Harn Museum and Phillips Center Host Friday Night Sights 11/6

Visitors and locals alike can kick off their football weekend on Friday, Nov. 6 by attending a family-friendly Friday Night Sights at the University of Florida Cultural Plaza, the cultural destination for the Gator Nation. The Harn Museum of Art will remain open for extended hours from 5 to 7 p.m. before the Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem - Pajama Party performance at 7 p.m. at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

Visitors to the Harn Museum will have the opportunity to see the "45th Annual UF Art Faculty Exhibition," featuring works by 24 faculty members from the UF School of Art and Art History. Works on display include drawings, paintings, photographs, prints, sculptures, ceramics, electronic media and videos. Additional recently installed exhibitions include "Highlights from the Photography Collection: Portfolios" and "Art, Media and Material Witness."

In a collaborative workshop between the Harn Museum and UF Performing Arts, children attending the Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem concert are encouraged to participate in fun, musical activities. The activities begin at 5 p.m. at the Harn Museum of Art and include drum decorating, and tambourine and harmonica making. The Dancin' Gators and student members of the UF Choir will perform. Afterward, Scott Kessel, daisy mayhem's drummer, will teach the children about rhythm before they embark on a musical instrument parade.

For dinner, visitors are encouraged to stop by the Camellia Court Café, which will serve until 6:30 p.m. Reservations are recommended.

After a visit to the Harn Museum of Art, visitors can join members of talented string band Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem at the Phillips Center at 7 p.m. as they launch their first-ever Pajama Party in celebration of their soon-to-be released children's CD Ranky Tanky. Parents and kids alike can have a great time singing, dancing, shouting and clapping at this family-friendly event.

Ranky Tanky takes a wild ride through American roots music, including stops in the Georgia Sea Islands, the Appalachians, a Mississippi blues joint, a Texas dance hall, and a New Orleans parade. From The Green Grass Grows All Around (Louis Jordan-style) to Audubon Zoo by the Meters, to the old-time rock n' roll of Sheb Woolley's Purple People Eater, to a 1901 broadside, to, oh, a little Nat King Cole or Tom Petty, Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem admit no boundaries when it comes to exploring styles. On stage, they love to talk about the songs, instruments and styles they play, but it's no schoolroom lecture - it's more like four happy cooks introducing their favorite ingredients for an irresistible musical stew. And, whether they're using only voices to groove on a pop tune from the Bahamas, showing off the drummer's 100 percent recycled drum set, or serenading a birthday boy with a turkey-baster whistle, they also like to show kids that you don't need fancy stuff to make great music.

The final Friday Night Sights for the season is Nov. 27.

For more information about Friday Night Sights, visit www.culturalplaza.ufl.edu.