DRAMA
ART AND DRAMA STUDY TOUR TO NEW YORK OPENS BOYS ’ HORIZONS
‘ AN ABSOLUTE HIGHLIGHT OF MY TIME AT SCOTCH ’
Twenty Year 10 to Year 12 students participated in an Art and Drama Study Tour to New York City during the Term 1 holidays . Here are two Year 11 boys ’ impressions of this superb tour .
For a large proportion of the trip , we moved as a collective group through New York City , navigating through various galleries , museums , parks , spaces and shows . Immersing ourselves in a deep dive into the collections of New York , I was particularly taken by the level of description and information provided with the various artworks and workshops . This brought a whole new perspective to the artworks we were seeing .
Contemporary artworks that challenged the notion of ‘ traditional art ’, allowed me to contemplate the conceptual premise of the artists . This was a catalyst for my investigations in art making and exhibiting at school .
A highlight among the galleries was the day we explored the independent commercial galleries of the Downtown and Tribeca area . One artist whose work stood out to me was King Cobra . I was particularly taken by the level of detail , execution and scale of the work . At first glance we see a shark suspended on an industrial frame . Upon further inspection , we notice that the shark is comprised of various textiles , pearls , beading , synthetic
polymers , metal and glass . An incredible amount of detail went into realising the proportions and scale of the great beast .
The trip was jam-packed with viewing art , and contemplating our own ideas and works in our visual diaries . Over the time spent in New York , we visited many of the major galleries , including the Smithsonian Collection of the American Indian , MoMA , the Whitney , Guggenheim , the Metropolitan Museum of Art , and the Museum of Art and Design . Further to this , we visited various smaller galleries across SoHo , Tribeca , and the East Village . We were fortunate enough to catch the temporary exhibition of Banksy ’ s original prints .
During this time , we visited multiple tertiary institutions that gave us a sense of the possibilities of studying art abroad . This highlighted the future pathways for artists and art-based careers across New York and the world .
We would like to thank Ms Sandpearl , Ms Hopkins , and Mr Miller for their organisation of the trip .
HUGH RAYNER
58 Great Scot Issue 170 – December 2023