Metropolitan Masquerade
Hey Everyone!!! I just wanted to say that Katie is so funny!!! “bust out some hollers” YOU ARE SO FUNNY!!
Anyway, I’ve finally completed the final three events that we needed to attend independently and the first one I wish to speak about is the Masked Ball held on November 15th at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The ball was held in honor of a new Oceanic exhibit that had just opened up the day before. This wonderfully dazzling exhibit includes works of art from the Pacific regions of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas.
In any case, everyone going to college in the city was invited to this event, although there was hardly enough room to fit us all, and we all had to dress up in fancy dresses and suits, wearing masks. When we entered, it seemed as though we were entering an underwater kingdom because of the special lighting effects that they provided that night. There appeared to be blue water just floating about on the walls of the museum as tribal music played in the background. At one end of the hallway, there were some African performers demonstrating a native dance and native music as well. I thought that was really cool. It really made me feel as though I was right there in Africa, or in Oceania, or on the Pacific islands. Food was provided as well, though I don’t think it was all too great. The grapes, however, were absolutely phenomenal — I think at one point, I ate two huge bowls of grapes that the waiters put out….
Moving on, after about an hour of just exploring all the nifty effects and demonstrations, my friends and I decided to really check this exhibit out. It was called New Galleries for Oceanic Art. As we walked through the exhibit, we saw a lot of wooden sculptures and tiki men, all displaying the daily lives of the indigenous peoples of that area. For instance, there was one very simple sculpture of a native man sleeping in a very interesting position. There were others of the animals that inhabitants were accustomed to seeing as well. Pots and spears and quilts were also prevalent throughout the exhibit as they expressed the exotic culture of these peoples and how they lived.
Anyway, I really think this exhibit is one that everyone should go see since it is still open at the MET. I had a great time!!!!!!