In a season where North Carolina colleges are almost constantly in competition with one another due to football, students from schools across the state had a chance to unite and bond over art this weekend at College Night 2018: Icons and Influencers, O’Keeffe and Beyond.
The event, which was free for students, took place at the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) on Friday, Nov. 16. Attendees had the chance to meet new people, show off their own individual style and appreciate art of all forms. The evening included food, music, spoken word performances, art displays, workshops and even a costume contest, which brought a plethora of impressive costumes to the event, including an impressive Prince getup and a spot-on Frida Kahlo outfit.
Upon arriving at the event, attendees were automatically greeted with a stage lit up with an array of colors where the musical group playing at the event, SYBARITE5, performed twice, courtesy of NC State LIVE and Chamber Music Raleigh Throughout the course of the night, the band covered a wide variety of music that everyone in attendance could enjoy, ranging from Radiohead covers to a majestic version of the “Mission Impossible” theme song.
From there, attendees could go in one of many directions and find a new activity where they could appreciate art. A big hit was the photo booth inspired by the art of Georgia O’Keeffe, whom the NCMA has an entire exhibit for right now, titled “The Beyond: Georgia O’Keeffe and Contemporary Art,” which attendees of College Night could enjoy at no cost.
NC State student Ellie Cortez, a second-year studying computer science, was a big fan of this aspect.
“I’ve been wanting to visit the exhibit for a while, but I haven’t had the time or money,” Cortez said. “But since I’m here [at College Night], I get to experience it for free, while also getting to see and do so many other things, too. It’s been such a unique experience.”
Attendees were also able to sit with other students and sketch their own interpretations of O’Keeffe-inspired art pieces while mingling with students from other schools. This provided them with a chance to meet people they most likely never would have met otherwise, as Samantha Benz, a second-year student at NC State who is studying electrical engineering, touches upon.
“I met a girl at College Night who goes to Appalachian State University, which was pretty crazy to me since I’m pretty much always only meeting other NC State students,” Benz said. “ASU is so far from Raleigh, and she came all that way just to be here tonight. I just think that’s pretty awesome.”
As attendees made their way through the event, many began to pick up on the delectable smell of French fries. On ground floor of the building, a fry bar had been set up where attendees could treat themselves to regular French fries, sweet potato fries and a wide variety of sauces for them to choose from.
The treats did not stop at just French fries. Several cake artists were also at the event, displaying their work and doing live cake art exhibitions for people to watch and eventually eat. One of these artists was Rachel Chadwick Boyce, who was representing Wake Tech’s Baking and Pastry Arts program with a beautiful cake featuring a flower-crowned llama.
Benz commented on the complimentary treats from the event.
“I’m not going to lie, getting to see the art and listen to the music has been amazing, but nothing will ever compare to that French fry bar and those gorgeous cakes,” Benz said.
College Night 2018: Icons and Influencers was certainly a hit, and we can only wait to see what NCMA will have in store for next year’s annual fall college night.
