Rome, Italy with students

Our annual AP Art trip for the 2017-18 school year was Rome, Italy. Over the past three years, I’ve been developing the concept of IB and AP art centered academic trips for my students. We basically immerse ourselves in the culture and art of the cities we travel to…we eat, sleep, drink art. We learn history, meet contemporary artists, visit galleries, walk through alleys sniffing out street art, taste the local cuisine, take in a concert, or a film…we go in a 100%. Then we step back, reflect, and then ask the hard and serious questions because art, music, sounds, fashion, film, and overreaching culture for that matter are not standalone ideas, but fall under the giant umbrella of visual culture. 

To see our past trip: Click here for Barcelona, Spain and here for Athens, Greece 

No thanks to Egyptair for canceling our early flight and having us miss an opening at a gallery celebrating Rome Arts Week. The good news was that we had an opportunity to walk over to San Lorenzo to sample pizza, people watch, and see some art on the streets. It was interesting to hear the kids comment how they wished they could walk around Alexandria freely.

@Varsi Gallery-installation by Polish artist Sepe-from the exhibit, Sleeping Through The War.

@Varsi Gallery-painting by Sepe-from the exhibit Sleeping Through The War.

Getting around the city via public transportation.

@Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Roma-see description below.

Description of above.

@MACRO from Cross the Streets exhibit.

@MACRO from Cross the Streets exhibit. The day before we stopped at the Dorothy Circus Gallery who specializes in American Pop Surrealism and we were told about a couple of their artist who were part of the Cross The Streets exhibit. 

Wandering around the Roman Forum looking for a lost student-true story

Swoon @ MACRO Cross the Streets exhibit

 Installation of graffiti hoodlum jumping the fence to a railway @ MACRO. The figure has a strong resemblance to Napoleon Dynamite, I think.

Roman Forum on a fantastic day. The grassy area looks like a great space to play a game of bocce ball.

@ MACRO

 Spanish Steps-climb up and head back down to shop til you drop or until the stores close.

My students looking for their lost classmate at the Roman Forum. Sarah where art thou?

A trip to Rome isn't complete without checking in the Colosseum. We were hoping for a lion show.

Confrontational bird looking for a handout.

Art @MACRO

The Vatican tends to have nice exhibits of contemporary art prior to walking into the Sistine Chapel room.

Group shot in front of Shepard Fairey @MACRO

Human canvas aka suffering for art.

Mickey and Marilyn rolled into one @MACRO

Decks @MACRO

 Crafty ideas what to so with old storage lockers @ MACRO

Revisiting La Dolce Vita. Silvia..

@Colosseum

@Dorthy Circus Gallery. Carlo was a great guide in explaining all the works.

Student with the giggles. It could have been the tasty black olive or blue cheese or garlic flavored gelato we had beforehand.

Altar of the Fatherland

 Inside the Vatican-the calm before the storm of weeding through 1000s of people crammed in slow moving stream headed towards the Sistine Chapel.

The small and indoor version of, In Art We Trust @MACRO

 Skate culture meet urban culture @MACRO

@MACRO

Helping a friend in need.

Ceiling of MACRO

Detail of a sarcophagus @ The Vatican

Contemporary art at the Vatican.

Church near Trevi Fountain.

 Sten Lex made these interesting photocopied, layered, and torn images @ MACRO Cross the Streets exhibit.

How much skate culture and street art can you take?