In the words of the famous revolutionary V in V for Vendetta, "A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having!"
With their own rug-cutting title, the Nasher Museum of Art will host their own mini-revolution with NasheRevolution today from 9 p.m. to midnight. The soirée is in response to Nasher's latest exhibit, States of Mind by Dan and Lia Perjovschi.
Born in 1961, and educated in the Romanian socialist system, Dan and Lia Perjovschi 's work resides at the nexus of art, society and politics. Dan is internationally renowned for large and small-scale drawing installations of hundreds of cartoon-like figures that comment on local, national and international cultural and current affairs. Lia is well known for her performance and conceptual art. The exhibition includes paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, videos, installations and conceptual art from 1986 to the present.
Both artists belong to the first avant-garde movement following the 1989 Romanian Revolution, leading Sarah Ball, co-chair of the Nasher Student Advisory Board and Towerview editor, to pick revolution as the theme. "We are thinking of red and black colors to represent revolution," Ball said.
The States of Mind gallery will be open to the public for the NasheRevolution. Ball hopes that the event will have a huge turnout to both showcase the exhibit and establish the Nasher Museum as a gathering place. The party is one of the two annual parties-one each semester-that the Nasher throws with its museum funds.
Each party tries to pick a theme based on the featured exhibit. The NasheRevolution will offer hors d'oeuvres, desserts, a cash bar, live jazz music from the Peter Lamb/Paul Rogers quartet and music by student band Smooch and the Big Hug.
Nasher's previous events have built up a reputation among students.
"I think that many students are looking forward to the NasheRevolution, especially since there was a lot of positive feedback from last year's Nasher Noir event," sophomore Samiron Ray said. "The Nasher Museum is seen as a classy venue that students do not always have access to, so the event should be a success."
Juline Chevalier, the Curator of Education for the Nasher, said she hopes to appeal to students' desire for a higher-class event.
"Our aim is to really get students into the museum, get them into galleries and just be aware of it more," Chevalier said. "And our events are always a classy affair. People enjoy getting [dressed up] to go to Nasher events."
The Nasher Student Advisory Board's goal is to keep the ties between the museum and the students strong with these events. Chevalier is also looking forward to what the museum will receive back from the students.
"What's exciting are the conversations the students have about the artwork. The student events are the places where we love hearing students discuss the art," remarked Chevalier. "We want this event to be a start off point of intellectual pursuit, while also being really fun."
The hope is that the museum can eventually become a normal alternative to the current weekend activities at Duke.
"Parties at the Nasher provide an upscale alternative to section parties," said sophomore Tracy Gold. "I'd much rather spend my Thursday night having fun in a museum than in a dorm that's crowded and sticky with alcohol."
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