A year and about 115,000 visitors later, and most students still only know the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum as “the spaceship” that landed on campus.
The Broad hosts events such as discussions, movie screenings and live music performances weekly. In a city already brimming with bars, students should be flocking to one of East Lansing’s few quality and large-scale cultural centers, especially with events that cater to students including the student band concert this September as part of a celebration welcoming us back to campus.
Unfortunately, there seems to be a disconnect with students.
Maybe too few students know about what the Broad has to offer. Just yesterday, the building housed a forum on civil rights, including topics such as the George Zimmerman trial and LGBT rights, that brought students, faculty and community activists together. Architect Martin Felsen is speaking at 6:30 p.m. today about the architecture of East Lansing and how to best design a college city. On Saturday, students can attend a screening of “The General Line (Old and New),” a commentary on Soviet agricultural practices.
For those who missed it, the Broad celebrated its first birthday last Sunday with cupcakes and cider. And the museum is open until 9 p.m. Fridays for anyone too busy to visit during the school week.
There are only so many Friday nights that can be tolerably spent at Rick’s American Café or at a house party. There aren’t many other options for students who don’t want to drink their entire weekend away. Now that the Broad is here, we should take advantage of it. It’s a luxury to have a museum with quality art that’s free for students and within walking distance for most of us.
Maybe students know about the Broad but never manage to actually make it there. We hope this isn’t the case, because the museum has too much to offer for time or motivation to get in the way. A walk through the frigid cold is worth seeing the comic art collection or a boomerang decked out with human teeth, the latter of which is set to come to the museum April 25, 2014.
Don’t be deceived into thinking the museum only is for liberal arts students or hipsters living in cooperative housing.
Even for those studying a more technical major, branching out culturally can make the difference between a typical and an extraordinary college experience. Unless professors hold lectures in the Broad, no one can make students go. It’s up to us to make the most of college, a time in our lives when we’re not only able but encouraged to try new things. Make the effort to meander around the museum’s three floors of quirky art.
The Broad is more than just a building that looks like it could transform into a Decepticon at a moment’s notice. Take the time to look beyond its bizarre exterior to experience the culture inside.
Editor’s note: Staff representative Celeste Bott did not contribute to this edit because she assisted with news coverage of the Broad.
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