Thursday, October 20, 2011

Night at Our Museum returns!

By Amanda Cohen, Cooperstown Graduate Program student

There’s a mystery at the Fenimore Art Museum, and we need your help in order to solve it. What is this mystery? It’ll have to remain a secret until Saturday, November 5. From 6:00 to 8:30 PM that night, the Fenimore Art Museum will open its doors to families, budding detectives, art lovers, and visitors of all ages to participate in Night at our Museum. Night at our Museum is an opportunity for families to share art experiences in unique ways. One of the highlights of the evening is a participatory tour of the museum, set around a mystery. Visitors will have the chance to interact with pieces of art come to life, finding clues that will help solve the mystery. The evening will also feature live music, food, and more.



As second-year students at the Cooperstown Graduate Program, a few of my classmates and I have the opportunity to help plan this special event. Our primary task is to make this mystery play happen, taking it from script to the galleries. As I work on this project, I’ve found that it’s a lot like producing a play. We must cast the actors, identify and secure costumes and props, make rehearsal arrangements, block scenes, and conduct rehearsals. Night at our Museum is a great way for us to hone our project management skills and gain valuable experience in implementing educational programs. Also, in working with museum staff on this event, we have the opportunity to collaborate with people outside of our usual cohort of classmates.



What are we up to right now? We’re casting the actors—they’ll be playing the artworks that come to life. We’re also picking out some great costumes, using resources from The Farmers’ Museum and thrift shops so our actors can dress like the characters in the art that they’re portraying. We’re very much looking forward to our first rehearsal.



Even though the subject of our mystery will remain under lock and key until November 5, I thought I’d give you a few hints as to which exhibits will provide the clues, witnesses, and crime scenes. This should give you a chance to sharpen your detective skills before Night at our Museum.

• We might keep you warm in the winter, but if you unfold us, we’ll tell you stories about the past.
• There’s definitely buzz about our art, but you won’t find any bees in our gallery; instead, you’ll find pieces picked by you.
• You’ll find a lot of genres in this room, but our paintings have nothing to do with rock, pop, jazz, or classical music.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is Uncle Rock playing this year?

blog team said...

Uncle Rock will not be joining us, but we will have music! Will and Will, the acoustic duo of Will Green and Will Walker, will be playing in the auditorium beginning at 6:45 pm. We hope you can join us!

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