ASC Art arranged travel to southern Europe (09-07-07)
The Adams State College Art Department sponsored a trip to Italy and Greece last spring. Dr. Joyce Centofanti, assistant professor of art, organized the event.
"We visited Rome, the Vatican City, Sorrento, Pompeii, Delphi, Anthens, three Greek Islands, and the Port of Kundoso in Turkey" Centofanti said. "The trip was really successful. The best part, for me, was watching the students' expressions and reactions as they experienced the artwork, culture, and atmosphere of southern Europe."
The travel was arranged through Educational Tours. Adams State students, two moms, and community members attended the trip.
Tiffany Lee '96 is a graduate student in the Art Department. She said: "Seeing Michelangelo's Peieta was the ultimate moment for me," Lee said. "As a sculptor seeing the works by the master's was incredible."
"This was an exciting adventure," said Centofanti. "It was a chance to see the sites and experience the culture first-hand, rather than just reading about them in textbooks."
"Europe was not as intimidating as I thought it would be," Lee said. "Italy was amazing. The Island of Mykonos in Greece has all whitewashed buildings and brightly colored stairways, narrow streets and a lot of art galleries. The people were amazing."
The fee included round-trip airfare, all transportation, hotels with private bathrooms, breakfast and dinner, insurance, plus tours of local sights and attractions.
"We visited the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, the Colosseum, Acropolis and so many other exciting places," said Centofanti.
"It was not hard to adjust in the foreign lands," Lee said. "You could always find someone who spoke English and they seemed appreciative when you tried to speak their language."
The students were required to keep journals and answer various questions as they explored the diverse cultures. Each student was then obligated to write a final paper on their experience in order to receive credit for the class. Besides the paper, the graduate students had to create an art piece that reflected their experience.
"Everyone wrote about a different aspect of the trip," Centofanti said. "Some wrote about the art and others the cultural experience. Personally, I was impressed with the solar energy use. Fuel is very expensive in Europe; we saw a lot of solar panels and hot water heaters on rooftops to make use of supplemental energy."
According to Centofanti the walls in Athens and other parts of Greece are covered in graffiti. "Unlike the graffiti you commonly see in the United States, the graffiti was more like art murals," she said. "Many times the graffiti art was created by a famous graffiti artist and the younger members of the group seemed to respond to that medium."
Although the travel arrangements were made by the Art Department there was a diversity of students who participated including business and theatre students. "We had people from age 19 to age 63 on this trip," Centofanti said. "It was a highlight of the trip for a theatre major to stand in the Ancient Theatre, where theatre originated."
By Linda Relyea
