Art Classes take a field trip around New Orleans

On Jan. 10, upper school art students took a field trip to various locations around the city. Hitting three places in one day, the students experienced the culture of New Orleans and how art has affected our city.

At the museums they visited, the students observed how artists have taken a piece of old, non-useful material and transformed it into art.

“The main purpose (of the field trip) is exposure to culture in our city and what artists are doing in our city,” said Visual Arts Department Chair Allison Thomas. “To get the point across, we live in a very vibrant city, and it’s important to see what we have to offer in the arts, so we need to expose our kids to that.”

The students started the journey at Music Box Village on North Rampart Street. Later, they visited the Green Project, a store specializing in reclaimed building materials. Finally, they finished the trip by exploring six art galleries on Julia Street before returning back to school.

Thomas chose the Ceramics Honors and Advanced Placement Art courses to participate in the activities, and they were given assignments to complete at the locations they visited, specifically the Green Project.

Senior Grayson Doyle, a student in AP Art, felt that the trip kick-started some new artistic ideas.

“I really liked the Green Project,” Doyle said. “I really like the idea of the Green Project. Also the galleries were really nice. I got a lot of inspiration from those. I’m using one of their ideas directly in my upcoming project.”

The assignments for each class were similar but were tailored to the specific class the students are enrolled in. Thomas emphasized reusing old materials to make new art, and her students seem to be taking her message to heart.

“I am going to make a woman in Ceramics out of a lampshade, a pipe, wires, and clay,” said Junior Mikki Dennies.

“It completely revolutionized the way I feel about art,” Doyle said.