularity, leading the Office of Student Activities to add a spring version of the once fall-only event. In an email to the Orient, Post-Baccalaureate Curatorial Assistant Emily Jacobs ’23 reported that museum nights bring around 750 students to the Museum each fall.

To prepare the Museum for an influx of students, and arrange the refreshments and wine that contribute to the night’s art-world authenticity, the student activities office coordinates with BCMA and Dining Service staff. Jacobs explained how the Museum navigates the safety challenges of large crowds in tight quarters with valuable artworks.

“With such large crowds, the priority is making sure everyone can enjoy the gallery space safely. We have our shop staff working at the front desk, our security officers moving through the exhibitions and we even have student interns on hand to help us keep things running smoothly,” Jacobs said.

Some exhibitions require additional maneuvering to protect both the visitors and the art on display. In 2024, the museum team had to rearrange certain sculptures in artist Abigail DeVille’s solo exhibition “In the Fullness of Time” right before the event.

Student Night at the Museum has undergone much transformation over the years, as Student Activities and the BCMA explore different ways to celebrate creativity. In past years, the BCMA has brought art forms together by inviting a cappella troupes and other musical groups to perform in the Museum Rotunda. However, performances are no longer feasible as student turnout began to exceed the building’s capacity. That said, Jacobs expressed her hopes that the event will continue to evolve.

“The BCMA would love to explore other ways to merge the visual and performing arts and highlight students’ creativity at the event,” Jacobs said. “I’m hoping this year’s student ambassadors and interns will help us brainstorm and create exciting offerings for the spring semester Student Night!”

Student activities shared a similar interest in continuing to expand the event.

“We have a dream of one day being able to open the Museum’s original entrance and host a Met-style gala,” Hintze said.

Despite the hard work and late-night shifts that go into planning and managing the event, student activities and BCMA staff alike expressed their fondness for museum nights.

“I love student night because I get to see interactions with art that are led by joy. You’ll see friend groups posing in tableaus trying to recreate scenes in a painting, people chatting about which artwork they would most love to display in their dorm and embracing the playful side of art appreciation,” Jacobs said.

Reflecting on her experience with the past two museum nights, Evanthia Konnaris ’29, a communications intern at the BCMA this academic year, highlighted the conversations she shared with the Museum security guards and her peers.

“My favorite part of … the event was actually getting to talk to some of the people staffing the galleries,” Konnaris said. “It was really informative to get the perspective of someone who works at the museum but isn’t necessarily involved in the curatorial process.… I [also] got to see some of my classmates that I don’t normally talk to, and they were able to tell me why certain pieces of art resonated with them.”

As a dedicated event for students, Student Night at the Museum offers opportunities for peer-to-peer connection in addition to serving as an entryway into the BCMA.

“I hope students walk away feeling a sense of ownership over the Museum,” Jacobs said. “They should feel empowered to stop by the Museum for special events like this one but also whenever they feel like they could use an art break.”