For one night only, the LSU Museum of Art will put a twist on its Once Upon a Time exhibition with a Night on the Town.
The Once Upon a Time exhibition opened in March with a wide-ranging collection of art inspired by fairy tales and folklore. Although its doors are always open, tonight marks a special showcase for the exhibition. Once Upon a Night on the Town will offer food, drinks, door prizes and live music by University student Travis Ewing, all set amid Once Upon a Time’s colorful collection of fantastical pieces.
Student group Beyond the Gates Public Relations has planned, organized and promoted the event in cooperation with the LSU Museum of Art. Beyond the Gates design director and mass communication senior Collin Smith said the event aims to raise awareness of the museum and get students through the doors and into the galleries.
“We want people to come check out this museum,” Smith said. “We like to say the museum is ‘uniquely yours’ because it’s paid for by student fees. And so you’ve got this great resource at your fingertips, and you just don’t know about it.”
Elaine Giles, mass communication senior and member of Beyond the Gates, said Once Upon a Night on the Town will give students another way to round out their weekends.
“If students are looking for an option to go downtown and get enriched in the art culture downtown, the LSU Museum of Art is a perfect venue for that,” Giles said.
The event will even get into the Halloween spirit with trick-or-treating throughout the museum, where visitors can follow a route through the exhibition and receive candy and gift cards to local restaurants along the way.
“We wanted to do it around Halloween,” Smith said. “The Once Upon a Time exhibit is art inspired by fairy tales, so it fits perfectly with the idea of Halloween.”
One prominent installation in the exhibition comes straight from a student. “View From Lakeshore Drive” by 2006 alumna Holly Streekstra weaves her experience at the University into the fantasy world of Once Upon a Time.
Admission to the Museum of Art is free to all University students, faculty and staff. Once Upon a Night on the Town will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. tonight at the LSU Museum of Art located on the fifth floor of the Shaw Center for the Arts.
