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 The American Museum of Natural History is hosting its first
adults-only sleepover this week, with a champagne reception,
live jazz and a three-course dinner. Guests will spend the night
in sleeping bags beneath the iconic 94-foot-long blue whale
suspended in the cavernous Milstein Hall of Ocean Life.
The event sold out in three hours, organizers said.
Adults-only overnights are rather rare, yet experts say they can
be an excellent and innovative way for U.S. museums to attract
new supporters.
"Every museum is looking for a new way to engage different
demographics," said Paul Johnson, a fund-raising consultant.
"It's a way to engage people, get people in the door who may not
otherwise come," he said. "It's about cultivating future
audiences and future donors."
Scores of museums offer overnights for children, popularized by
the children's tales "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E.
Frankweiler" about runaways hiding in the Metropolitan Museum of
Art and the book and movie "Night at the Museum," about a
watchman who discovers exhibits come to life after visitors
leave.
Children taking part in overnight programs can solve crimes at
the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, explore caves at the
Cincinnati Museum Center, watch sharks at the Aquarium of the
Bay in San Francisco and snooze inside a submarine at the
Wisconsin Maritime Museum.
At the Museum of Natural History, some 62,000 children have
participated in overnight events since they began in 2006, said
Brad Harris, senior director of visitor services.
About 175 people are scheduled to attend the adult event.
"Obviously we hit on something people want to do," Harris said.
DREAMING OF ART
At New York's Rubin Museum of Art, adults can attend a
"Dream-Over," sleeping under works of art and having their
dreams interpreted when they awake.
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 New Yorker Carolyn Robbins attended a recent "Dream-Over" at
the Rubin, which houses collections from Himalayan Asia, and
said it left her wanting more.
"I would actually be interested in doing it at other museums
because it's an incredible opportunity," she said. "There's a
lot that happens when you're asleep. You gain knowledge in a
different way than when you are awake."
And a museum with a crowd is incomparable, she said.
"Being there when it's quiet and dimly lit is a completely
different experience," she said.
That's what happens at the Georgia Aquarium, where adult sleepovers
provide the chance to commune with residents that are more active at
night, said Kelli Edwards, assistant manager of interpretive
programs.
The giant Pacific octopus is nocturnal and gets busy, as do the
whale sharks, she said. The four beluga whales are more prone to
come to the windows they share with visitors and blow ring bubbles,
she said.
The overnights are not money makers, museums say. The $108 price at
the Rubin covers planning, security and overtime, the museum said.
The $375 event at the Museum of Natural History is not out of line
with a meal, music and a hotel stay in New York City.
The Georgia Aquarium charges $99.95 For an overnight.
"The reason behind it is exposure," Edwards said. "Our mission is to
be the most engaging experience, not focused on money but on the
guests' experience."
(Editing by Jill Serjeant and Bill Trott)
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