Gathered in a semi-circle around an Art Institute of Chicago tour guide, members of the Northwestern community listened intently to explanations of different pieces of artwork during the Northwestern Night at the Art Institute Thursday evening.
The event included free admission for NU faculty, staff, students and their guests due to an 11-year partnership between the University and the Art Institute of Chicago, according to Joe Lattal, associate director of student organizations and activities at NU.
“We really love his partnership,” Lattal said. “One of the great things about being a student at Northwestern is that it’s just a train ride away from a world class museum and collection of art. We hope lots of people take advantage of that.”
Lattal said 650 people attended the event, a record high.
Madeline Shearer, the Art Institute’s associate director of institutional philanthropy, leads the museum’s University Partner Program, which involves university donations to the museum in exchange for student and faculty benefits. Through this program, she hopes to encourage students and faculty to take advantage of the museum’s collection to supplement their education.
“I hope students really start to consider the museum as an extension of their classroom,” Shearer said. “We hope that they consider our galleries and all of our spaces to be a part of their campus, to be a place that’s welcoming, that they can always come and that they can use our collection as a resource for their education.”
Attendees had the opportunity to take part in a curated tour, complete with themes relevant to NU.
Centered around “Crying in H Mart” by Michelle Zauner, one tour paralleled this year’s One Book One Northwestern pick. Another centered around the fall equinox, which will occur Saturday.
Kerry Chang (McCormick ‘23) said she used the fall equinox tour as a way to reflect on the approaching end of the year.
“I really enjoyed taking the tour,” Chang said. “The tour guide was really wonderful in explaining the pieces that she walked us through. I really enjoy connecting back with the community, so it was great to have this event.”
Students had the ability to attend a guided tour or explore the institute on their own.
Weinberg freshman Alex Haney appreciated the chance to explore Chicago.
“We got to get introduced to all of the opportunities that are open to us here,” Haney said.
This fall’s Northwestern Night at the Art Institute has been in the making since the last edition of the event in the spring, according to Lattal.
“We really hope that this is a good experience, and hopefully (attendees) recognize that this is just a great opportunity to come visit the museum during the course of their entire time at Northwestern,” Lattal said. “We also hope that it helps students connect with each other, and faculty and staff connect with each other. We just hope they really enjoy their time.”
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