Is this what art museums want? Now that virtually all of them have expanded, many far beyond what their constituency would want, some will do anything to get people in the door. Even if it’s not about art at all.
So I wasn’t all that surprised when I read a report about Untitled 24 at the Denver Art Museum, published on Sept. 1, on Examiner.com. (Examiner.com, in case you have not come across it, is a site owned by Philip Anschutz for local news written by anyone who wants to write for it, free. It has a presence in 109 cities at the moment.)
Here’s how it described the event:
If you ever wondered what Denver Art Museum is like after dark, the monthly Untitled events may just be your ticket to find out. In addition to cash bar and finger-lickin’ good complimentary appetizer buffet, the museum brings in DJs, live bands, and hosts a variety of entertaining activities.
…this Friday people were treated to dark art, ghost stories, paranormal research presentations and even a seance where they could attempt to contact dead artists and ask them questions….Bad Luck City and Legendary River Drifters played at the Duncan Pavilion, while DJ The Postman played some music to set the mood at the Hamilton Building Atrium. Meanwhile, you could decorate plastic bones, run into Denver’s own Ghostbusters, or check out a presentation by Colorado X Case Files, where paranormal research experts talked about some of the most haunted places in the Denver area.
The article (here) also included a slide show.
As I understand Examiner.com, there’s little or no editing, or checking on veracity. So I went to the DAM’s website for its description of Untitled events, and found this:
On final Fridays through September, the Denver Art Museum feels less like a field trip and more like a night out.
A field trip? Is that how museums feel about their regular offerings?
If art museum directors and curators aren’t enthusiastic about the art they show, how they possibly expect others to be?
It got worse at Denver in the continued description of last week’s event:
Dark art, creepy tales, bedazzled bones, cash bar, and a dose of the unexpected.
- Bling some bones! You bring the crafting skillz, we’ll supply the bones, muahhhaahhaa.
- Gather ’round for museum ghost stories.
- Contact dead artists to ask them your most pressing questions.
- Colorado X Case Files pits skeptics against paranormal researchers to expose common myths and Denver’s ghostly hot spots.
For comparison, here’s how the Brooklyn Museum advertises First Saturdays on its website:
At the Brooklyn Museum’s Target First Saturdays, thousands of visitors enjoy free programs of art and entertainment each month from 5-11 p.m. All evening long, the Museum Café serves a wide selection of sandwiches, salads, and beverages, and a cash bar offers wine and beer.
Here’s how the Studio Museum of Harlem does it:
In addition to free Museum admission on Sundays, the Education and Public Programs Department has organized free programs and events geared to all our different audiences. From hands-on family workshops to theater performances, whatever their age or interest, visitors will find something to love at Target Free Sundays at the Studio Museum. Join us, as we explore how art and visual communication can ignite the imagination, engage the mind and reflect our human experience-past, present and future.
And here’s how the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago does it:
Happy hour takes on a new meaning with First Fridays at the MCA. Relax after a long workweek with a cash bar featuring specialty drinks and free Wolfgang Puck appetizers. Enjoy live music from local DJs, the world’s only iMac G5 digital dating bar, creation stations, and more. Each month features an up-and-coming Chicago artist in a preview of the latest UBS 12 x 12: New Artists/New Work exhibition.
Photo Credit: Jeff Wells, Courtesy Denver Art Museum