Natalie - Letter to Future Students

Natalie - Letter to Future Students, 

It's good to know a few things about traveling if you have never before.

1) Expect to be uncomfortable because if you expect it then the situation will probably surprise you in a pleasant way and if it doesn't then you've prepared yourself for the worst.

2) Pack lots of wet ones. This seems goofy but really, if your going to throw yourself into another culture that means touching, tasting, and walking through parts of the area that will inevitably be a little sticky at times. It's best to come prepared to clean up your own mess so you don't miss anything.

3) You dont need that many clothes (really!). I always feel out of fashion when I travel because theres something you can never really predict when going abroad and thats what the weather will be like and what the trends are going to be. My biggest advice to myself is always pack lighter than I did the time before and simpler...Ive realized the staple items are what I grab for because their the easiest things to pair with the fun scarf or sweater I bought in the market the day before.

4) dont follow anyone. but stay together. When traveling you have to eventually come to terms that everyone does it differently, once you find your grove stick with it because thats how you will soak up the most information and authentic experience. However, stick together too. You would totally kick yourself if you were the stupid person that stupidly went off alone and something stupid happened. so prevent it.

5) pepper spray.

6) Language. learn a little of it so your not the meanie in line insisting someone else accommodate you. It's much easier for you and everyone else if you know enough to get by with simple tasks and ordering. Everytime I travel I wish I would have learned more than I did about the language.

7) be flexible. You have to know the things you wont budge on but make sure it's not a laundry list. part of traveling is rolling with the punches and embracing change and fluctuation. Just be cool about the things you know aren't the end of the world and speak up about the stuff that really bugs you.


8) my last rule and my biggest rule is: BE A TOURIST. Multiple times during the Paris trip people were insistent that they didn't want to be a tourist, look like a tourist or go to the tourist attractions. I am the opposite. If I am new somewhere, looking around and generally learning as I go then I expect to be labeled a tourist and embrace it for all it's wonderfulness, as a tourist you have the opportunity to stand a little longer staring at something that catches your eye because your not worried how anyone else is seeing you. I think its ridiculous to be afraid of the quirkiness that comes along with being a tourist and the ultimate freedom when you ADMIT YOU DONT KNOW IT ALL!. How wonderful not be burdened by knowledge that you have not gained in experience.  The Metro in Paris was a great example of this. I felt like everyone caught on quicker than I did and stopped announcing where we were going and what stops to get off at, eventually I had to just deal with it and understand I learned a different way and either ask for help or figure it out on my own by admitting I didn't know it all.

Letter to Prospective Students

I’ve wanted to give this letter for all of the future study abroad students a lot of thought – as well as digest what was of critical importance to relay to you.

For starters, I want to encourage students who have an interest in studying abroad to do so while they are attending college (MIAD) now. Opportunities like these are always valuable – I do find, however, to stress the importance of time. It proved to me to be a lot more efficient to travel while I was still housed in Milwaukee permanently. There was no worry of where my belongings would go, or about a permanent job that I would have to request off of for an extended period of time.

College most often allows for flexibility in scheduling, and this is prime/key for travel. Please, do take that into consideration. I find that I would enjoy traveling in the future, but with many plans to intern next summer and potentially moving after graduation along with rent…a prolonged period of time abroad doesn’t seem feasible, but a class like this was.

I’m glad to have chosen this course.

For starters, to be able to apply my new understandings, observations and all around experiences from traveling to my future course work and studio work is refreshing and exhilarating.  

The travel to Paris (and a short time in London) has been a vitally new source of inspiration. Yes, of course, you can read about Paris in literature, and see the photographs of the architecture and art, however there is nothing that that will compare to being in direct relationship/existance with that singular or multiple work(s).

In a cultural context, understanding the history of the piece(s) and being able to see the detailing of paintings, each brush stroke in its presence….that is indescribable to me. There is something so emotinonally inducing about being in the same space as the work of art or architecture itself. To understand the piece(s) in their original context, or even being occupied within the same space they house is impeccably different than reading it on a two-dimensional format with text that articulates the object of thought -  surrounding it.

I would like you take a moment and think, “How am I willing to expand my thought upon my current and future work “ as well as  “How do I want to progress as an artist/designer in the present moment”– answer those two questions honestly to yourself, generate ideas and further self exploration in thought and then please proceed to read on.

I have broken up this post into three parts… the introduction, a more serious outlining of the course, and the last, an elaboration upon Paris itself and how I identified with being there.

When it comes to traveling abroad you may foster many expectations along with a bit of anxiety, … and that is okay, but I would highly advise you to suppress any of your pre-existing expectations or notions of the culture or city. I advised that you not allow them to linger with you when you depart from the states.

Instead I challenge you to allow the experience to invite you in and adopt into it fully and truthfully to yourself.

Adventurous Eater

I've always been a really picky eater. In Paris though, I'm trying everything. I tried escargot, foie gras, beef bourguignon, crème brûlée, a mysterious chicken tarragon dish, goat cheese, quiche, gelato, and every kind of pastry and baked good Paris could offer. I even ate sandwiches with mustard and salads with dressing. That doesn't normally happen. Hopefully my food adventures will continue when I get back into the states.

A Late Letter To a Future Student

I've only traveled out of the country once before.  It was fantastic and I have a lot of great memories from that trip, but it was with my family and the experience of traveling alone and with peers is completely different.  I've always been really attached to my family (not that that is a bad thing), but I severely lack independence.  Traveling and studying abroad was my solution to that.  Not only did I gain independence, but I know that it may be a very long time before I can travel again, and this seemed to be the way I could get the most out of it-academically, financially, personally.
The things I learned and the topics we discussed were not what I expected.  For some reason, I thought we would spend all day in art museums (which would be fine with me, although I know that's not ideal for everyone else).  We were very active and spend time on artists, movements, media, and social customs and periods that I was unfamiliar with.  By the end of the trip I felt well versed in not only the history of my media, but many (and capable of talking about them).
The largest accomplishment and the biggest challenge I faced was the culture and the language.  Before leaving, I spoke no French and was a very picky eater.  I made an effort to speak as much French as possible (no matter how horrible it was) and try as many new things as I could.  Often times, this made me frustrated, flustered, or grossed out, but I left restaurants (and France) with a sense of pride knowing that I tried something new and trying is appreciated, whether the experience was successful or not. 
Without the school and my peers, my experience would have been very different.  Some of my favorite things, like the Quai Branly, would not have made it to my agenda if I had been traveling alone.  We got opportunities, like the museum pass and the Maison de Verre which would have unavailable to be otherwise for exclusivity or financial reasons.  Because this was a course, it was stressed to keep up a sketchbook.  This is uncommon for me, but it was very good practice.  I have personal notes and drawings that I value more than any picture or souvenir. 
On the other hand, I spend several days in Paris by myself after the trip was over and that is highly recommended.  I was able to digest all of the information we were given, relax, adjust to my own schedule, and visit/revisit things we didn't have time for.  This was a test for my navigation and speaking skills (I think I did pretty well) and a low key end to the trip.

Grand Palais, Opéra Garnier, and Ladurée

I had the classiest day ever (at least I tried to). We looked at art at the Grand Palais, Keri and I enjoyed Ladurée, then the two of us headed to see Julius Caesar at the Opéra Garnier.

Oh hey, Michael Cera....

At the Grand Palais, Michael Cera showed up. We looked at a couple pieces together, which was memorable, but It's difficult to look at art normally next to someone famous. It was distracting and I felt super creepy. Because he was there, I was consciously not interacting with the pieces the same way. Eventually, I skipped a couple rooms so I wouldn't be in the same room as Michael Cera and could try to look at the work normally. Because he was there, I will always associate Dynamo and the Grand Palais with him, not the art inside.

After the exhibit, Keri and I headed to Ladurée, which I have been wanting to go to the entire time I've been in Paris. I had champagne and macaroons and accidentally ordered a lemon tart. We took pictures and couldn't understand our waiter, so we probably weren't as classy as the rest of the champagne bar patrons.

After Ladurée, we headed to the Opera! We had really nice seats in a box that we shared with just a few other people (maybe 13 total). The box had locked doors which had to be unlocked for the people inside-it felt very exclusive. The opera itself was very different than the others I've seen. Instead of being in a classical setting, it was in the warehouse of a museum and the ancient characters interacted with the modern set. There were modern characters too, the museum workers changed the set and brought out props. Most of the time, they didn't interact with the ancient characters but if they did, they were minor, in groups, and always silent. Because the set didn't change much, the scenes and identities of the characters were dependent of the museum artifacts they were near. It was a huge change from the operas I've seen, but once I got used to it, it was very enjoyable.
Again, I wasn't quite as classy as I was hoping to be. Throughout the show I was figiting more than a ten-year-old, my stockings ripped, and I got some Ladurée tart in my hair. It's impossible for me classy in Paris.  If I leave out a few details, it sounds great.

Post-Group Paris

During the three days I've been alone in Paris, almost everything I did was revisiting what I didn't feel I had enough time with on the trip. On Sunday, Tanya and I went to the museum of photography and back to the Pompidou (I am so glad I did because there was so much I missed), and Tara met us at the Louvre.

Monday I was completely by myself. I  took the day to revisit some spots that I wanted to draw but didn't have the time with the group, like the Eiffel Tower and Moulin Rouge. I went back to Shakespeare and Company (may have gotten lost getting there), got a café creme at Café des Deux Moulins, and finished the rest of my gift shopping. On my journey back, I encountered a mob of people taking pictures of Brad Pitt, a prematurely closed metro line, at least a dozen police cars outside of the Grand Palais, and a stranger taking a picture of me. I don't know what was happening, but I found an open metro through expert wandering skills, only to be greeted by a man standing right outside of Crimée with no pants. It was a strange day.

Tuesday was more normal. I spent the day understanding the French-English language barrier at the post office, wandering around near the Opera, and revisiting Orsay for the third time (the guard let me in for free because I study art!). This time I looked at Decorative arts and went back to the Impressionism gallery. I'm glad I went back, because I looked at Odilion Redon's paintings. Prior to this Orsay visit, I didn't know who he was.
After closing Orsay, I had my last Parisian meal at Crêperie Beauboug and did some people and pigeon watching at the Pompidou.

Experiencing Paris by myself was totally different than with the group. I had time to relax, digest the trip and all of the information that went with it. Everything I did was on my own time and I didn't have to cater to anyone else's wants or needs. On the other hand, it was kind of terrifying. I wasn't with anyone who spoke any French and because I was by myself, people treated me differently. I felt lost and targeted a lot (I'm sure one informed the other). Luckily, there were a couple really friendly English speakers to help me out and the Knoff Mapguide did the rest.

Dear Future Student

            Paris. It’s really crazy to think about that only five letters can represent something so incredibly large. I have gone on school trips abroad before, I have also lived abroad before, but nothing could ever compare to the experience I had in Paris. I’m not even sure where to begin when telling you about my trip. I guess in the beginning, that’s always a good starting point.

            Before I left I wasn’t sure what to expect, we had a two classes to prepare us before we got there, we also had readings and a book to give us some perspective on the city and the things we were going to see. I knew this trip was going to be very intense, but never did I think I was going to feel so many emotions when looking at art and architecture.

            I initially wanted to take this trip because my love when it comes to art history is more design based, although I am a fine art major, for some reason architecture and design is what really interests me. I expected to learn a lot from this trip and I expected to be also very tired. Other than that I was really open to anything and everything. Needless to say, my expectations were met and very much exceeded.

            I came to Paris needing clarity within my own studio practice and my own life. Coming to the cultural capital of the world is probably one of the best things you can do when in that sort of position. Seeing buildings that were 100’s of years old, seeing art that has been through war and tragedy, but yet stands so beautifully, really puts one in there place. Knowing that I needed some clarity on where I stood, I really focused in on the people in Paris. Something that we don’t really have in Milwaukee is community space. We don’t really have places throughout the city that people gather to drink coffee and admire the day. This idea of how people move throughout the city really became an important idea for me to think about on the trip.

            This idea was further highlighted when walking through galleries and museums. I always knew that curating was a really impressive art form, but I don’t think I paid that much attention to it before the trip. We had many assignments about looking at how the space was set up to highlight a piece of work, for me, this also meant how the space was set up to move people around. The Louvre was overwhelming with curating genius, I felt like I was constantly spinning around, looking at people looking at art, looking at the walls, looking at the room. In Paris there is really a lot of looking to do. Within this course, we did so so so much looking!

            Although Paris is a very fun city, this course was no joke. You go there and you are not a tourist, you are a student. There were times when I wished I was just a tourist, but those times very few and far between. I was so grateful to have two professors show me around the city. Going on this trip was almost like a private tour of Paris, you learn more about the city, about art and about yourself then you could just going by yourself. Chris and Eric are so unbelievably smart, and watching them together is really a treat. They both get so excited about buildings are different pieces of art, and when a teacher is excited about something, this automatically transcends you into their mindset. Its really important see things in real life, some say that Paris is like walking through a history book. I’d much rather walk through a history book then read it from afar.

            One of the biggest challenges of this trip was traveling with a large amount of people. Although it is really fun, I am the type of person that needs to be alone when thinking and reflecting on our days. When you are up and ready to go at 7:30 in the morning and then are out until 6 or 7 at night, it’s hard then to get your brain to work after a long day of seeing so many beautiful things! Maybe it was just me, but when I am constantly on the go and seeing beautiful building after beautiful art, my head gets a little overwhelmed. Then going back to the hostel with 10 girls and 1 guy all in one room makes it a little hard to settle down and reflect. I found that often times I just needed to go and have coffee by myself and try and get Internet in the hostel. Alone time is crucial when going on a trip as intense as this.  

            International study is the most important thing anyone can do. I don’t know how people just stay in one place their whole life. Meeting new people and seeing new things gives you a deeper understanding about the world as it stands today. Understanding history in context with art and seeing all of that in real life brings feelings and emotions to the surface that cannot be had while looking at a picture. For example, I cried when looking at August Rodin’s work. I knew of him before I left, but there is this indescribable feeling you get when standing in front of something so powerful and so large. Everyone should study abroad, it changes you for the better, and going with a school group is a wonderful way to do it safely and to do it right!

                                                -Ana Maria Minter