The recent sophomore field trip to the Blanton Museum, located on the University of Texas campus, was considered a success by the consensus of the Sophomore grade here at MECHS. Out of all who were interviewed, they had a decent time at the Blanton Museum and enjoyed the tour of the campus and viewing of the artworks.
The Blanton Museum is a part of the University of Texas and is named after Jack S. Blanton. The Museum itself contains many interesting artworks, including Austin (The Building with the colored glass windows), Contemporary Project 15 (The room with the multicolored tire-like lights), and some artworks by Frida Kahlo. Ms.Buehler wanted to take this field trip to show the sophomores some in-person artworks. “Personally, I love taking students to art museums,” and “In art history we learn about historical works of art, and it definitely brings the artworks to life when students can visit and see the work in person,” claimed Ms. Buehler when asked why she wanted to go to the Blanton Museum. This trip was not only a great learning experience but also an opportunity to see the University of Texas campus. “Additionally, with this trip, which is my first time taking a large group from MECHS to the Blanton, we were able to tour a portion of the UT campus and see not only one but two locations on the UT campus,” stated Ms. Buehler in an interview. Although the sophomores had gotten to see the UT campus, that was not the only reason that they were there. The field trip was also used to practice the artistic vocabulary skills that were learned in Ms. Buehler’s art history class. “I feel like the students got a good experience seeing artwork in person. They were also able to use their skills learned in class to talk about the works of art with the docents at the Blanton. I feel like that was really great for them,” replied Ms. Buehler when interviewed about the learning experience on the trip.
Regardless of what was learned on the trip, or what it was about, the students seemed to love it. Between the many small interviews that were conducted, there was much excitement and positivity from the students. Sebastian Garcia enjoyed the artworks due to how they reminded him of his family and background. “I remember the Rio Bravo, It reminded me of my family from my dad’s side,” stated Sebastian Garcia. Another student, Vittorio Verona (Vito), had enjoyed the geometric exhibits that the museum had to offer. “I have no one specific artwork that I like, but I liked the geometric ones the best,” claimed Vittorio Verona when asked about the artworks. Several other students also found the artworks at the Blanton to be interesting. Although Cael Fredrickson found the artworks to be relatively decent, he had enjoyed the trip overall due to the scenery and atmosphere of the campus. “I’ve enjoyed the trip so far; I’ve seen some neat churches,” stated Cael Fredrickson when interviewed about the trip as a whole. Another positive comment was given by Alexandra Topinka. “I liked all of the artworks so far,” claimed Alexandra Topinka. Overall, throughout the interviews, all of the students had a wonderful time during the trip to the Blanton Museum. Even if the artworks weren’t the best part of the trip for some, they still found the field trip to be a great experience, not only for learning, but also for doing something new in Art History class.
