Visual Art in Europe
- This program will focus on current practices in art-making, culture and history in Berlin, Prague and Venice.
- The program includes visits to museums, galleries, studios, and other historical/cultural sites
- Earn 3-6 hours of Visual Art credit
Participants in the Visual Art in Europe program will focus on current practices in art-making, as well as the culture and history of the cities visited, through visits to museums, galleries, artists’ studios, and other historical/cultural sites.
Program Dates:
Berlin, Germany (7 days)
The events of the past have left their mark on the cityscape of Berlin; the city is currently one of the most dynamic cultural centers in the world and students will have the opportunity to experience both “old” and “new”, and “east” and “west” Berlin. We will visit the Brandenburg Gate, Potsdamer Platz, and see the remnants of the Berlin Wall. Cultural activities will include visits to the museums on Museum Island (on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites), the Jewish Museum, the New National Gallery, the Holocaust Memorial, and Hamburger Bahnhof (a contemporary art museum). We will tour the Reichstag Building and the Bauhaus-Archives, and travel on day trip to Potsdam to see Sansoucci, the former summer palace of Frederick the Great.
Prague, Czech Republic (3 days)
Prague is the political, cultural, and economic center of the Czech Republic. It is considered one of the most beautiful cities in Europe with preserved examples of architecture from all periods. UNESCO has named the historic center of Prague a World Heritage Site. While in Prague, participants will visit the Prague Castle, Old Jewish Cemetery, Charles Bridge and explore Prague in a historical walking tour.
Venice, Italy (7 days)
We will have the opportunity to view contemporary art from around the world at the 56th Venice Biennale; in addition, we will visit the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, and the Pinault Collection at Palazzo Grassi and the Punta della Dogana. Other Venice sites on our itinerary will include the Piazza, Basilica, and Museum of San Marco, the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, and the Church of Santa Maria della Salute, and others. From Venice the group will make short trips to Murano (world renowned for its glass blowing studios), Burano (a fishing village famous for lace-making and its brightly colored houses), and Padova to see the Scrovegni Chapel (home to a cycle of frescoes by Giotto) and the Cathedral of St. Anthony.
Required before the trip will be several one-hour orientations and lectures along with appropriate research projects designed to enhance students’ understandings of sites visited. During the program, attendance at all lectures and planned events will be required. Some free time or optional participation will be offered in each city (day trips are mandatory).
Program Course:
ART 395/595 Study Abroad Topics in: Visual Art in Europe— 3 credit hours (Required)
Students may elect to take ART 395 /595 for additional 3 hours if additional work and projects are completed.
Participants will stay in centrally located hotels in Berlin, Prague and Venice. A full breakfast is included daily.
Open to undergraduate or graduate students from any accredited U.S. college or university, priority will be given to students in the KU School of the Arts, KU School of Architecture, Design, and Planning, and CLAS. Priority will be given to current KU students but students from other colleges and universities will be accepted if space is available. Minimum 2.5 GPA required (exceptions considered after submission of a petition).
Program Director
Luke Jordan is a Lecturer in the Department of Visual Art and a Specialist in Photography at the Spencer Museum of Art; he has taught at the University of Kansas for over twenty-five years years. His work and teaching has ranged from pinhole photography to the digital image; his interests include 19th century photography, contemporary art, soccer, and music. He is also the staff photographer for KU University Theatre and this will be his tenth summer with the Study Abroad Program.
For more information, contact:
Luke Jordan, Visual Art Lecturer
Department of Visual Art
The University of Kansas
e-mail: lukej@ku.edu
