DePaul University Night at the Chicago Art Institute
DePaul University Night is a great time to explore the Art Institute. Professors, faculty and students showcase their art and research. This night had a lot of interesting works from short films, poetry and student’s calligraphy!
The night is scheduled with an agenda, going from more classroom styled rooms to exhibits with professors discussing different topics or showcasing their original works. I really enjoyed it. As an artsy person it was interesting to see so much creativity. It also was very interactive, with small groups allowing you to talk to the professors and have personal conversations with them. A bonus is that it is free for all as long as one group member has a DePaul ID. This is amazing because you can bring friends from other schools and make a really fun night of it.
My favorite exhibit of the night was the short film “Surveillance: In Response to ‘Speaking Nearby’ by Trinh T. Minh–ha”, created by Professor Chi Jang Yin. I thought it was a great piece, the music, video clips, and text worked harmoniously. The best part was that after the viewing we got to talk to her and hear her process of creating and the ideas behind it. It was insightful and really brought the video to life in my eyes. While this was my favorite, all the exhibits were interesting and had a spark to them.
I strongly suggest going to at least one DePaul University Night at the Art Institute. DePaul does many of these and as they are free to students it offers a great experience. There is no pressure to go to all the activities for the night, if you have class before or after it’s fine. As we are only a 5 minute walk away from the Art Institute it makes it so easy to go. How many schools get to say they go to the Art Institute on a Thursday night?
~Sienna