Before the new Walker opened, there as a lot of talk internally about what our open hours should be. We looked at all the numbers of when people tended to visit the museum and discussed being open later, or earlier, etc. But I don’t think anyone suggested being open until midnight on Saturdays like the British Museum is doing during their run of Michelangelo Drawings: Closer to the Master. In order to give all of their interested viewers access to the show, the museum is staying open every Saturday until midnight throughout the exhibition.
Of course, this decision was made for this special circumstance, to meet a huge audience demand. But it brings back the conversation about when audiences use museums, and when they would like too if we were open. The Palais de Tokyo in Paris is open from noon to midnight everyday except Monday. Are their galleries packed at 10:30 at night? Would people hang out at the Walker at 11 pm on a Saturday night without the lure of a preview party or cocktails at the bar? Maybe, maybe not. I’d go to see Michelangelo at midnight—I’d even come here to see Diane Arbus at midnight. Would you?