First College Night at the Getty Villa Post-Pandemic
College students from around Los Angeles experienced a free event at the Getty Villa Museum with food, music, art and many different attractions for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.
On Wednesday, March 22, the Getty Villa Museum in Malibu returned with its first annual College Night event since the start of the pandemic. Students who signed up were able to experience a night of free art, music, food, and games.
The main focus of the night was the exhibition containing Nubian jewelry and protective ornaments that were made over 2000 years ago in ancient Sudan. Some items on display included the “Bracelet with Hathor,” the “Collar with Solar Imagery,” the “Necklace with Human and Ram’s-Head Pendants,” and the “Amulet of Hathor Nursing a Queen.”
Attendees were also able to travel back in time and learn about Ancient Nubia through workshops. In one workshop, students assembled their own necklaces and bracelets.
In addition to the galleries, students were welcomed with various forms of entertainment such as a DJ, digital sketch artists, pop-up performers, raffle prizes, and photo booths. Those who preferred not to get involved in activities reimagining the past but rather appreciate it in our current times had the option of decorating their own eco-bag or get temporary tattoos with images depicting animals like owls and snakes, or mythological creatures such as a gorgon.
Some students highlighted how important it was for them to be able to not only appreciate the art, but also be able to interact with others and the environment in a way that was impossible during the height of the pandemic.
SMC student Simone Seven saw an advertisement for the event on Instagram, and said she came because the event was in-person instead of online.
“I think it’s better that it’s in-person to see people, talk and socialize and walk around,” she said.
Daniela Alvarez and Greg Sandoval, the public program coordinators for the Getty, helped in making the first annual College Night since the start of the pandemic possible.
According to the organizers of the program about 1,000 students from many different colleges and universities attended the event. Just by counting the raffle tickets, it is possible to know that 76 schools were represented. Clearly, having a successful return on this event.
“We’ve been having in-person events beginning last year,” Alvarez said., “But this is the first College Night since the pandemic.”
Sandoval said that the last College Night was in November of 2019, four months before the lockdown began.
The Organizers also mentioned that seeing the number of the students present no matter the rain and apparently having a good time was a reason to celebrate this occasion. .
“It is just great to see so many people engaged and looking at the art, and engaged with one another,” said Sandoval.
Events such as these are examples of social life recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. While the Villa’s practices adapted their format to include online exhibitions during the height of the pandemic, some SMC students said they enjoyed being able to experience arts and entertainment in-person once again.
SMC student Komal Sandhu said that the event was more enjoyable in-person than a meeting over Zoom.
“I like these kinds of events because I feel like college students don’t get a lot of opportunities, like in the past couple years, to interact with each other, so it is more fun,” she said.
