Walters Art Museum

I went to the first “First Friday at the Walters Art Museum” located at 600 N Charles St in Baltimore, MD. First impression... WOW! And not a good wow. More like a “You gotta be kidding me?” type of “wow”.

I brought the flyer home with me so I wouldn’t misconstrue the facts as they were presented.. “Looking for a place to wind down after work? Want to start the night out right? First Fridays at the Walters is the place to delight the senses and entertain the soul! Join us for our inaugural event, as we celebrate cultures from ancient Persia, Rome, Greece, Egypt and more, with music, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and live performances."

The first event included “TASTES OF THE MEDITERRANEAN” and “BELLYDANCE PERFORMANCES”. What I got were stale tortilla chips and bar pretzels, followed by a performance that I thought could have used a stripper pole. The soiree was held in the side foray of the museum where there were about 20 sculptures and 12 photosand one broken fountain.

Problems:
What collector in their right mind would put galaxy photos from the Hubble telescope above 16th century sculptures from Italy? Now the music was certainly eclectic, but also completely out of place and acoustically miserable. And when the Belly dancer came out, it was clear that the performance would be mediocre, but that was OK. What wasn’t OK, was the turn from mediocre to the sexual grinding and shaking to techno Indian music. I am NOT a connoisseur of Belly dancing. However, I do know what club dancers look like and as the dancer tonight approached an elderly man in a wheelchair for the third time, I couldn’t help but walk away.

The idea sounded promising. Art, music, and a touch of class. I’m not sure whether I was absolutely spoiled while traveling or if it was actually as terrible as I am dictating. I do think that what I’ve seen in Paris and Seoul has dramatically effected how I see the culture in America. The art abroad was exquisite and ubiquitous. Not just beautiful, but impressive and astounding... something I could close my eyes and dream about.
Que sera sera. Amusing at least. As the dancer came to her knees and leaned back while her chest went into convulsions, I closed my eyes... I won’t be dreaming about, but I will remember it.

Next First Friday, I think I’ll just stay at home with my Milwaukee Best and Doritos. I do believe the quality of my hors d’oeuvres will outdo that of Walters Art Museum.