Stepping out of the classroom and into the galleries, French Cinema and Conversation students took a field trip to the St. Louis Art Museum. The visit aimed to bridge the gap between theory and practice, offering an opportunity to connect classroom lessons to the world of art.
“I appreciate Madame Caspari for the experience. I think Clayton needs to encourage more of these trips,” senior Analee Miller said.
The class visited the “Narrative Wisdom and African Arts” exhibition. “The exhibition acknowledges the intersections between certain historical arts and oral traditions and places historical works made by artists across sub-Saharan Africa during the 13th to 20th centuries in conversation with contemporary works by African artists working around the globe,” according to the museum website. The exhibition featured many mediums, such as drawings, photographs, sculptures, textiles and paintings.
Senior Grace Kalina noticed the power of artistic approaches.
“It was very interesting to see the African art and how different artists use different modes of supplies to convey their messages,” Kalina said.
French-speaking docents led the group through the exhibition, sharing the history and stories of the various art pieces.
“I found the experience valuable because we were able to learn about African art from a French docent rather than learning culture, art and language separately,” Miller said.
Senior Harper Mettes felt the trip allowed her to deepen her understanding of art.
“It expanded my knowledge on French artists and art in general,” senior Harper Mettes said. “I enjoyed seeing art from different periods, each reflecting distinct and meaningful ideas. It was an experience I think everyone should be able to have.”
One artist featured in the exhibition was Chéri Samba, whose work senior Alyssa Blanke studied and presented before the visit.
The presentations were part of a class project where students researched francophone artists, exploring their biographies, artistic movements and styles. The artists studied included Paul Gauguin, Miss Tic, Raoul Dufy and others, demonstrating the breadth and diversity within the field of francophone art.
“The projects we worked on helped us with the backstory behind the artists we saw. By going on this trip, we got to learn even more about their backstory and see some other art pieces that went along with the movement we studied, such as Cubism and Surrealism,” senior Joanthon Fuchs said. “We could also see the impact of the art in the present day. For example, there was a crowd of people standing around a piece the artist I researched made.”
After the guided tour, students were allowed to explore other parts of the museum, including the European gallery, allowing students to connect with the works of artists they had studied in class.
“[The field trip] showed me the potential for experiential learning,” senior Yehia Said said. “This needs to be at the heart of our education. The application of learning is truly unparalleled by learning within the classroom.”
