Museum: art, coffee nights

Coffee, art and music come together for the first three Thursday evenings in September as the IU Art Museum introduces its "Coffeehouse Nights at the Art Museum." From 7-9 p.m. Sept. 7, 14 and 21, guests can stroll through a featured gallery enjoy live music related to the evening's theme - from Turkish melodies to coffeehouse jazz to African beats.\nEmily Powell, external relations manager for the museum, said she wanted to create an inviting atmosphere to introduce students to the galleries and to bring regular visitors back. \n"We wanted to have programs going on," Powell said. "We're open for everyone, and we thought 'Let's do something that will engage the students on campus, the freshmen who haven't been here'... and then we came up with the idea to feature one gallery each night and focus on one region -- feature that region's coffee, food, music." \nPowell added that the Art Museum wanted to have extended hours because it can be difficult for students to get in during the museum's regular hours between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.\nEach night, one of the museum's three permanent galleries will be featured. Sept. 7, patrons can enjoy Turkish art in the second floor gallery, featuring music by the Silk Road Ensemble. With musicians from the Silk Road that stretched from China to Turkey, the Silk Road Ensemble boasts a repertoire of traditional music from various Asian, Middle Eastern and Western countries and performs new pieces as well. \nAccording to www.silkroadproject.org, the Silk Road Ensemble promotes the "nourishment of global connections while maintaining the integrity of art rooted in an authentic tradition" and has featured musicians such as the famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma. \nSept. 14 the theme moves west with European modern art in the first floor gallery, featuring jazz music. \nThe museum finishes the trio of Thursdays Sept. 21 with African, Oceanic and Pre-Columbian art in the 3rd floor gallery, featuring Ghanaian drumming and xylophone music. \nAn art-and-coffee scavenger hunt and raffle will add to each evening's activities. Free samples of coffee related to the night's cultural theme will be available along with sweet treats. Angles Café & Gift Shop will also be open so that visitors can shop, relax or hang out with friends. \nAll exhibits are free and open to the public.