On Friday, crowds of college students made their way to the North Carolina Museum of Art for the first annual “College Night,” put on by NCMA’s College Advisory Council.

At the event, students were able to view the current “30 Americans” exhibition, which displayed the works of 31 contemporary African-American artists, all lent to the museum by the Rubell Family Collection in Miami, Florida. The 75 works ranged from portraits made of rhinestones and oil paints to old carpets and sculptures made of human hair.

Kirsten Southwell, junior in graphic design, said she thought the exhibit’s use of contemporary ideas made it culturally relatable for students. 

“The 30 Americans exhibition was diverse and interesting, without the meanings of the pieces going over our heads,” Southwell said.

But the 30 Americans exhibition wasn’t the only activity at “College Night.” Students were able to complete a scavenger hunt in the exhibition, enjoy modern and hip-hop dance routines by Southern High School Dance Group and Peace College, listen to poetry in the “Beatnik Café,” and eat with friends all for free with a student I.D.

Garrett Warren, junior in biochemistry, and Jay Patel, junior in biological sciences, said they agreed their favorite part of the event was the scavenger hunt.

“In the scavenger hunt, we had to find different information about the artists in the 30 Americans exhibit. It was a cool way to view the exhibit,” Warren said.

“I thought it was great that the museum had music, dancing, and food in addition to viewing the exhibit. They knew exactly how to entertain their audience,” said Chima Igboko, a junior in biomedical engineering.

Charter buses from schools, such as Duke University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina Central University, and Shaw University traveled to bring students to the museum for this event, but they were not expecting the large amount of students who actually decided to come.

Because of the positive feedback the NCMA College Advisory Council received from “College Night,” the council decided to organize another one around the same time next year. That night will be inspired by the works of El Anatsui, an African artist who uses recyclables to make his pieces.

In November, the College Advisory Council will also host a portfolio review and reception for prospective design students who would like to have their portfolios critiqued, according to Harrell.

Harrell said students will also be able to submit self-portraits to be potentially added to the upcoming Rembrandt in America exhibition. The exhibition will be displayed at the museum from October of this year to January of the next.

Michelle Harrell, NCMA’s coordinator of teen and college programs, organized this first “College Night,” and said the event exceeded her expectations.

“I am so overwhelmed. We have four times as many attendees than we expected,” Harrell said. “We sent out an invite on Facebook and received only 111 RSVPs, so we were not expecting this many people, but it’s great. I’m tickled pink.”