After Dark at The Art Institute

I would like to give a 3.5 to this event…
I paid my ticket 20 $ because I am a student. The event is ok! I don’t think I would go back again. The environment is of course nice. people are very well-​dressed and engaging in conversation. They offer some nice appetizers like fruit, vegetables, dips, chocolate pretzels and more.
My disappointment was that there were so many limitations on where you could go. We could basically visit 2 rooms of the art institute. nothing else and we couldn’t bring our glass of wine even on the stairs… that was weird!

Eclectic mix of people, something for everybody here.
Plenty of single people and couples too. It was great to walk around and view the art, which gave the event an added touch.
One thing that was annoying was having to pay for drink tickets, it would be much more convenient if they just took cash. Not a black tie event as some people made it out to be. All in, its good for what you make of it, either enjoying your own company or going to meet others.
Good vibes!

My transformation to the sophisticated urban male has taken many turns. I now sip wine from a wine glass instead of chugging it from its box. At dinner parties I tell women «You look lovely this evening» instead of greeting them with «Boi-​oi-​oi-​oi-​oing!» So naturally, I attended «Art After Dark» at the Art Institute. Tickets are $ 35 online but you can save $ 10 (which gets you two boxes of wine at Aldi!) by selecting the student ticket. Like buying cigarettes in Asia, at no time are you ever asked to produce ID. Many who attended the First Friday frat parties at the MCA will notice this is a slightly more upscale version of that. At Art After Dark, you are more likely to meet someone who is well-​read and has a PhD whereas at the MCA you were more likely to meet someone who can’t read and has an STD. Still, its perfectly fine to tramp it up at this event. We saw some girls wearing dresses so tight you could see their ovaries.
The event has appetizers, a photo booth, and a DJ spinning tunes from Pit Bull and Lil’ Wayne (by far, Jiulliard’s most famous alum). Only one exhibit was open — «The City Lost and Found» — a photography exhibit about unruly urban settings in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Perhaps because of this theme the Art Institute had all these students dressed up as protesters carrying protest signs and running around the venue shouting. I just found these student protesters loud and annoying. Where is the 1989 Chinese army when you need them? You may be tempted to start a conversation with a sexy stranger by saying something deep about the art. In return, they will stare at you with a mix of condescension and pity, like the kind you get when you go to T.G.I.Friday’s, announce to people you’ve «checked-​in,» and that now you are the «mayor.» One last tip, grab your coat before midnight or you will have to wait half an hour in line. Obviously cougars and recently divorced men who just purchased a Mercedes should ignore this advice and plan on being there between 11:30 and midnight. That’s when the pioneers come out. There’s no covered wagons at this hour, but there are a ton of people who are looking to settle.

This was my first time at the Art Institute, and I thought it’d be a great idea to see the museum after-​hours at a special event. After Dark is a special event that occurs when a new exhibition opens at the AI. Tickets to this event were $ 30 general admission and $ 20 student admission. You can buy tickets online or in-​person at the ticket office (avoid 10% service charge by purchasing in-​person). The event dress code seemed to be black-​tie, and people dressed in suits and cocktail dresses.
The ticket gives you access to the modern wing for the showcased exhibit only. This means I missed out on the exhibits for which the AI is known and what makes it the best museum in the world. I felt that the «City Lost and Found» exhibit lacked substance. Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so is art. I’m not very artistically inclined, and I learn toward paintings and sculptures over photographs. This exhibit was heavy on the photographs, and included posters and city guides/​map/​plans.
I wasn’t as impressed with the exhibit as I was with the event itself: there was a DJ, a professional photographer taking pictures of individuals and groups, a cash bar, light appetizers (an assortment of cheeses, dips, pita bread and crackers, chocolate-​dipped pretzel sticks, rice krispy treats, and three kinds of popcorn: black chili, cheese, and cinnamon), and the video photo booth. I wish we could rent these for weddings! How fun was it to walk across the second floor and have our movements captured via a live projection onto the wall. People danced, kissed, and posed for selfies. This made the event fun and allowed us to be engaged in a hands-​on activity. The Evening Associates were also on-​hand to pose as Vietnam Era protesters. Dressed as hippies, they held signs and performed skits on the main floor.
Overall, my friends and I enjoyed ourselves immensely. We didn’t admire the «art» as much as we thought this was like prom, but for grown-​ups (late-to-mid-30’s was the age group most represented here). Imagine having prom at the AI!
Tip: Buy tickets in advance. Tickets sold out by Friday morning!

Me and my girlfriends attended the After Dark event on September 26 for my birthday. It was AWESOME!!! Very elegant, classy, great music, excellent drinks. Just everything that we could imagine. All of the partrons were sooo very nice. The mimes were a very nice touch. Felt like we were on sex in the city. Magritte Exhibit was amazing as well. Looking forward to attending again «)

A sham! don’t buy too many tickets for the drinks because they will close the bar at 11.30 (with people still waiting on line!!), and then they will refuse to refund the money for the unused tickets, I’ll never go again to this «party»!

Went for the Picasso event on ⁵⁄₁₀ and it was pretty bad. Wildly overpriced admission fee for what the event actually is ($ 25? I could have gone to a couple Chicago museums and listened to bad music through my headphones for less… and at least it would have been MY bad music.) Pricey drinks (think beer and wine by the glass), annoying music that is there seemingly to appeal to the under age kids pounding drinks in the bathrooms, and appetizers that I saw from a distance but never managed to try. Won’t even mention the awkward performance art aspect. Maybe I expected more from the Art Institute? Best ting I can say is that cabs are plentiful if you want to leave early like we did.

Not impressed at all. Surprisingly very boring and way too expensive.
I spent $ 30.50 ($ 25 plus $ 5.50 in online ticket fees) to get into this event, and the best thing was the food that very few people ate. And the coat check was free, thank goodness.
Most of the «action» was the main area of the Modern wing, and as far as I could tell, there was literally only one small exhibit open for the event. The music was not good, in between lounge and dance. They even ended up repeating songs. The people were annoying, only talking among themselves.
The cash bar was overpriced. You have to wait in line to pay for a drink ticket, then you stand in line for the actual drink. I only had water as my money already went to the ticket and the online fees.
The best part, the food, consisted of roasted vegetables, including brussel sprouts (yum!), crackers, and various dips and sauces, like spinach artichoke. They also had Rice Krispies treats, which was a surprise.
Save your money, don’t go; you can go out for cheaper and have far more fun than just standing around listening to crappy music for the large entry fee of $ 30.50.

Friendly people (most normal too!). I was disappointed more of the museum wasn’t open; I would have loved to walk through the second or third floor. There was only one room open during the January event. The DJ was ok, not too many people were dancing, but we were more than happy to get that started. :) Drinks were good and decently priced. It was a fun way to start the evening!

I’ve been to this event twice.
Most recently for the Lichtenstein exhibit.
I was very excited to see the exhibit and there were 3 guided tour times.
The docent doing our tour was very knowledgeable and easy to hear which was nice ’cause it seem like 100 people were on our tour.
There were drinks available but mixed drinks were I think $ 9! Beer was $ 5 and I think wine was $ 6. Free snacks were available and I had about 200 chocolate covered pretzel sticks.
I’d go again.

Now that I’m a college grad, there’s just less to do on a Friday night. No more house parties, less of my friends are around, and it’s also just less socially acceptable to go wild now that I’m supposed to be an adult. Cue going out with my roommates to classy events like After Dark, where everyone’s a little older than I’m used to and where I don’t really feel like I fit in just yet, but it’s still nice to finally be a part of the grown ups. I would say the average person was in their late 20s, and the crowd was quite dressed up (at least in comparison to my cotton black summer dress and flip flops).
We had a great time. Food wise, they had some complimentary snacks consisting of crackers/​dip, popcorn, and rice crispy treats, although I wish they had something more substantial to feed us. They also have a drinks line (need to first purchase tickets to buy drinks!) where you can get beer, wine, or cocktails. Entertainment wise, there was a fantastic DJ, a photo booth with a mime, and an arts and crafts stand where you can get stickers to plaster all over you friends.
After getting drinks and snacks, we sat around for a bit on the (beautiful) outdoor patio, and afterwards proceeded to walk through the Modern Wing, which was open exclusively for the event. The Roy Lichtenstein exhibit was up, and it took quite awhile to peruse since it was absolutely huge. The artwork was amazing, and I’m really glad I got a chance to see this exhibit that I probably wouldn’t have seen otherwise. The price of the event was so worth it since it covers both the art and the h’orderves.
Overall, I had a fantastic time and am excited to attend other events similar to this (First Friday’s at the MCA, anyone?). Only qualm is still that I wish they had more substantial snacks, since I was starving afterwards.

Every couple of months or so the Art Institute has their After Dark event, which is quite similar to First Fridays at the MCA. Everything about this event sounds good on paper. The one I went to was described as:
«Explore the museum late at night with After Dark in the Modern Wing. Check out cutting-​edge art in the contemporary galleries; then rock out to Bridget Marie, DJ A-​Cup, Le Sprite, and DJ Mother Hubbard and performances by acclaimed theatrical ensemble Collaboraction. Complimentary appetizers with cash bar. After Dark – see the Art Institute in a new light.»
But instead of being super-​awesome, the event was just awkward. Only part of the Modern Wing was open to browse which was disappointing. The music and Collaboraction were okay but the way the space was arranged left a lot of people awkwardly lingering around.
For $ 25 + drinks, I was expecting more.