By Mabry Smyer, Teen BMA Member
Teen Night was a spectacular time for absolutely anyone who wandered through the Museum doors the evening of May 10. The event had something for everyone; you could break it down on the dance floor, jump into an art project, or just chill out in the galleries.
Personally, my favorite part of the night was giving tours to groups of fellow high schoolers. I’ve been a gallery attendant this year, and it was really fun to be able to share a bit about the Museum with people who haven’t spent hours in the halls of this building. The tour, all organized by Teen BMA members, was all-encompassing with stops along the path from the newly-reopened contemporary gallery all the way down the hall through the European and American galleries and up the stairs to the Wedgwood and Asian galleries. The groups opened up more and more as we moved through the galleries, and it was exciting to watch people really connect to the Museum. It was also pretty funny to be back in the typically-quiet depths of the galleries and feel music pulsing from the distant dance floor. Out there was an, albeit intimidating, always enticing place to make memories with friends for the more daring Museum attendee. Near the dance floor was a mural sketched by Teen BMA members and gradually painted in by visitors during the event. The mural came to life by the end of the night, culminating in a vibrant depiction of our throwback theme. If you wanted to get away from the blasting music, however, you could also work on your own art project in the front lobby. The projects we set up had people working all night long, and amidst the bustling activities and blasting music, the art tables were a nice place to gather around and spot loads of creativity from visitors.
By the end of the night, there were kids in every nook and cranny of the Museum. Whether an attendee knew the galleries like the back of their hand or had just stepped foot in the BMA for the first time, everyone seemed to have settled right in. As a self-professed art museum nerd, it made me very happy to see everyone make the BMA their home for the night. I can’t wait for next year.