On Thursday, the William Benton Museum of Art hosted their first “First Thursday” open house of the fall semester. The second floor of the museum featured an arts and crafts table, dog therapy and a scavenger hunt. Additionally, an open mic took place in the Beanery, the café on the first floor.
“The first time I went to Benton was for a Käthe Kollwitz exhibit. … I really liked it (the Benton) so I decided to come back for this event,” Rachel Goldberg, a third-semester student, said. “I totally recommend it for anyone else who likes art on campus, and a lot of people don’t know about it besides the Beanery downstairs.”
At the open house, students could build a DIY photo frame. Supplied with towers of washi tape, construction paper, ink stamps, and paper appliqués, there was no shortage of imaginative designs. After creating a fun photo frame, a museum member offered to take Polaroids of students in front of an art piece of their liking.
The event also introduced viewers to other pieces the museum holds. Various pieces in the collection include watercolor paintings, collages and photographs.
The Benton is no more than a three-minute walk from the Student Union, but it remains a hidden gem for many students discovering it for the first time. A lot of students, busy with their academics and extracurriculars, struggle to find the time to visit.
“I never really had time to stop in to look at all the art on campus between classes and other activities,” Alyssa, a fifth-semester physiology and biology major, said. “So I’m glad I got to stop in here today, it was really great.”
If you missed the museum’s Weekend of Welcome event, this open house surely made up for it.
