Favorite Things To Do
Feast your eyes on some temporary collections in the Bates Museum, which is a member of Maine Art Museum Trail and hosts more than 22,000 visitors a year. Past exhibits have included the Andrew Wyeth exhibit, which was organized by his granddaughter, a Bates student. Bates encourages the display of public art. The College rented “Legacy Mantle (Mao Jacket)” by artist Sui Jianguo in December 2008 for the year. The hollow, metal, 10-foot Mao Jacket, located along the Alumni Walk, has sparked much discussion and debate regarding its place at Bates. There are three main stage plays a year at the Lavinia Mirriam Schaeffer Theater. Students often attend the improvisational comedy of The Strange Bedfellows, as well as many student-directed plays at Black Box Theater and Gannett Theater. Open mic nights are thoroughly enjoyed at the Ronj coffeehouse and the Benjamin E. Mays Center (the Silo). The Village Club Series takes place at the Silo every Thursday night, featuring a variety of musicians such as Ryanhood and Syd. Free chai and cookies are always offered. Outdoor theater and music can be seen and heard at the Keigwin Ampitheater by Lake Andrews in the fall and during short term. Bates hosts two major concerts a year. Past artists have included the Roots, Gogol Bordello, Girl Talk, Trey Anastasio, Gavin Degraw, and Bob Saggett. Academic discussions and guest lectures at Chase Lounge and Pettengill Hall are intellectually stimulating.
Get chai at the Ronj, see The Strange Bedfellows’ improvisational comedy , go to a cappella concerts (The Crosstones, The Manic Optimists, The Deansmen, The Merimanders), Read The Times or The Bates Student the one day you get up for breakfast, see a Filmboard movie, The Village Club Series, Midnight Breakfast, The Puddle Jump, hike up Mount David.