What Happens Here Matters
Students Get an Up-Close Look at Art History in Venice
Art history professors at Manhattanville have been taking students on Spring study tours of Venice since 2000. This year, Professors Gillian Greenhill Hannum and Laura Kaufman led a group of 12 students, faculty and staff on a weeklong trip that also included a visit to Padua and Vicenza.
“We think it is important that the students get to know Venice beyond the ‘touristy’ impression that casual visitors get,” said Professor Hannum. “This is why we stay in the center of the city for a week. It gives students the opportunity to study the Venetian art tradition in-depth, and we develop a very carefully planned, rigorous curriculum that allows them to take advantage of seeing the art ‘in situ’ rather than just in museums. That is usually a revelation to kids who are used to seeing pieces of art out of context. It is fun to see them experience that for the first time.”
The study trip included visits to Basilica San Marco, to appreciate its beautiful mosaics and the Pala D’Oro, a masterpiece of Gothic-Byzantine goldsmith’s art; the Doge’s palace, where canvases by the great masters of the Venetian Renaissance decorate the halls; and the Piazza San Marco, known as “the drawing room of the world.”
Students also visited the oldest Jewish ghetto in Europe, attended a Vivaldi concert, and spent half a day on Torcello, an island in the Venetian lagoon known for its unspoiled Byzantine churches, one of which has elements dating back to the 7th century.
Responding to a question about why these study tours are important, Professor Hannum said, “Since the College puts a lot of emphasis on global awareness, doing a trip like this is important because it not only exposes the students to the art, but also allows them to see how the art reflects and relates to the culture. This is why we make these trips accessible to every student, not just Art History majors. Although we have had students become Art History majors or minors after going on this trip,” she added with a smile.
This course requires that students visit certain sites and do class-work on the trip to get credit. There are also several class meetings prior to the trip in order to prepare students for the experience. Depending on the academic background of students, they sign up for either ARH 1066, a 2-credit pass/fail course, or ARH 2066, a 3-credit course; graduate students register for ARH 5066.
To receive information about the 2008 Venice Study Tour, contact Professor Hannum in the Art History Department at 914-323-5456.