Have you ever visited the Crocker Art Museum after dark? Most nights, you’ll find locked doors and a dark museum. Thursday nights, however, you’ll find anything from a DJ, dancing and bar to film screenings and concerts.

As part of Thursdays till 9, the Crocker will transform itself from 5 - 9 p.m. every Thursday. One of its new series is called Art Mix, which offers art enthusiasts, or not, a more exciting museum-going experience.

For its second Art Mix, Crocker Manager Christian Adame brought in the music of DJ Rated R, the CORE Dance Collective, a screening of the 1964 vampire classic “The Last Man on Earth” and a photo booth station provided by Beatnik Studios for this week’s “Art in the Dark.”

“It’s going to be growing and evolving every month,” Adame said.

The first Art Mix, held Nov.11 and titled “Homecoming,” featured Sacramento artist Wayne Thiebaud’s exhibition, readings from the Sacramento Poetry Center and music from local band Blvd Park.

Adame promised that something fun will be happening at the museum every Thursday night, featuring bands, artists and other talents from the Sacramento region. He said he wants to see the Crocker become a place where people can learn something but also have fun.

“People have preconceived notions of what a museum is doing or what it should be doing,” he said, “So this is making it more fun and more playful.”

This playful element was most evident at Beatnik Studio’s photo booth located on the first floor, which was open to anyone who wanted to pose for a picture in a funky Viking-horned hat or holding a pirate sword. Beatnik owner Wes Davis said people are more inclined to be fun with their pictures after visiting the bar a few times.

DJ Rated R mixed ambient sounds with solid back-beats as a rogue group of interpretive dancers, from the CORE Dance Collective, moved gracefully and trance-like about the first and second floors of the gallery, exploring such spaces as stairwells and elevators.

Adame said he told the dancers not to touch anything, but to otherwise feel free to move with inspiration from the architecture, the pieces, and each other. As a result, visitors sometimes found themselves as living props in the middle of an interpretive dance session.

In addition to the club-like atmosphere, art docents provided real insight and sophistication to the night by leading informative discussions through many of the museum’s exhibits.

“One of my goals is to really get a more diverse crowd in every sense of the word,” Adame said.

Thursday, Dec. 16, the Crocker plays host to the haunting sounds of Chelsea Wolfe. For more information on the Art Mix and the Thursdays till 9 series, visit the crockerartmuseum.org.