Viva la France
By Heidi Heater, a senior from Jackson, Ky.
WILMORE—Seventeen Asbury College students spent a week exploring castles, cathedrals and world-renown art collections in the Loire Valley and Paris regions of France and earning class credit.
During the trip students toured the Louvre, Musé d’Orsay and Rodín museums, as well as Notre Dame, St. Chapelle, Chateau Ambrose and Chartres cathedrals.
“In art education it is very important to be exposed to actual works of art, not just reproductions,” said Dr. Linda Stratford, chair of the art department. “To actually see the original is vital to art education. The beauty about this trip is that it provides exposure to the full range of art and architecture in the West—ancient Roman to the present.”
While this trip, designed for all majors, focused on art and , it also exposed students to a culture other than their own. Prior to travel, students studied and researched cultural customs in France to avoid being unnecessarily rude and to understand the day-to-day workings of life in France.
“On a trip like this, you really have to jump right into the culture and learn as you go,” said Mike Gilger, a senior media communications and art major. “The most encompassing lesson I learned was about both my own and French culture.”
Gilger noted that American culture reflects its pride in sports, movies, celebrities and cars, while the French world revolves around art, food and the theater.
“France is the only country in the world where we can give exposure from the ancient world to the present in terms of art forms,” Stratford said. “In Paris, we can go to a Roman arena, and then, a few blocks away we can go to the most modern museum in the world.”
This class is offered once every two years and is designed to fulfill the cross-cultural experience and the general education fine arts program.
Stratford encourages students of all majors to participate. Since France is a country that affirms the visual arts, she believes it is important for art majors to experience this kind of atmosphere. For both art and non-art majors, she hopes this trip creates a “healthy addiction” for life-long exposure to great art and architecture.
Photos by Keith Barker, associate professor of art
Released: July 2, 2008
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Tagged: features, art, France and cross-cultural-opportunities
