Huntington News

Issue date: 9/27/06 Section: The Inside

Media Credit: Photo Courtesy/Amelia Carignan Mummy mask from the Egyptian galleries. "College Night at the MFA" will take place Sept. 28 at 8 p.m.

The stately white columns and marble staircases of the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) have never been known for hosting raging parties. An afternoon visit to the museum usually ends early - not because of boredom, but because the galleries shut down well before dusk.

But the MFA will lift its self-imposed curfew tomorrow for its second annual college night. Free for all college students, the event will feature food, music, raffle prizes and open viewings of some of the museum's galleries.

"We want to introduce college students to all that the museum has to offer," said MFA Public Relations Associate Amelia Carignan. "It's a fun, vibrant place where young people are welcome."

Beginning at 8 p.m., students will be able to stroll through the selected first-floor galleries and appreciate works ranging from Indian paintings to Andy Warhol's "Marilyn" to Egyptian mummies.

"We house one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of Egyptian art in the world," Carignan said.

The collection was largely acquired through the museum's own 40 year excavation, led by George Andrew Reisner, and includes the lavish sarcophagus of Nes-mut-Att-neru, a wife of a high-ranking priest.

"Everyone loves the Egyptian galleries," Carignan said.

Open galleries will also include the African/Oceanic Galleries, the Native North American/17th century American corridor, the Ancient Near East gallery and the Mid-20th century American Art (which features works by Jackson Pollock and Georgia O'Keefe). A special exhibition entitled Domains of Wonder: Masterworks of Indian Painting, which features 125 works from India dating between the mid-14th and early 20th centuries will also be on display.

Media Credit: Photo Courtesy/Amelia Carignan A figure of a chief mask from the Native North American and 17th century American corridor.

While art-focused students peruse the works, the more social-minded can jostle for a spot on a couch in the lounge area and groove to music played by a disc jockey.

One of the evening's other highlights, a concert given by indie darling Joanna Newsom, will begin at 10 p.m. in Calderwood Courtyard.

Newsom, a San Francisco-based artist, melds a melodic harp with an eerie, child-like voice to produce a sound critics have struggled to categorize.

"Joanna has … a very unique musicality," said MFA Concert Director Dan Hirsch, "We made a long list of performers for 'College Night' that would be both popular and fit with our general aesthetic."

Born in 1982 in Nevada City, Calif., Newsom began playing the harp at age 8. While classically-trained harpists don't usually have a place on the indie music scene, Newsom has managed to make a place for herself with her delicate voice and whimsical lyrics. Her sound recalls Bjork, with elements of 1960s psychedelic pied piper Donovan, of "Mellow Yellow" fame.

Her first label release, "The Milk-Eyed Mender," caused a stir on the music scene, garnering the attentions of Spin magazine and The Boston Globe. Her upcoming album, "YS," highly anticipated on the underground radar, is set for release by Drag City Records in mid-November.

The MFA will also raffle off prizes, including a year's worth of Vitamin Water delivered to the lucky winner's doorstep. Last year the event attracted over 1,600 students from 40 colleges in the Boston area, and Carignan said the MFA hopes to top that number this year.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools