First Saturday: Putting the Art Back in Party
Overview
Admittedly, after my experience at First Friday at the Guggenheim, I was a little skeptical about this whole concept of museum parties, but I have to say that First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum has totally made up for that! From the moment I walked in the door till the moment I left, there was plenty of free music, free tours and of course free art to keep any reasonable person busy.
The Party
As I’ve explained previously, the Brooklyn Museum throws down on the first Saturday of every month to celebrate a particular theme. This month’s theme happened to be global feminism, in honor of the new global feminism exhibit on display. Now, all preconceived notions of feminism aside, the overall atmosphere of the event was very relaxed, and I had a good time doing stuff that everyone can enjoy, like drinking, listening to music, and just wandering around the museum. One of the great thing about First Saturday is that you don’t have to be involved in anything you don’t want to be involved in. In fact you could just treat it as a free night at the museum if you preferred.
I decided to be a little more adventurous than that, so I took one of the feminism themed tours, which was somewhat interesting, but probably not worth waiting in line for. I had much greater appreciation for the music and later the dance party, which were a lot of fun, especially coupled with the novelty of being surrounded by famous artwork. Add a drink or two to the mix ($5.50 beers and wines) and everything seemed just grand. Even the somewhat jarring feminist exhibit was tolerable after a couple of cold ones.
The Art
Of course, at least half the fun of this event has nothing to do with feminism or First Saturday at all. It’s a pleasure to wander around by yourself checking out the vast collection of art housed in the museum. I hadn’t realized what world-class institution the Brooklyn Museum actually was, but once I’d gotten a chance to look around, I found five floors packed with a mix of art, historical and cultural exhibits on display. You can learn about African, Native American and Egyptian art, or you could look at some more contemporary works from the impressionists. They’ve also got a whole wing of landscapes and another devoted to american art, including the famous portrait of George Washington that’s been reproduced in virtually every american history textbook known to man. I’d easily be enticed back to the museum’s many galleries, even without the promise of free event and booze.
The Bottom Line
This event is completely free, and for most, will be quite easy to get to, as it’s literally steps away from the 2 and 3 trains. You do have to pay for food and drinks, but they aren’t any more expensive than what you might find at a moderately priced bar in the city, and I learned by pure coincidence that you can save 75 cents off your beer purchases if you go down to the cafe on the first floor and buy them from the food line! Strange little loophole, but it worked.
In addition to the attractive price tag, the evening is chocked full of interesting events in addition to the collection, which would be well worth the visit in and of itself, and perhaps the best part is that for the most part, you don’t have to wait in line! If I had to recommend one event out of the things taht i’ve done so far in this city, I think this one might be it.
Coming Up
Next weekend i’ll be attending the Thirteenth Street Repertory Company for Five-Story Walkup, a show about life in New York City. After all, what better way to learn about New York culture than to watch New Yorkers pretending to be New Yorkers?