Teen Nights

When designing programs for teenagers, museum educators—no matter how talented, resourceful, educated, experienced, understanding, or creative—are all lacking in one crucial characteristic.  We are not teenagers.  Yes, we once were, but we are no longer.  In fact, many of us have actually put quite a bit of effort into repressing certain aspects of those years in our memories.  As noted in our earlier post about teenagers, adolescence is paradoxically both social and isolating, both confusing and potentially empowering.  We all experienced these feelings to varying degrees, as do teenagers today, but our memories of those trying times do not necessarily resonate with how actual teenagers, still very much in the moment, are processing these developmental advances and conflicts.

When it comes to designing programs for teens, the museums that are most creative and successful at doing so are those that work not just for teens, but with teens.  Museums all over have developed Teen Councils and teen volunteer programs charged with helping the museum bring other teens to their respective institutions through meaningful experiences.  A later post will explore these councils and other programs for highly invested teens in greater depth.

One increasingly common result of these collaborations between museums and teens has been the museum Teen Night.  Catering exclusively to teenagers (usually with a school- or government-issued ID proving so), these Teen Nights often feature live music, DJs, dancing, performances, crafts, art projects, exhibit tours, and gallery activities, blending the social with the creative.  By linking the evening’s activities to a specific special exhibit or part of the collection, the organizers help emphasize and take advantage of the unique qualities of the museum.

For example, at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, the upcoming Teen Night builds the party around the Brazilian artists Os Gemeos by focusing on their inspirations, namely hip hop culture and dreams, through spoken word and break dancing tutorials.  

But even museums with less obviously “teen-friendly” collections can successfully host such events.  By partnering with the Museum Teen Summit, museums, in New York, as diverse as The Frick Collection and the New Museum, have featured similar events.  And museums across the country, with teen councils or consultants of their own, have also done so.

Many of these events also seem to return to the common teen question of identity, whether through art-making and personal expression or gallery discussions.  Teen Nights can further build focus on this theme, as the Brooklyn Museum and We Are the Youth did in creating their Teen Night Event for LGBTQ Teens & Allies.  The organizers used the special HIDE/SEEK: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture exhibit as a launching off point for the event, which featured DJs, voguing lessons, gallery activities, dancing, and performances.  

As Nina Simon writes in a post on her Museums2.0 blog, museums can act as the sort of safe space teens seek and need.  Incorporating opportunities for fun and creative expression only strengthen these qualities.

Teen Nights also provide a way for museums to invite and pique the interests of teens who perhaps do not normally go to the museum.  Teens who do not have the interest or inclination to commit to a teen council or multi-session program have the chance to be involved in the museum for a night.  And if they are so inspired, participants may even seek out opportunities for more involvement or education at the museum.  If anything, Teen Night participants get to have a night to themselves, with friends (a key motivator for teens), to try new things and learn in a special space.

Additional resources and just a few examples of Teen Nights:
The Walters Art Museum
Oklahoma City Museum of Art
Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
High Museum of Art
“Why Museums Don’t Suck: The Current State of Teen Engagement”