The Met to Host Next Teens Take The Met! on Friday, October 20

Teens from New York’s five boroughs will come together at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on Friday, October 20, from 5 to 8 p.m., for Teens Take The Met!—an innovative, teen-centric evening of creativity. The twice-yearly Museum-wide program has emerged as one of the most anticipated nights at The Met. The event encourages teens—many of whom are visiting The Met for the first time—to immerse themselves in hands-on experiences while exploring the Museum. A range of activities will be available, including workshops, performances, art making, demonstrations, films, and more, offered by over 40 youth and cultural organizations that are partnering in the evening. Teens Take The Met! is free for all teens (age 13 or older) with a middle school or high school ID.

The event is made possible by Bonnie J. Sacerdote and the Gray Foundation.

WNYC is a media partner of Teens Take The Met!

Throughout the evening, teens will be invited to a silent dance party; to get creative by decorating tote bags with fashion writer Lesley Ware and Pioneer Works; to join dance workshops at The Temple of Dendur in The Sackler Wing with The Met’s Artist in Residence, choreographer Andrea Miller of Gallim; and to participate with Met Teens in “Sinners, Saints, and Photos” in the Medieval Sculpture Hall. All of The Met’s exhibitions will be open, including the installation on The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden, The Theater of Disappearance, by Adrián Villar Rojas.

Partner organizations will present a variety of interactive experiences inspired by the Museum’s collection of 5,000 years of art from around the world, in addition to their ongoing work with teens. (The list of partnering organizations is below.)

Sign Language interpretation, assistive listening devices, sighted guides, large print and Braille information, and a designated quiet space will be available, as will free snacks and a photo booth.

To participate, teens will need a special-event wristband, which they can pick up at either of the Museum’s two Fifth Avenue entrances (at 81st and 83rd Streets), where pop-up performances by teen singers from Fanfare: Harlem Heavenly Notes and the Department of Youth & Community Development’s Step It Up champs will entertain the crowds during check-in. The wristbands will provide access to teen-only activities throughout the building.

“When we launched the very first Teens Take The Met!, in October 2014, we wanted to create a memorable event for young people to connect with art, culture, and each other. We wanted to be a catalyst for creativity, a safer venue for young people to be their nuanced selves, and a cool space to participate in meaningful conversations about society,” said Sandra Jackson-Dumont, The Met’s Frederick P. and Sandra P. Rose Chairman of Education. “Three years later, I’ve watch this dynamic evening expand with the energy and enthusiasm of the thousands of teens who are literally taking over The Met. I am proud of the work we do in collaboration with teens and our powerful community partners from every corner of New York City.”

The event will be featured on The Met’s website, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter via the hashtag #metteens.

Additional offerings for teens are described on The Met website.

Teens Take The Met! is a twice-yearly event hosted by the Museum. Since its launch in fall 2014, it has reached over 20,000 teens.

Adults accompanying their teens to The Met on October 20 will enjoy MetFridays programming in the galleries: a Museum Highlights tour free with Museum admission. At the Great Hall Balcony Bar, where cocktails and appetizers are available for purchase, hear original tunes by Teens at 92 Street Y at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m.

Exhibition Credits

The Roof Garden Commission: Adrián Villar Rojas, The Theater of Disappearance, on view through October 29, 2017 (weather permitting)

The exhibition is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Additional support is provided by Cynthia Hazen Polsky and Leon B. Polsky.

Community Partners

92nd Street Y; Ailey Extension, Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation; American Museum of Natural History; ArtsConnection; Bronx Museum of the Arts; Brooklyn Children’s Museum; Brooklyn Museum; Brooklyn Public Library; Building Beats; Center for Architecture; Children’s Museum of the Arts; Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; The Dedalus Foundation; El Museo del Barrio; Epic Theatre Ensemble; Global Action Project; Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum; The Jerome Robbins Dance Division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts; Lewis H. Latimer House Museum; Museum of Chinese in America; Museum of the Moving Image; MyLibraryNYC; New York Film Academy; New York Hall of Science; New York Public Library; New-York Historical Society; NYC Department of Youth & Community Development; NYU Tisch School of the Arts Department of Photography & Imaging; The New York City Writing Project; The Noguchi Museum; Pioneer Works; Roundabout Theatre Company; National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution; Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden; The Studio Museum in Harlem; Octavia Project; Teens@Graham/Young Artists Conservatory; TITAN Theatre Company; Ultimaker; Urban Word NYC; UrbanGlass; WNYC Studios; Writopia Lab; The YWCA of the City of New York.