Seattle University's student newspaper since 1933

The Spectator

Seattle University's student newspaper since 1933

The Spectator

Seattle University's student newspaper since 1933

The Spectator

Mixin’ it Up with Music and Art at Sam Remix

    %E2%80%9CInopportune%3A+Stage+One%E2%80%9D+by+Cai+Guo-Qiang.
    “Inopportune: Stage One” by Cai Guo-Qiang.

    The best way to celebrate famous works of art—well, the best way to celebrate anything, really—is with live music, delicious food and fancy drinks.

    When people think of an art museum, they might imagine a quiet place. They see people in galleries gazing intently at squares of canvas, hands clasped behind their back, lingering, meandering to and fro as they comb over each and every brush stroke.

    Last Friday night the Seattle Art Museum became much more than that when it hosted Remix, a late night adventure full of dancing, drinking and mingling, all in the presence of famous works of art.


    Continue reading below…

    Photos by Cam Peters • The Spectator


    Most social events fall under one of two categories—incessantly loud or pretty laidback—Remix was a modest balance of both extremes. It was a unique event because guests could choose from a variety of ways to spend their night. Those looking for excitement went to the dancefloor where a professional DJ played tunes under the moving glow of a soft but vibrant light show. In another part of the museum there was live music of a calmer variety, where those with less confidence in their dance moves could wait for the drinks to kick in, at which point they made their way back to the dance floor. Others, especially those looking for a quiet place to catch up with friends—or make new ones—chose to wander the art galleries where the music could barely be heard over the sound of footsteps across the hardwood floor.

    As if that wasn’t enough, the event also provided guests with opportunities to get creative and make things. In one part of the museum, people used beads with Morse code printed on them to create bracelets with secret messages. In another part, clay was used to make miniature plates of food that would fit in the palm of your hand.

    “[Remix] has a really active following,” said Regan Pro, the Deputy Director for Education and Public Programs at the SAM. “We always sell out. People who come who are really interested in looking at the art, being in the gallery.”

    The SAM works with audiences of every age group, from toddlers to grandparents and everyone in between, to spread understanding of and appreciation for art.

    Though Remix is one of many programs hosted at the SAM, it stands apart from the rest in that guests actively engage with the museum itself.

    “It’s a night for people who want to build a community and explore the museum in a really active way,” Pro said.

    The exhibition “Intimate Impressionism from the National Gallery of Art” is currently on display at the SAM. It includes 68 paintings by Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masters like Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh among other well-known artists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These paintings often portrayed private and personal subjects – like places and people that were important to the artist, which is why most of the paintings are relatively small, as they were usually intended to be gifts shared among
    friends and family.

    Samuel F.B. Morse’s “Gallery of the Louvre,” a painting by the inventor of the electromagnetic telegraph and Morse code—his only painting—is also currently on display at the museum alongside other displays like “Rebel Rebel,” “Pacific Currents” and “Billabong Dreams,” to name a few.

    “We always try to pick up on the works of art that are on display,” Pro said.

    Remix is held three times a year. According to Pro, somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 people show up at each event. If you don’t want to buy tickets online, a limited amount will be available at the door. The next SAM Remix will be held in the Spring of next year on Mar. 11, 2016.

    Nick may be reached at [email protected]

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