On Dec. 9, the art students of RHS got the chance to visit the Detroit Institute of Arts Museum (DIA) as a form of exposure and learning. Art teacher Susan Bentley believes that the field trip is a great opportunity for students.
“[The students] have the opportunity to look at all the different permanent collections,” Ms. Bentley said. “It’s a great opportunity, and it’s a nice thing to check out and then go back with your family also.”
Ms. Bentley thinks that when students see the art themselves, it’s a different experience than what they would be exposed to otherwise.
“It’s more of a dynamic impression to see real artwork firsthand, like when they can see the actual size and the true colors and maybe the texture of something,” Ms. Bentley said. “Or when they see something they’ve never seen before, like modern art, which is a little unusual, and they might not see it in an everyday magazine or at the mall or school.”
Ms. Bentley also said that the field trip truly inspired some of her students through the exhibits and pieces that they were able to view there.
“[The students] loved it,” Ms. Bentley said. “Some had never been there before, and they wanted to go back with their families. They had no idea that some things were so little or some things were so big. They were very inspired, which is the point of going, for inspiration and knowledge. They said they would go back again.”
Ms. Bentley said that the DIA will please anyone who loves art, no matter what kind of style they prefer.
“There’s something there for everyone,” Ms. Bentley said. “Some people like the renaissance, some people like African art or like the modern art. There’s exposure to all those different things.”
Ms. Bentley also thinks that the field trip is important because it affects how students make their own art after the exposure at the Detroit Institute of Arts.
“They might branch out to a different style or different medium [of art],” Ms. Bentley said. “Maybe they’ve always painted and they want to do sculpture or vice versa. They get inspired and they go back to school or home to make more art themselves.”
