A.P. Art History in the Windy City
What do you get when you have a city with millions of people, an art institute with thousands of famous paintings, an AP Art History class of ten, and two WCA teachers? One amazing field trip.
Abi Hackman, junior, looks at A Sunday Afternoon by Georges Seurat at the National Galleries.
At the beginning of the first weekend in April, a class of WCA art enthusiasts boarded a double-decker bus for Chicago, Illinois. After a six hour drive, students took a quick cab ride to the Congress Plaza Hotel where they would be staying that Friday and Saturday night.
On Friday evening, the ten students, accompanied by Art teacher, Emily Dierking, and Choir teacher, Allen Schwamb, were able to have a typical Chicago style pizza meal for dinner followed by some exploring on Michigan Avenue.
The following Saturday, the class headed to the Art Institute of Chicago. They spent the day gazing at famous works such as the American Gothic, Van Gogh’s Self Portrait, and Monet’s Water Lilies. Many of the paintings seen that day were ones that the class had studied.
Discussions about various paintings were led by Mrs. Dierking.
“I loved having the opportunity to learn outside of a classroom environment with some of my closest friends who love art as much as I do,” said Mackenzie Yeager, senior.
After exploring the museum, the class had a couple hours to explore the city. Then, they took the Elevated Train (L) to an improv show at Comedy Sports, a family-friendly comedy club.
The next morning, the group boarded a bus headed back to St. Louis. Although the trip was short, it was a field trip that will remain in the memories of all who participated.
On the trip, students were not only able to spend a lot of time exploring a subject that interests them. They were also able to spend time with fellow WCA students outside of the beige walled classroom, instead surrounded by the bright lights of the windy city.
