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On Thursday, April 18, the annual Avon visual arts field trip brought a group of students to Boston where they visited the Museum of Fine Arts and the headquarters of Artists For Humanity (AFH), an organization that provides resources for teens to pursue careers in the arts. As always, the trip was informative, inspirational, and a lot of fun.

The trip began with a tour of AFH’s main base of operation, where the organization was founded in 2004 as a place for teens to hone their art skills and connect with potential art buyers. This location includes an event space, art gallery, and multiple studios for a wide range of artistic mediums including paint, 3D design, and photography. After touring the art gallery and facilities, Avon students had the opportunity to work on their own collaborative art project—a wooden Winged Beaver statue.
 

Using markers, paint brushes, spray paint, and more, each student stylized their own section of the statue. Once safely back on campus, these pieces were assembled together to form the statue.

Lizzy Mayer is the director of the AFH “Co-Lab,” a subsection of AFH dedicated to instruction collaboration with school groups. She says it was a pleasure to work with Avonians.

“This is an incredible group,” Mayer said. “You could tell right away how dedicated a lot of these guys are to art. All of them were attentive, respectful, and very engaged the whole time.”

She explained why AFH makes the effort to work with students in a collaborative way. “They leave school and come here, and for a brief period they still act like they’re in a classroom. But they quickly realize that here they are collaborators on the same level as the mentor’s they’re working with. It gives them the freedom and confidence to express themselves creatively.”
 

After lunch, students visited the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The museum boasts a collection of nearly 500,000 works that tells the story of the human experience. The exhibits range from ancient artifacts to modern masterpieces and include works from all the well-known artists throughout history.

Any student currently enrolled in an art class was invited on the trip. For some of these students, it was an opportunity for experiential and active learning and a chance to explore Boston with friends. For students who hope to pursue art as a potential career, it was a chance to see what opportunities are available and to gain inspiration for their own art. That was the case for freshman Eh Ta Kaw, who was excited to be able to visit a museum filled with historic art.

“I have a passion for art. Seeing those paintings and other work was really inspiring. I hope to be able to emulate that in my own work next year.”

Jack Donnelly ’27 is in the same Drawing 2 class as Eh Ta, and he shared the same joy at being able to view such renowned artwork. “There was inspiration all around today. I’m not sure which art class I’ll take next year, but this trip gave me some ideas for what I might want to work on.”
 

It’s understandable that Jack and his classmates might struggle to choose which art class to enroll in each semester. The school offers more than a dozen visual arts courses for all skill-levels in a wide array of mediums including drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, and woodworking. These classes offer a chance to express creativity and develop a talent for visual art. They also earn students an invite for field trips like this most recent excursion to Boston!
 

Click here to view photos from the trip to Boston
 

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