The Hood Museum of Art celebrated the reopening of the museum on January 31st with an exclusive evening event for undergraduate and graduate Dartmouth students.
The Student Opening Party, titled After Hours Takeover because of its late-night timing, invited all Dartmouth undergraduate and graduate students to explore the expanded and renovated space. The festivities emphasized the Hood's goal of being an open and welcoming museum to all members of the Dartmouth campus. Many current students had never visited the museum before the reopening, having arrived on campus during the interval of closure for expansion and renovation. Many others had never experienced such a dynamic atmosphere in a museum setting.
The new Russo Atrium was packed with students and food vendors from the Upper Valley, including Basecamp, TRAIL BREAK, Lou's, Boloco, and Tuk Tuk Thai. The Hanover Inn served beverages, including mocktails with names inspired by works in the collection. The evening opened with music by East Shore Trio, a subset of the Barbary Coast Jazz Ensemble. Students enjoyed food, drinks, art making, and a photobooth in the atrium before wandering into the galleries, which were open until 11 PM for this one-time special occasion.
In the galleries, two Dartmouth student a cappella groups, the Dodecaphonics and the Rockapellas, performed. Students roaming the galleries came across the performances by surprise and were excited to hear the music in such a unique setting. Later in the evening, the atrium lights dimmed and PJ O'Sullivan '19, known on campus as DJ PJ, started spinning beats.
Over the course of two-and-a-half-hours, more than 1,300 students visited the galleries, or 20 percent of the student body at Dartmouth! And now that the museum is officially open, they can come back to wander on their own, visit the Bernstein Center for Object Study with a class, or study or have lunch with friends in the atrium. With this new space, anything is possible. Even having a dance floor!
Make sure to check out the Hood's upcoming events calendar for more programming happenings in the museum! If you want to get involved with the museum, learn more about the Museum Club and other student engagement opportunities on the Hood's website.
Written by Jules Wheaton '19, Levinson Intern for Campus Engagement