Art enthusiasts of all ages and from all over Boston convened at the Museum of Fine Arts’ (MFA) overnight “State of the Party” in the Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art, from Friday, Nov. 4 to Saturday, Nov. 5.
As the name suggests, this event opened at 9 p.m. on Friday and closed at 9 a.m. on Saturday. The party was open to the public and free.
The 39-degree weather did not stop people from attending. In fact, rows of guests lined up in the parking lot to get the much coveted #mfaNOW wristbands.
Upon entrance, visitors could immediately anticipate a lively night full of art, discussions, food, music and hands-on activities.
The contemporary art wing featured five exhibitions: “UH-OH: Frances Stark 1991-2015,” “Political Intent” and “Beyond Limits,” “Imogen Cunningham: In Focus,” “Terry Winters: The Structure of Things” and “Christian Marclay: The Clock.” The Boston Globe also organized a discussion called “Double Session,” with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and GOP political consultant Eric Fehrnstrom.
Marclay’s “The Clock” generated a long line of partygoers who were eager to watch the 24-hour montage. The lengthy film consisted of numerous snippets from television and film. Each bit displayed a clock or showed characters announcing the exact time, as the movie is indeed shown in real time.
“‘The Clock’ is both a comment on and a reminder of how much of our lives we spend watching, not only our TVs and computers but our watches. Even on screen, everyone’s always living in time, checking out what’s going on, trying to find out when, exactly, they are,” wrote Meghan O’Rourke in The New Yorker.
Although Marclay released this piece in 2010, it exhibits fragments from the last 100 years of history. One second, the audience might be watching a clip from an ancient black and white film, and the next, viewers might be watching a clip starring Adam Sandler. Chatter arose when a scene from the horror movie “Saw” appeared on the screen, suggesting that plenty of Boston youth were in attendance. From grandfather clocks to alarm clocks to analog clocks to digital clocks, “The Clock” had it all. The award-winning video collage may have taken a daunting three years to construct, but clearly paid off, as it had observers completely mesmerized.
Los Angeles-based artist Frances Stark also entranced museum guests with her multimedia exhibition, “UH-OH.” Stark converted a video of cats from VHS to digital in her video installation, “Cat Videos.” On the other side of the media spectrum, Stark’s collages from “A Torment of Follies” included several pieces that featured the same “chorus girl.” Stark constructed the chorus girl’s clothing from psychedelic optical illusions. One young museum attendee even traveled from chorus girl to chorus girl, taking pictures of herself imitating each pose.
One hidden gem of the night was “TRUST (the presence of secrets)” by Sarah W. Newman and Jessica Yurkofsky at metaLAB at Harvard. The multimedia installation consisted of a desktop computer, keyboard, mouse and thermal receipt printer. The screen said, “Do you have a secret?” Below the question, people could type their secrets. The letters showed up as solid rectangles, so these secrets were in fact secret. Press enter and receipts printed for participants to keep.
These receipts contained other museum guests’ secrets. “I cheated on my bf once,” “I like men,” “I’ve masturbated before,” “I’ve often wondered about stealing art” and “I lie to my parents daily and don’t feel bad” were among a collection of secrets I acquired throughout the night.
Even though several secrets carried a more playful spirit, this interactive display aimed to elicit thoughts on deeper matters. “‘TRUST (the presence of secrets)’ evokes questions around privacy, transparency, discretion, fiction, public versus private selves and the ways in which identity and information are mediated by machines and platforms,” read the installation’s placard.
Terry Winters’ exhibition, “The Structure of Things,” was comprised of 50 pieces created between 1982 and 2014. The artist drew inspiration from scientific processes and mathematical theories, according to the MFA’s website. Her fascination with biology definitely shone through in her artwork, as I kept recognizing structures from my high school biology and anatomy classes.
“Fourteen Etchings” juxtaposes four drawings by Winters with four x-rays of different skeletal fragments. “The viewer is encouraged to discover the visual analogies between seemingly unrelated images,” the placard explained. It is truly amazing how this New York-based artist made high school science look so complex and beautiful.
The “Political Intent” and “Beyond Limits” installations featured pieces that explored social issues and transcended traditional artistic norms. “In Focus” showcased 35 of Imogen Cunningham’s botanical photographs from the 1930s to the 1960s.
In between hopping from one exhibit to the next, guests could grab a bite from food trucks outside, buy drinks inside, get down on the dance floor to different DJs or chill on some fluffy green bean bags. Partygoers even had the chance to participate in the “Late-Night Run” around the MFA with Heartbreak Hill Running Company.
Visitors also had the opportunity to create their own art. “24 Hours in Boston: An Art-Making Collaboration Exploration” allowed museum attendees to illustrate a moment from their day and then tack the squared paper onto the wall. There were clocks for each hour so that people could pick an activity from any time of the day. Several images of coffee cups, laptops and food can be seen on the board. This collective mural was a great way for people to reflect on their own day, as well as glimpse into other people’s days.
But wait! How can one go to the MFA and not run into something Brandeis-related? “Landscape, Abstracted,” included 10 pieces of different media that aimed to abstract landscape art. This new installation was funded by the one and only, Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation.
Ultimately, mfaNOW threw a spectacular party where Boston locals could assemble and admire the talent of numerous artists. It was a night to remember and an event I would definitely revisit. In fact, if you missed the first three overnights, you can attend the MFA’s final overnight party, “Last Call,” from Friday, Dec. 9 to Saturday, Dec. 10.