Museum Studies MA Program Hosts First Virtual Trivia Night!

_{The Museum Studies MA Program members chat while they wait for the event to begin.}

Which museum’s foyer is now housed in a former industrial turbine hall?

Would you venture a guess as to which “micro-country” has the largest concentration of museums?

Have a knack for antiquities? Then do you know which ancient philosopher founded the first museum in order to house his zoological collection?

If you’re stumped, join the club! On Friday, April 16^th the USF Museum Studies MA Program hosted its first-ever trivia night.  Organized and emceed by Sharon Levy MA ’21 and Program Manager, Javier Plasencia, the virtual gathering was a fun-filled break from the busyness of the academic year.  Students, staff, and faculty from the current Museum Studies cohort gathered to answer four rounds of head-scratching trivia ranging in scope and content.

_{A visual clue from round 1 of Trivia. Can you name this famous Frank Gehry designed museum?}

Round 1 took attendees around the world, asking players to visually identify major museums by the exterior of their buildings or by notable items in their collection. From the California Academy of Sciences in our own backyard to the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands, this round definitely inspired a bit of wanderlust- especially after a year at home.

Round 2 focused on general museum trivia. In case you were wondering… There is a museum dedicated to the Rubik’s cube and, yes, there is a museum housed inside an acrylic box. Who knew?!

_{How well do you know your museum collections? Do you know where to find this famous model of a blue whale?}

For collection-lovers in the group, round 3 asked our students to visually identify famous objects from around the world and name the museums that house them. Whether identifying ancient treasures like the Rosetta Stone or modernist paintings like Picasso’s Guernica, this round reminded us of the joy and wonder that museums can inspire and the importance museums play in safeguarding these treasures.

_{Round 4 in action!}

Round 4 threw a bit of a curveball at our players. As a noted bibliophile, Sharon constructed the last round of trivia questions around the theme of books. Players were asked to match a list of books to the corresponding museum in which the book takes place.  While not the highest-scoring round, Sharon’s special round inspired lots of conversation and left us all with a new and improved reading list!

After four rounds and nearly two hours of chatting and best guesses, the event drew to close. Crystal Looney MA ‘21 took home the grand prize with her first-place performance; Amy Anderson MA ’21 came in a close second and Caroline Gruber ’21 came in third place. After a fun-filled night of trivia, though, I think it’s safe to say that we all ended up winners!