You couldn’t find a better place to dance the night away than the (2000 year-old!) Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Through fun, interactive activities, kids and families learned about architecture through the ages at the museum’s Family Benefit on January 30.
The annual party has been a Met family highlight for the past 22 years. This year’s theme was titled “Stone By Stone”–therefore befitting that the DJ, music, dancing and refreshments were in the magnificent Sackler Wing, dedicated to Egyptian art.
It was pharaoh fever as the kids danced and dined above the reflective pools that surround the ancient stone structures glistening in the night sky through the enormous glass wall that encloses the gallery. Did the kids realize that they were partying among ancient structures that once stood along the banks of the Nile River?
All activities were designed to demonstrate the power of architecture across the world: from the monuments of ancient Egypt to the state-of-the-art technology used by architects and designers today. The palace puzzler challenged kids to use hieroglyphics (a “pictographic” language) as clues to recreate an ancient palace. The panorama diorama showed kids how to construct a miniature model of the big city, inspired by the art and architecture of the Met museum.
Kids could also explore digital technology, designing and printing their own 3-D architectural building. To top off this busy, educational and fun-filled evening, the ice-cream sundae bar brought plenty of smiles. And what a thrill to enjoy your sweet confection in the classical and stately Engelhard Court of the museum’s American wing. Who knew that a night at the museum could be so fun?
