The Juanita and Ralph Harvey School of Visual Arts sponsored a field trip to Dallas for students to visit the Dallas Museum of Art, the Nasher Sculpture Center, and the Crow Museum of Asian Art. There were approximately 80 students and six faculty members in attendance.

Shea James, art sophomore, said, “I’ve never been to an actual art museum before so to see those paintings, I studied them on PowerPoints in class but to see them in person and stuff was really cool.”

James said her favorite piece from the trip was The Cup by Sterling Ruby in the Nasher Sculpture Center. She said it reminded her of her home town Austin, Texas.

“I really liked the sculpture that was like dripping paint. It looks like the inside of a cave and I just really like those sculptures and there are a lot of those in Austin,” James said.

James said this field trip was motivating for her as a future artist.

“It was pretty motivating. I was like Wow. Someone made this. I could do that too. So it definitely gave me an insight into what my life could be like one day,” James said.

The Keir Collection of Islamic Art Gallery opened at the DMA April 18, 2017. It features 126 items open for public view.

Joselin Flores, general business freshman, said, “The Islamic and Hindu art were my favorite galleries. It was like you could really see the culture when you look at the pieces. It was really nice.”

Entry into the DMA is free, but a special exhibit costs $16. The art department provided each student with a ticket to see the special Berthe Morisot, Woman Impressionist exhibit which premiered Feb. 24.

Robert Mackey, graphic design sophomore, said, “Her painting style was really expressive. She did works of people she was around a lot like servants and this girl. She would constantly keep painting this girl. In the beginning, it was really expressive and you get the idea of what it is. One that really stood out was two years before she died, it was so different than her earlier works. It was refined and polished. She incorporated blue a lot and you just got this gloomy vibe from it.”

Mackey said this art trip is relevant for all students, even those not in art.

“This trip is a really good way for people who haven’t been in art to really get in and see the culture and to see that it’s still relevant today,” Mackey said.

The students met outside the Fain Fine Art Building at 8:45 a.m. and a charter bus and overflow van departed the school at 9 a.m. Arrival to the DMA was at 11 a.m. and the bus and van departed from Dallas at 3:30 p.m. The students returned back to the university at 6 p.m.

James said, “It was really cool that we got a big charter bus with our name on the outside of it. It was cool because I got to sit with my friends and there were no assigned seats like high school. When we finally got there they [faculty members] were like “here’s times that we have to meet up but other than that do your own thing, have fun, and get whatever you can out of it basically” and I thought that was really cool that we got to really explore and not just “everyone hold hands and walk over here now.”

There were food trucks at Klyde Warren Park, across the street from the DMA, and there were cafeterias in the DMA and the Nasher for students to eat at their own cost.

“Overall the trip was nice. I really liked the food truck experience. I got a torta and some ice cream I was craving,” Flores said.

Gary Goldberg, art professor said, ” We had a very good and educational experience at the museums.”