Yesterday morning my roommates and I discovered the apples. I can’t say they were best looking apples I’ve ever seen painted, but there they were—captured in watercolor, framed in a nice silver frame, and firmly taped to the glass door of our townhouse. How this painting got there is a complete mystery to the inhabitants of THV 304, but after asking all of the usual suspects if they had anything to do with it, the townhouse almost unanimously agreed they were somehow connected to me. I say “almost” because I am the only one who indignantly disagreed, wondering how in the world I could somehow be responsible for this strange still life that somehow materialized between the hours of 1:00 am and 8:00 am. Their reasoning? Well you’re the artsy one, Allison.
Which sparked my real idea for this week’s blog topic: my UMKC class. In a previous post I mentioned that I am working on putting together an Art History minor (http://allisonbody.blogspot.com/2011/09/art-of-asking-it-really-is-miracle-that.html), but it requires that I take classes outside of Rockhurst, because we do not technically offer enough upper level Art History classes to constitute a minor. One way that I am going about getting the rest of those hours this semester is by taking a class at UMKC called History of Modern Art through the KCASE exchange program. Through KCASE, Rockhurst students can take one class per semester at a variety of other institutions, including UMKC and the Art Institute. The paperwork seemed a little daunting at first, with getting approval from varies parties at both schools, establishing myself as a visiting scholar, and making sure that my credits would transfer, but luckily the path ended up being fairly straightforward and all of my applications and forms went through smoothly.
So now twice a week I hoof it over to UMKC to learn more about some of my favorite artists: Christo, Rauschenberg, and Degas, and to learn about some things I’ve never even heard of, such as Japonisme, which refers to the influence of Japanese art on the West in the 19th century, and Musée de l’Orangerie (a name that is just plain delicious to say), which refers to a building in Paris that once housed oranges but now hosts roomfuls of giant Monet paintings. And I love it. It’s an opportunity I never thought I would end up taking advantage of but I’m so glad I did. Rockhurst may be a small school, but it certainly knows how to maximize its resources and connections—something I’m also discovering as I embark on The Great Internship Hunt (but that is another story for another day). A few chats with advisors, some paperwork at the registrar’s office, and now it looks like I’m actually going to get to be an Art History minor. How do you like them apples?
Christo's "Umbrellas" installation in California
Some goodies:
http://www.rockhurst.edu/academic-advising/faqs/#23 - info about KCASE and other registration FAQ's
http://www.buzzfeed.com/burnred/artists-sandwiches-281t - a gem from my UMKC professor for those of you who like both art and sandwiches
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