The excitement was in the air as Art and Textiles students from Headington School in Oxford, embarked on a once in a lifetime trip to the outstanding New York City. This four night trip to the ‘Big Apple’ was an extraordinary opportunity for these young art lovers. Offering them a chance to explore all the incredible exhibitions, galleries and famous monuments dotted around Manhattan Island. 

 

A photography tour around Central Park was a prominent start to the first full day, capturing all the beautiful woodlands and manicured gardens along with some architectural wonders including the Bethesda Terrace and Bow Bridge. The Art Galleries the students visited were full of creativity and diversity. We visited the Guggenheim, The Metropolitan, The Whitney Museum which is far from the Witney we know, Museum of Modern Art and the Fotografiska museum and gallery. We enjoyed the spectacles of seeing the works of the well celebrated artists like Vincent Van Gogh, Henri Matisse and Claude Monet etc. Students bought sketchbooks with them to create their own versions of what they saw. A personal highlight for me would be spotting “The Lovers” by René Magritte in the Museum of Modern Art as I have been studying Magritte and that exceptional piece of his specifically. Both Emily and Lydia, two of my friends and textiles students, found that the trip was “an incredible experience and opportunity” and that “everywhere we visited was extremely inspiring”.

 

No trip to New York City would be complete without visiting The Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty and their breathtaking views. The Empire State was equally as iconic as Lady Liberty, however all students marvelled at the panoramic views of the city from the top of the building, and for many, this was their first time seeing such a mesmerising skyline. Not only did we see outstanding artwork but the teachers also took the students to the production Chicago on Broadway which ended up being a musical masterpiece as many expected and was an exciting end to one of the days. 

 

On a more sombre note, we went to see the 911 memorial. Where once the towers stood are now two infinity water pools alongside a museum. The sound of the water and the profound sense of emptiness created by the absence of the towers created a reflective atmosphere allowing visitors to pay their respects to the tragic deaths that occurred on this severe day.

 

We arrived back on the streets of rainy Headington, hugged each other goodbye and thanked all the teachers for this trip. Overall, it ended up being a huge success and an experience that many will never forget.