Rice University's Department of Art History will celebrate a milestone in a manner befitting its creative spirit by embarking on a transformative journey to Paris. The week-long excursion, marking the 10th anniversary of the department’s spring break trip, promises to be an exploration of art, culture and history March 9-16.
“Travel is key for art and architectural history; visiting museums and cities works to foster the link between knowledge and direct experience that nurtures critical thinking,” said Fabiola López-Durán, who is coordinating the trip along with fellow associate professor of art history Gordon Hughes. “I’m very thankful to be in a department that has the resources to provide this opportunity to students who might not otherwise be able to travel.”
Access to these opportunities, regardless of a student’s individual ability to fund them, has always been a priority for the Department of Art History, said Chelsey Denny, the department’s administrator and imaging specialist. She added that the level of access would not be possible without the support of a number of endowments: the Anne E. Treichler Travel Awards, William Edwin Bryan Jr. Travel Fellowships, Mary Ellen Hale Lovett Traveling Fellowships and other generous individual gifts to the Department of Art History.
Seeing art in person, López-Durán stressed, is an entirely different experience than seeing photos of art in books.
“Art is a living, breathing thing. It’s not a thing that should just be studied when you’re looking at digital projections in a dark classroom,” Hughes said.
Rice undergraduate students will have the unique opportunity to delve into the rich tapestry of artistic masterpieces housed within Paris’ renowned museums and collections. From the Louvre’s iconic treasures to the thought-provoking exhibits at the Musée du Quai Branly, participants will engage in vibrant discussions and gain invaluable insights into the world of art curation, exchange and creation.
Hughes and López-Durán said the instrumental role played by the staff at the Rice Global Paris Center, Rice’s first international campus, cannot be overstated in the seamless execution of the trip.
“We have been very fortunate to get the support not only of our amazing staff in the art history department but also the stellar staff at Rice Global Paris,” López-Durán said. “We are able to focus on the content because they took care of everything else, reserving every single ticket for every single museum, restaurant, concert and for everything that we are planning to do with the students.”
“The work that Fabiola and I do is the most visible work, but it’s also the easiest work,” Hughes said. “All of the heavy lifting is done by Irene Kwan and Chelsey Denny in the art history department as well as by Camille Evans, Irene Mendez and Garry White in the Rice Global Paris Center.”
This year’s trip marks a significant shift from the previous itinerary, which took students to New York during spring break. Historically, that trip garnered 40 or so applications. Paris, on the other hand, drew 157 interested students to an informational session, 107 of whom followed up with applications. López-Durán and Hughes were then tasked with winnowing the applicants down to the 10 students who would accompany them to Paris.
“The priority was for art history majors and minors, but Fabiola and I wanted to reserve some spots for non-majors and minors, so it would provide an opportunity for someone in another department or with another major to see what it is that art historians do in Paris of all places,” Hughes said.
The trip will transcend the conventional boundaries of Eurocentric art history methodologies. López-Durán and Hughes have meticulously designed the itinerary to disrupt traditional categories and temporalities, showcasing Paris as not merely a European phenomenon but a global nexus of cultural exchange.
“We want to showcase the Francophone world more broadly, be it Canada or Morocco or Algeria or Senegal,” Hughes said. “Part of our ambition for the trip is seeing that Paris is not just a European phenomenon, it is a global phenomenon.”
The immersive experience will extend beyond museum visits by encompassing architectural explorations, culinary adventures and encounters with the vibrant pulse of Parisian life.
“It is impossible to fully understand an artwork without actually having a sense of the culture, the politics and the historical development,” López-Durán said. “You go from the specificities of a work of art to the context in which that work of art was produced and received. Art makes history in the moment of its production but also in the moment of its reception.”
While this is the first time Paris will be a destination for the department’s spring break trip, its popularity to date suggests it won’t be the last.
“Everyone in the department was quite taken off guard at how much student interest there was in this trip, so now we’re thinking it’ll be a biennial event,” Hughes said.
López-Durán suggested that other art and cultural meccas, such as Mexico City, may also be incorporated into future plans. For now, though, she and Hughes are focused on making the most of springtime in Paris.
“We’re confident this trip will be one of the most memorable experiences for the students when they think back to their time at Rice,” Hughes said.
