AP Art History Visits Napa Museum
May 23, 2019
Teacher Molly Kerr took her AP Art History class to the Di Rosa Museum in Napa on May 22 for the class’s 3rd and final field trip.
Di Rosa only gives tours to groups with less than 35 people. Luckily, Kerr only teaches 1 section of APAH, allowing for all of her students to attend.
“I think it’s just so different from the other museums that we’ve been to because it’s an outdoor museum, it’s Northern Californian art, we get to enjoy Napa– which is a great place to have lunch,” said Kerr, who originally heard about the museum via art teacher Jill Langston. “It was so unusual from our previous field trips.”
Although the artwork displayed wasn’t part of the APAH curriculum, Kerr still felt that the trip was valuable for students. “It’s modern abstract art– postmodern art– which is what we’ve studied, but this is a California artist collection of that artwork, so in that sense, there’s an appreciation for art other than what we’ve specifically studied,” she said.
“I just think that when you get to see art in person, whether or not you’ve studied it in class, you get to bring your knowledge of art to a new understanding,” Kerr added.
Senior Grace Younger, a 1st-timer to the APAH field trip experience, enjoyed the outing. “I liked hearing the history of the artwork,” said Younger. “Nothing’s really happening at school at the end of the year, so it was fun to get out and experience art with Mrs. Kerr, my favorite teacher.”
“It’s a fun opportunity to see art,” agreed senior Graham Velek, who appreciates the “tradition” of APAH field trips. “Spending the day outdoors was a nice break from being cooped up inside the classroom.”
After viewing Di Rosa’s Viola Frey exhibit and outdoor displays, the class enjoyed lunch in Napa’s Oxbow Market.
