Scene and Heard: Letting Loose at the Fogg

Framed by stone columns and archways, the scene in the indoor courtyard of the Fogg Art Museum last Thursday night is straight out of an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. A lush arrangement of flowers dominates a round table spread with delectable hors douvres, and black-tie attired patrons mingle on the fringes of the bouquet, sipping chardonnay and making small talk.

This is the Harvard University Art Museums Spring Gala, an event featuring gallery talks, music, food and alcohol. It is open to museum benefactors, ‘Student Friends’ of the art museums and paying guests.

Cocktail waitresses weave through the crowd, dispersing chocolate-dipped strawberries and lemon asparagus crepes to the range of guests—from well-heeled students to distinguished older couples.  “This event is open to all ages,” Christopher W. Platts ’06, president-elect of the Student Friends of the Harvard University Art Museums explains. However, they do have a students-only event in May.

Behind him, John P. Ladds, a white-haired Cambridge resident, struggles to interpret our questions over the din of the band. “I can’t really remember when I joined the Fogg,” he admits, shaking his head in consternation, but says he has been coming to these events for years. “I always enjoy seeing the students,” he says.

And students seem equally pleased with their more mature counterparts.  “I think it’s amusing,” says Janet L. Kim ’04, a four-year member of the Friends, sipping a large goblet of red wine. “It’s a taste of outside life and also where we see ourselves in 20 or 30 years.”

Across the table, Michelle T. Young ’04 agrees. “This is an amazing space,” she says. “It’s always nice to have an event here.”

Kim admits that museum gala nights satiate more than just her aesthetic appetite.  “We love art,” she says, “but they also have champagne and strawberries. When we heard about the bubbly, we were like, ‘Oh my god, we’re so there.’”

Platts says the evening has a different appeal for each person. “Our mission is to bring students into the museum. We want them to be close to the art,” he says, but acknowledges that many students do join the Friends for the social aspect.

Ezra J. Rapoport ’06 says that he first found out about the Friends when he attended a similar event last year as the guest of a member. This year, reciprocating the favor, date on his arm, he elaborates his reasons for joining. “Fogg events are as much about meeting the interesting alums and students as they are about the art,” he says.

Sampling the expanse of exotic cheeses, fine fruits and candied nuts, James L.M. Fisher ’06 explains that he uses his Friends membership to the fullest, attending several ‘art breaks’ throughout the year. These small seminars feature guided museum tours with the curator and small catered discussion sections. He views the four yearly galas as a way to “enjoy the art, get dressed up and just let loose.”

Working on his fourth glass of champagne, James H. McKeever ’04 is focusing on letting loose.

“There’s art here?” he jokes, motioning towards the museum’s main collections on the second floor.  “I thought people were just going upstairs to hook up.”