(09/28/07 4:00am)
Last night, more than a thousand students attended NasheRevolution, a "swanky" gala affair organized by the Nasher Student Advisory Board. A typical night at Duke? Not likely. One of two annual parties hosted by the Nasher Museum of Art, NasheRevolution boasted a scene reminiscent of a classy New York City jazz lounge, featuring everything from red mood lighting to live music provided by the Peter Lamb/Paul Rogers quartet and one of Duke's own student bands, Smooch and the Big Hug. At one point in the evening, a group of people crowded under a five-foot-tall head, examining the intricacies of each individual nose hair. "It's so realistic. It kind of looks like Zinedine Zidane!" said Rachid Safi, a post-doctorate fellow in pharmacology and cancer biology. Behind him, a group of girls swing danced to the sounds of live jazz music that reverberated into the gallery from the dimly-lit main atrium. Clad in pinstripe suits and cocktail dresses, students enjoyed a large assortment of hors d'oeuvres, desserts and a cash bar featuring soda, white wine and five varieties of beer. Many students said it was a great alternative to the usual social scene at Duke, drawing an eclectic crowd of people that usually do not interact with each other. "It provides a common theme that everyone is comfortable with," said senior Stesha Doku, co-chair of the advisory board. Although many students attended the party to mingle and socialize, others had a different agenda in mind. "Events like this provide an intellectual setting outside of the classroom for students who are looking for social outlets that are a little outside of the norm," said freshman Catherine Meyer. She was accompanied by Madeline Lieberberg, a visiting prospective student from New York. "It's just very shocking to see an event and setting like this in North Carolina," Lieberberg said. "I mean, some of these same works are at the Museum of Modern Art [in New York City]. It's nice that they bring this stuff on campus." Many students also praised the University for doing a good job in introducing new cultural events at Duke. "The cultural scene here is very vibrant," said freshman Tiffany Pao. "I feel like there are a lot of opportunities-you just have to search for them. And there are so many good concerts that people don't take advantage of." Though some people bypassed the galleries for the complimentary food and opportunity to socialize, the art was far from ignored. "The really great thing is that there's a party going on, and students are in the galleries, looking at the artwork, reading the labels and just having a really good time," said Anne Schroder, curator of academic programs at Nasher. "It's a really great thing about Duke students-they are so engaged." She added that almost 13,000 works are accessible to students through Nasher, and the annual parties are an effective way to get students in the door. "It's their museum and their party," Schroder said. "Someday, they may become trustees at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, but this is where it begins."
