On Thursday, October 11th, students in Art History, Photography and Drawing classes traveled to New York City to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Students boarded buses traveling to the museum at 7:30 AM and left the Met at 3:00 PM.

The Drawing class visited the new Greek and Roman sculpture gallery, and the Age of Rembrandt show. "It was an inspiration to be sketching alongside professionals in the Greek/Roman sculpure garden," said Zoe Cianciolo '10. The Drawing Class students drew the marble sculptures in the exhibit, alongside professional artists in the gallery. Ms. Jane Gustin, their mentor, commented, “I liked seeing all the kids involved, and having other artists sketching there too.” Students were able to compare their own artwork to that of professionals, which was a valuable learning experience.

After lunch at the museum’s cafeteria, the class visited the Age of Rembrandt show, dedicated entirely to Dutch paintings from the time of Rembrandt. There, Ms. Gustin says, “We [the class] discussed different realistic aspects of the compositions.” For the last hour at the Met, the class separated into groups of two to visit the Costume Institute, the Modern Wing, American Painting wing, or to further explore the Greek and Roman gallery.

The art classes thought the trip was a great way to learn more about past artists and about how to become a better one. Many of the students had favorite pieces. “My favorite sculpture was the heart and a box of chocolates,” says Ashley Rinere ’10. "There was a rifle from the 1500s that was completely fashioned from ivory, gold, and silver, with the story of Perseus carved into the ivory. That was my favorite," says Luke Marrinan '11. Daniela Lara ’09 noted, “I liked the way artists used light to create a profound image.”

There may be no better experience for an art student than a trip to one of the premier art museums in the world. Christina Adelakun ’09 said, “The trip was absolutely amazing and the artwork was truly inspiring. It makes more of an impact to see the art up close than to see a photo of it in a book.” Loren Olson ’08 commented, “We had studied the works as abstractions-figures in our textbook-so the excitement and awe of seeing the pieces in person was considerable. It is wonderful that our school has the resources to send us into the city, but even rarer that we have someone as expert as Mr. William Cobbett for a guide.” Mr. Cobbett is a senior arts instructor at Choate. The annual trip is open to the Art History, Drawing and Photography classes, who are excused from classes for the day for the occasion.