Spring Break
Art students go abroad to refine their talent
With no study abroad program in the art department, students have to find their own work
Michal Elseth
Issue date: 10/29/09 Section: Arts
This summer, senior art major Cassandra Bacon saved as much money as she could make and studied art at the Florence Academy in Florence, Italy. She and senior Gina Koshute, also an art major, wanted to go to the Academy together, but Koshute ended up staying in the States because the trip to Florence was so expensive.
Hillsdale College doesn't have a study abroad program for art students so artists who want to study at the Florence Academy or anywhere else have to arrange the trip themselves. chairman of the art department Sam Knecht said the lack of a international program is due to the work involved in organizing such a program; too big a task for the father of a young family.
The cost, Knecht said, has also been a prohibitive factor. Most good study abroad program can cost $5,000 for one-month overseas.
"At this stage, I'm pointing people in the right direction," Knecht said.
Knecht primarily points students to apply to the Florence Academy, which he considers to be one of the finest art schools in the world.
"I don't feel any guilt over Hillsdale not having established a program when it's easy for talented students to get into such a fine program," he said.
Koshute said she wishes there was a program that would make coordinating summer studies easier and thinks she might have been able to afford the month-long summer study if the school had organized it.
Eventually, she said she hopes to study in Italy. Cost, however, kept her in the United States this summer, spending several weeks drawing in Washington, D.C., at a much more manageable cost.
"The good thing about going out somewhere - it doesn't even have to be exotic - is you learn to notice details," Koshute said.
While in Washington she spent time in museums doing value studies of paintings and used her trips on the Metro to capture peoples' movement. Her summer helped her develop the artistic skills she's been working on in her three years at Hillsdale without the pressure of school work.
Hillsdale College doesn't have a study abroad program for art students so artists who want to study at the Florence Academy or anywhere else have to arrange the trip themselves. chairman of the art department Sam Knecht said the lack of a international program is due to the work involved in organizing such a program; too big a task for the father of a young family.
The cost, Knecht said, has also been a prohibitive factor. Most good study abroad program can cost $5,000 for one-month overseas.
"At this stage, I'm pointing people in the right direction," Knecht said.
Knecht primarily points students to apply to the Florence Academy, which he considers to be one of the finest art schools in the world.
"I don't feel any guilt over Hillsdale not having established a program when it's easy for talented students to get into such a fine program," he said.
Koshute said she wishes there was a program that would make coordinating summer studies easier and thinks she might have been able to afford the month-long summer study if the school had organized it.
Eventually, she said she hopes to study in Italy. Cost, however, kept her in the United States this summer, spending several weeks drawing in Washington, D.C., at a much more manageable cost.
"The good thing about going out somewhere - it doesn't even have to be exotic - is you learn to notice details," Koshute said.
While in Washington she spent time in museums doing value studies of paintings and used her trips on the Metro to capture peoples' movement. Her summer helped her develop the artistic skills she's been working on in her three years at Hillsdale without the pressure of school work.
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