We never thought we'd say this, but if you weren't at the museum on Saturday night, where the hell where you?
The late night Beats of Basquiat art show was perhaps one of the most successful attempts to bring the hip youth of Houston into the same room with the hip art in Houston. In fact, Houstonist had so much fun that we feel some difficulty describing it as an art show. Houstonist art expert Dan is going to cover the content in a later post; this one will focus on the scene.
On the way to the exhibit, we wondered why the lines at the local clubs were so short. It turns out the beautiful people who normally spend their Saturday nights drinking in the club were at the MFAH, along with an eclectic mix of hipsters, squares, breakdancers and art enthusiasts. Even some of the organizers seemed a little surprised with what they created. How exactly did that happen?
The event promised music from DJ Spooky, art from Basquiat, a buzz from Starbucks and a different kind of buzz from the cash bar. Apparently, that appeals to anyone in town hip enough to go to a museum after 8 p.m. The result was one of the best parties within the Loop in recent memory. The clique mentality that often pervades these types of events was gone because it was difficult to exclude anyone when there was no criterion for including anyone. The crowd was that diverse.
The only single homogenous group that stuck out was the 20 percent of the men at the party who dressed up like Andre 3000. We were in line for coffee behind Andre 3002, 3010 and 3012. Was there any argyle and faux-Burberry sale at Urban Outfitters we didn’t know about? Maybe we should parcel out the argyle like water in a drought: Odd numbered addresses get MWF and even numbered addresses get TThSa.
Houstonist was decked out in dark green slacks with light stripes, brown and caramel Pumas and a gray sweater. It kind of clashed because clashed is the new stripes, which is the new argyle, which is the new black ... or something. Style-wise, the rest of the crowd dressed to their archetypes with few exceptions. The art scene dressed up, probably trying to catch someone’s eye, and the scenesters dressed down because they’re scenesters, who the hell knows why they do anything? The Euro-trash was surprisingly absent. Maybe no one posted a flyer at Agora.
The only negative note was that there was so much to look at (cleavage, breakdancing, et cetera) that the art wasn't getting the most attention. The line for drinks was significantly longer than the line for any work. Nevertheless, we imagine that a lot of people will return to see the exhibit in a less distracting way.
The significance of this event is hard to underestimate. First, we're certain the next three similar events are going to be packed like a frat party. Peanut Butter Wolf and Shepard Fairy (Obey Giant guy) are arguably as popular as DJ Spooky and word is sure to get out.
Second, other museums and theatres are going to try copy the success of this event. While it’s true that the Houston Museum of Natural Science and other organizations have attempted similar youth-oriented events, none can claim to be as successful or as enjoyable. Our advice to anyone trying something similar is this:
- Music – Get a good DJ, a famous DJ, don’t get your cousin’s brother (unless your bother’s cousin is DJ Shadow). No one is going to show up to see DJ Abe Feinstein. Keep it loud enough to dance to, but not so loud that people can’t pick each other up.
- Drinks – Free coffee is a plus, and it better be lattes and cappuccinos, not just Folgers. We’re not big fans of cash bars, but it helps control cost and keep drinking down to a manageable level.
- Cost – Get the coffee donated and charge only as much as you need to. Having a corporate sponsor didn’t hurt, and without it this is going to be a hard event to duplicate. Also, send us free passes.
- Focus – The focus wasn’t on anything in particular at the event, so everyone had a chance to pay attention to what they wanted to. If the party has to stop to see a monologue or listen to a violin concerto, it isn’t going to work. The worst part of the night was when the DJ put on an anti-war beat poetry video.
Houstonist gives props to the event's organizers for putting together a great show. If you missed the first show, you can see the next one Dec. 17 at the MFAH (with Purple Rain as the midnight film). For most parties we’d recommend showing up fashionably late, but for this, showing up early may be the only way to get in.
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