A night at the museum

Bob Handelman

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The Yale University Art Gallery went into party mode for one evening this October, hosting 441 members of the Yale and New Haven community to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Surrealist Manifesto. “It immersed people in the art and culture of surrealism,” says the Gallery’s programming curator Molleen Theodore, mastermind of the Surrealist Ball. Evening highlights included food described by Theodore as “somewhat inspired by Salvador DalÍ and his wife’s obsession with food,” a DJ playing a set entitled “Love for Three Oranges” in homage to the 1921 opera, a Gallery staff member drawing patrons’ dreams, a costume station (though guests were encouraged to come in costume), and a student who painted half of her face with a René Magritte painting and led Surrealist drawing games. Pictured here in the Surrealist-inspired photo booth (left to right): Luis Guevara-Flores ’25, Joseph Lee ’25, Esha Akhtar ’25, Fikir Mekonnen ’24, Alejandro Gonzalez ’24, and Megan Ruoro ’24. “It was a nice excuse to dress up weirdly and get away from the academics for a couple of hours,” says Guevara-Flores.