Duke students obsessed with socializing have had a tough run of luck. First came the death of Bully's, then came the end of the Parizade's Era, and more recently came the administration's chokehold on Trinity Park. However, a new social venue for students, hardly a soppy basement bar or some decrepit house, is quickly gaining popularity and giving students a chance to mingle in style.
On a recent balmy weeknight, the Nasher Museum of Art is in the midst of celebrating AprilARTSfest. In the atrium, gents in suit coats and ladies sporting spring skirts casually mill around hors d'oeuvres tables while sipping cocktails and, of course, discussing that Picasso in the next room. In one exhibit, an a capella group fills the air with show tunes and 80s classics to the delight of a small audience, as others keep to themselves and simply stroll through the collections. As the night progresses, the music starts bumping, the dance floor fills up, drinks are thrown back and everyone gets down.
The Nasher Museum, designed by architect Rafael Viñoly, opened at Duke in October 2005. The building has a central atrium flanked by exhibition rooms, a café and a theater. Juline Chevalier, Curator of Education, says the atrium is designed to imitate an Italian Piazza.
"It's a refreshing space," she says. "When you walk in and out of the exhibits, it feels like an outdoor setting."
It's in this open-air space that the dance floor and drinks appear come nighttime.
A brand new art museum plopped down on a college campus will obviously draw attention, but the Nasher has been able to cater to students' social cravings. The Nasher Café is stealing the WaDuke's thunder as an upscale dining option for those looking to indulge their palate on Mom and Dad's tab-whether it's chicken, shrimp or white wine. Joost Bosland, co-chair of the Nasher Student Advisory Board, sees two main reasons why students like to kick back at the museum.
"First, the on-campus social scene is pretty pathetic. At the Nasher you feel like you're in a place like New York, and you can forget you're at Duke," he says. "Secondly, these parties are not sponsored by a specific group, so people are getting together who might not otherwise interact."
Chevalier says one goal of the museum is to have every Duke student visit at least once in four years. "Not all students are just going to spend a Sunday afternoon at the museum," she says. "To get them inside you have to entice them with the social aspect and hope they take advantage of the art."
The galleries are left open during parties thanks to a record of good student behavior, organizers say. "The student body has shown responsibility and the art hasn't been trashed," Bosland says.
Nasher officials were once apprehensive about student events, especially after hearing the phrase "Club Nasher," but they have become more trusting after seeing students behave well.
With a reputation on the rise, Nasher directors are more willing to host an increased number of student parties. The Nasher Museum may not only expose students to centuries of spectacular art, but also prove to the administration that student partying on-campus can be done responsibly. All it takes is good company, good music and a little culture.
Q&A: Hill of a Collection
With Grant Hill's African American art collection, "Something All Our Own," at the Nasher through July, TV's Lext Richards chatted with the basketball legend about his return to Duke.
LR: What's it like to have the last stop of the tour at Duke?
GH: Duke has been a wonderful experience for me and for my family--that's how I like to look at it. To be able to be in a position where I can have my collection on display at Duke at the new Nasher Museum is right up there with some of the other wonderful experiences I had while I was at Duke.
LH: Your main collecting interest is African American artists. Do you feel that African American art is underrated in the art world?
GH: I think the genre is somewhat underappreciated. For me, it's that I was a history major. Recently, I've looked at when I started collecting as sort of an extension of what I learned in school. And this is history in the eyes of the artist.
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