Fogg Hosts HUAM Jam

The Fogg Art Museum hosted an unusual crowd last night, when its Italian Renaissance sculptures and 19th century French paintings were surrounded by undergraduates with greasy Felipe’s burritos and giant pizzas in hand bopping to a rock guitar tune.

The occasion was the first of three “Night at the Fogg” events held by the Organization of Undergraduate Representatives of Harvard Art Museums (OUR HUAM), aimed at encouraging more undergraduates to take advantage of Harvard’s art collection, sixth largest in the country according to the museum’s Director of Public Education Lynne A. Stanton.

“There are 6,500 undergraduates and some of them go through their four years here without going to the museums,” she said.

Student groups including the Veritones and the Harvard Ballet Company provided entertainment while OUR HUAM members gave ten minute talks about select paintings from the Fogg’s collections.

Over 110 poured through the doors in the first ten minutes of the evening, according to museum staff.

Freshman year roommates Paris A. Spies-Gans ’09 and Anna M. Chen ’09, who founded the group earlier this year, said that they wanted to make Harvard’s museums seem less intimidating and academic and more informal and welcoming.

“With OUR HUAM we are trying to generate initial interest among people that aren’t necessarily aware that this resource is here,” Spies-Gans said.

Even though another group, Student Friends of Harvard University Art Museums (SF HUAM), already arranges gala events and lectures for its undergraduate members at the museums, leaders of the organizations say there is little competition between the two.

“We’re both part of a comprehensive mission to bring as many Harvard students into the museums as possible,” SF HUAM President Alexis M. Kusy ’07 said.

SF HUAM has a $45 annual membership fee for students, but OUR HUAM events are free. The group is a committee of Harvard University Art Museums, rather than a student group, according to the museums’ Director of Membership and Annual Giving Steven D. Horsch.

“It is an effort to engage the entire student body,” Horsch said.

Spies-Gans said that her organization plans to train a group of student docents by next year.

“The goal is to have students talking to students,” Spies-Gans said. “We want to emphasize that it can be the students’ museum.”