Art Classes Visit World Renowned Museum of Modern Art

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Liya Kowlessar, Staff Writer

On Friday April 8th, selected students in Mrs. Savincki’s Art experience class and students in Mrs. Colangelo’s photography class took a trip to the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) located in Midtown Manhattan, New York. This was the first year these classes went to the MOMA, though in prior years, they have visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Each class focused on different parts of the museum during the trip. The fine arts students took a tour of the exhibits featuring paintings and sculptures while the photography class took a tour of the photography exhibits.

The MOMA features an abundance of contemporary art and artists. They have art ranging from Andre Derain to Andy Warhol—famous artists, as well as up-and-coming artists. Students were able to recognize some of the famous artwork there such as Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night.

Vincent Van Gogh's "Starry Night"
Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night”

Students experienced different types of art and travel through art history, focusing on how art has changed throughout the years. Some students noticed that artwork in the 1980’s was mostly black and white, or more simplistic while artwork in the 1990’s started to become more abstract.

In addition to their own curiosities, the art students also had a guided tour. “Our tour guide told us information about the pieces of art as well as the artist. We also had work that the tour guide gave us,” explained Karla Orellana-Concul, a senior in the art class. The tour guide gave each student a piece of paper and a pencil and had them go around one of the rooms and recreate one of the pictures shown by drawing it themselves and making it their own.

The photography students also had their own guided tour that showcased some modern photography pieces, as well as the meaning and intentions behind each piece. “It wasn’t about experiencing it; it was about a part of the photography.” stated Mrs. Colangelo. Some of the photographers featured there are Robert Mapplethrope, Ryoji Akiyama, and even photographs from NASA.

Both classes enjoyed the trip to the Museum of Modern Art. Karla Orelana states that the trip left her “feeling inspired, and, for a brief moment, wanting to pursue a career in art.” Many students who are passionate about art and photography left The Museum of Modern Art with a different perspective of how art has transformed through the years and how art is limitless.