If you have ever wanted to travel across Europe, swing by the Stevens Art Gallery between Sept. 13-Oct.6 to see r what 21 art and interior design students experienced while studying abroad last summer.
The students, faculty and staff spent five weeks traveling through Italy, France, Spain and England. They visited dozens of historical landmarks including the Colosseum, Eiffel Tower and St. Paul’s Cathedral.
The students were required to take nine credit hours. Most of the students chose to take classes which required them to document their trip both through photography and creative journals.
The photographs captured cultural scenes, architecture and the personal interests of each student while the creative journals contain a collection of thoughts, reflections, sketches and paintings. Some journals even contain receipts, ticket stubs and dried flowers from the trip.
“We did a lot of sitting on the train and reflecting on the things that we saw and drawing or painting the feel that we got from them,” senior graphic design major Renee Wimpey said. “It wasn’t just drawing something we saw, it was expressing the kind of culture that these people live in.”
Junior Hannah Knabe said she enjoyed every minute of the trip, which was her first experience out of the country and especially enjoyed the historical architecture and the diverse culture of Europe. Knabe said she loved taking time to reflect and paint in her journal at the end of every day.
“We don’t have anything that old in America, so it was amazing to see all of that history, and get to sketch it and take pictures of it,” Knabe said.
The Department of Art and Design plans on taking its next trip in 2018. Daniel Adams, professor of art, said the next trip will cover more countries, primarily focusing on architectural worship structures.
“For artists and designers to be creative, we need to feed on important imagery and so going and seeing is very different than looking it up in a textbook,” Adams said. “Being in the environment and being able to see and touch feeds our creativity. We have to see. We have to keep looking.”
The photographs and creative journals are on display in the Stevens Art Gallery until the first week in October.
