Serenely nestled among the rolling hills of Brighton Campus, the McMullen Museum of Art hosted Art After Dark: International Night on Thursday night. A part of Boston College’s International Education Weeks, the night celebrated the world’s diversity.
The three-hour event began at 6 p.m., and attendees were encouraged to integrate fully into different cultures through interaction with foreign food, music, and art.
Upon entering the museum, A spread of cultural treats awaited visitors, brought in from local international restaurants and made by clubs on campus. The Hellenic Society brought Greek food, and the Japan Club and Chinese Student Association made mocktails.
While eating, and throughout the night, guests could listen to open mic performances of songs from across the world. Attendees were thrilled to share pieces of their culture, and the songs performed varied from Argentinian classics to Cantonese pop.
Visitor Patrick Ho Lam Lai described his experience performing.
“A little bit of stress of course, but I love the audience—they are interactive, and this is a wonderful, wonderful night,” he said.
Rooms decorated with classically painted landscapes hosted board game sessions, where visitors could play everything from Scrabble and BANANAGRAMS to distinctly global games, such as the Nepalese Bagh Chal. In this board game two players battle each other, controlling tigers and sheep respectively, in the context of a hunt.
The event also made sure to give its visitors an opportunity for formal education in addition to the more playful experiences available. The Roundtable on International Prison Systems gave listeners insight into the rehabilitation culture of various countries across the world.
The presentation highlighted a few individual countries, including Brazil and China. Issues of overcrowding and high relapse rates recurred frequently, even across societies with very distinct cultures.
Those who ventured to the second floor found weaving stations where anyone could be led through the process of crafting a basket, a bag, or earrings. If weaving didn’t appeal, on the same floor were drawing sections where visitors could take part in the spiritual illustrating of a mandala, a Buddhist and Hindu symbol of peace within the chaotic universe.
“It’s always a success when you allow students to be fully themselves,” said Vaughn Thornton, assistant director of programs, events, and outreach at the Office of Global Engagement.
These arts and crafts opportunities allowed visitors to try their hand at meaningful, deep-rooted traditions which they otherwise might never encounter, and even take their creation home after.
Friends could be found chatting away warmly on the third floor while designing their own Moroccan tiles from scratch. All such craft stations were located right in the middle of the museum’s current exhibition. Titled States of Becoming, the exhibit focuses on the impact and importance of the African Diaspora, a topic highlighted by the evening’s theme.
Every piece in the exhibit is uniquely striking. Miatta Kawinzi’s “SHE GATHER ME,” a video piece in which the subject claws at her own skin, had a visceral quality which seemed to deliberately provoke an uncomfortable reaction from its viewer.
Masimba Hwati’s “Rückspiegel 2” at first glance looks like an odd musical instrument. It quickly gains dimension as you look closer: the sculpture is in large part a brass instrument, but there’s hair coming out of its obtuse end, it sits upon skateboard wheels, has a spear jutting out, and a miniature mirror is attached to the side. Despite its surrealist nature, it appears oddly functional.
“There’s very few campuses that I know of that have world class art just on campus,” Thornton said.
