Best laid plans
As predicted, the Matthew Barney event at the Hirshhorn last night drew an overwhelming crowd. The make-sure-and-get-there-early-to-ensure-that-you-get-a-ticket warnings were heeded so Alex and I arrived at 5:30pm, well before advanced ticketing began. There was already a throng of ticket-hopefuls snaking around the lobby, but we took our place in line optimistically. It was around 6:15pm—when they were supposed to start handing out tickets—that we noticed the crowd thinning. However it wasn’t thinning out because people were being let into the auditorium, it was getting smaller because people were stepping outside. That’s odd, I thought, why are they leaving? It was then revealed that almost all of the tickets had been given out to well-to-do patrons and members of the museum well in advance (like days and weeks) of the cattle call so we were out of luck. I wish they’d made that a little more apparent on the website or something prior to getting everybody’s hopes up. At any rate, despite the lack of edifying lecture a good time was still had: I got to take some photos of the sculpture garden and Alex and I got to hang out.
N.B. Missed the event like me and didn’t see the live webcast? Check out the podcast.
