European Study Produces Student Art Exhibit
Last May, 15 Utah State University students, one graduate assistant and a professor took off for a five-week study program in Germany. The objective? To be immersed in the study of art and the cultural offerings of the region.
Six months later, work created during the European trip can be seen in an art exhibit in Logan — an exhibit that is part of the Dec. 1 Gallery Walk in downtown Logan. The students’ art can be seen at the Bullen Center Gallery. Many of the students will attend the opening and will be on hand to discuss the art and the trip to Germany.
The Gallery Walk, sponsored by the Alliance for the Varied Arts, takes place from 6-9 p.m. at a variety of locations throughout downtown Logan. Fourteen sites are included in the December walk.
Organized by art department professor Christopher Terry, who also headed the trip to Germany, the exhibit features student work based on assignments that were part of the curriculum in Germany. Each student will show three to five works.
Most of the exhibited art are spontaneous works on paper, approximately 16x20 inches, Terry said.
“That size is portable and allows students to carry their materials around with them,” he said. “I asked students to combine a linear drawing tool — a pencil, charcoal or pen — with water-based painting materials. This combination allows them to work very rapidly and is especially well suited to working on-site.”
As a result, most of the works shown in the Logan exhibit were completed in less than three hours. Some in less than one hour, Terry said.
The Bullen Center Gallery is divided into two areas, and the USU student exhibit is located in the rear gallery area. The work can be seen following the Gallery Walk as well. While gallery hours vary, staff members from the Cache Valley Center for the Arts can accommodate requests for entry.
For information on the Dec. 1 Gallery Walk, contact AVA at (435) 753-2970.
Terry said the summer study abroad was a great success, and he is already planning the 2007 trip. The program is coordinated through USU’s Study Abroad office. According to Kay Forsyth, Study Abroad director, more than 200 students participate annually in its programs, with approximately 150 students taking part in summer programs. The office anticipates 12 faculty led study programs in 2007.
The art program was based in Essen, Germany, a city of approximately 600,000, located 15 minutes north of Dusseldorf. This is the second trip to the area led by Terry, who said the group stayed at the Grend Guest House, a hostel-like setup on the top floor of a 19th century school building.
“Grend is a cultural/community center, not unlike the Whittier Center in Logan,” Terry said.
The USU students who participated shared an exuberant response to the program.
“I was sold on the trip by several students who went last summer,” said Alyssa Ashdown, a sophomore who made the 2006 trip. “‘The opportunity to increase your portfolio is great,’ they said. ‘It’s a great atmosphere for an artist — we drew and painted for hours every day,’ they promised. ‘The chocolate is incredible,’ they raved.
“Well, they were right, and I’ll be the next generation of last-summer-study-abroaders who recruit new students to participate.”
As part of the trip the students took a four-day excursion to Berlin and were there for the dedication of the new Lehrter Bahnhof train station, which included a fireworks display and an address by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Their stay coincided with the World Cup soccer matches, and the group watched many of the important matches on big public screens that were set up in plazas and squares. The group also visited more than 15 major museums of art and design.
A highlight of the Berlin trip for Ashdown was the visit to the Old National Art Gallery.
“There was a painting there by Cezanne that had me starring at it — wide eyed and floored — for a solid 20 minutes,” she said.
Going to Berlin was also a highlight for Jonathan Ribera, a senior art student.
“After being raised in the generation that always knew the area as East Germany and then seeing it as a city reborn was mind blowing,” Ribera said. “It was like a brand new, clean version of New York.”
Ribera enthusiastically endorses the study abroad experience and would encourage others to participate.
“I would go again,” he said. “Professor Terry was a great teacher and there is so much more I need to see and experience. It was fantastic — to actually see the great artworks of the world while you are studying them was amazing.”
Catherine Bergeson, a sophomore who traveled with the group, said she studied German in high school and had always wanted to go there.
“I love to travel and I thought that going to Germany and having a chance to be more than a tourist would be an invaluable opportunity for me,” Bergeson said. “Getting to know an area and the people, especially while doing something I have a love for, was great.”
Many of the students who participated enjoyed the convenience of earning 12 hours of academic credit in the concentrated study atmosphere. The chance to study and travel seemed to be a winning combination.
“It was a great experience,” Brandt Berntson said. “I was able to see so many great sights and wonderful artwork with a group of peers with common interests. I think traveling is very important for keeping your eyes open to what else exists outside of our everyday lives. I think more emphasis should be placed on getting out and learning hands-on and learning through experiencing other cultures.”
The students’ comments reinforce the purpose of the program.
“I think it is important to give Utah State students an opportunity to broaden their experience in art,” Terry said. “We can focus students on five weeks of intense study and art production, while allowing them to develop and practice the skills necessary to become world citizens.”
The ability for students to complete experiential research rather than indirect library oriented research is important as well, said Terry.
“The ability of students to view actual works of art on a day-to-day basis, and then respond to them immediately — either through writing or the production of paintings or drawing — is an invaluable experience that can’t be recreated on campus.”
A typical day in Germany was broken into two parts with a lunch break between. The morning was usually dedicated to a classroom activity — perhaps a lecture on the Bauhaus School or color theory. Afternoons often involved a train trip to a museum in Essen or neighboring cities, including Cologne, Duisberg or Dusseldorf. Much of the time was devoted to drawing and painting — often on-site using the European architecture as the subject.
“My favorite part of the curricular experience was our ability to go out into the neighborhoods and surrounding towns and take the things that we were learning and apply them to our painting on the spot,” Bergeson said. “The scenery was amazing and it made the assignments so much more valuable to have something to take home as a memento of the trip.”
Berntson said he would encourage everyone to consider a study abroad experience.
“There are friends to make, sights to see, food to try and a million other great reasons for going,” he said. “I loved seeing Berlin and meeting the Burgermeister of Essen (Burgermeister Rolf Fliss). The ice cream and pastries were amazing. Oh, and did I mention the art?”
Students interested in a study abroad experience can contact USU’s Study Abroad office in the Taggart Student Center, room 313, or call (435) 797-0601. Information is also available at its Web site.
Students who are interested in the 2007 art program in Germany can contact Terry at (435) 797-3409 or by email.
Contact: Christopher Terry (435) 797-3409
Writer: Patrick Williams (435) 797-1354
Artwork produced by USU students during a summer study abroad experience in Germany will be displayed during a Gallery Walk Dec. 1 in Logan. This work was completed on-site by student Alyssa Ashdown.
Century tower of the Marktkirche overlooks the village of Kettwig in Essen, Germany.
Alyssa Ashdown working on-site in Kettwig, a section of Essen, Germany.
USU students watch as a docent (Frau Wolfe) talks about the work of German sculptor Wilhelm Lehmbruck. Students: (left to right) Shelly Card, Megan Eisenhart, Catherine Bergeson, Alyssa Ashdown, Robin Bodily, Kaite Heiner, Jonathan Ribera.
USU students prepare to begin work on-site in Kettwig. In the foreground, Alyssa Ashdown, background, Rebecca Barlow.
This piece by Jonathan Ribera was completed on-site. The work is 16x12 inches and is an opaque watercolor and India ink on gray paper.
USU students Catherine Bergeson and Jonathan Ribera admire work by modernist sculptor Alberto Giacometti at the Lehnbruck Museum in Duisberg, Germany.
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