Recently our Senior Studio Art majors spent their time in New York City, exploring galleries and artist’s studios. The group traveled all around the city, with students visiting artists studio in the Bronx, followed by a walk into Harlem with the artist, a trip to Chelsea to see galleries, and stops at the Whitney Museum, Metropolitan Museum, Central Park, and more. Students also met with Denison Alumni who live and work in NYC, helping current students understand different ways of making their way in the world as creatives. The group left campus on a Thursday and returned on a Sunday after two full days and two half days in the big city. This trip, an annual tradition for the art department, was cancelled last year due to COVID. Sheilah ReStack, Chair of the Studio Art Department, was excited to lead the trip again this fall.
“The trip is an integral part of the Senior year,” said ReStack. “I saw how the students really bond and care for one another in the big city, and also how they are able to be exposed to art in a big city context. It is very different from Granville. [This trip] helps to provide some of what they need in terms of sharing what the art world is like, what is happening in an international hub, provide networking with alums and, perhaps most importantly, getting inspired by the work they see.”
Deborah Garner ‘22, a Studio Art Major, agreed with ReStack. From the numerous benefits she saw in the trip, Garner pointed out the ones that meant the most to her. “I think the main two [benefits] would be the resulting bonding among my colleagues as well as artistic inspiration. The city is such a different environment than Granville so all the new sights, cultures and people that I encountered,” Garner said. “I think this trip created a great dynamic within the small group of us seniors.”
Both Garner and ReStack stated that their favorite moments revolved around seeing the art in person.
“I love seeing students encounter one of the works they have been shown in slides or presentations multiple times and then, all of a sudden, there it is on the wall in front of them,” said ReStack. “We talked about Abstract Expressionism and other art movements, and then there was a Jackson Pollock on the wall for them to contemplate.”
After an eventful few days, the seniors returned to campus with new inspiration and connections in the art world. With respect after the trip, ReStack contributed a special thank you to the memory of the art department’s donor, Hedda von Goeben, who passed away this year.
“She was an amazing force, and it was her generosity that made this trip possible the last 10 years, and it is a wonderful legacy,” said ReStack.
