Saturday, March 29, 2008

HOME!

Well we have all arrived back home. It was a long day home - almost 26 hours with flight delays and all. At least the Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport is pretty cool! The Sky Link provided some fun! Well I'm sure everyone is as tired as myself so when we regain our wits we'll add some more pics and info form our journey!

Thanks-ECC Art Club

Thursday, March 27, 2008

More Fun In London

Well here is a smattering of pics-some arty some sights some cool! We've all had a great time! A renewed sense of belonging and independence! We've seen some pretty amazing stuff, been to some historic places. The world is now indeed smaller. Tomorrow begins our trek home! A very long trek!!!!! When we get back we will continue to get images up on this sight to again act as a document of our journey. We need to sift through pics on 8 different cameras and film we shot on old school 8mm film cameras. We're going to put together a short film that documents the trip. See you all soon!








Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Canterbury (a day late)

Sorry this is a day late, but everyone has been hustling and bustling around. There's so much to do!


So, yesterday we hopped the train to Canterbury to visit Adam's old university and take in the sights. It was quite the interesting little town, with ancient buildings juxtaposed with modern life. We spent the first part of the day at University College for the Creative Arts (formerly Kent Institute of Art and Design) where Adam's old professor gave us a tour around. It was a neat little campus. We gathered up info brochures and he answered questions and we went on our way to the see rest of Canterbury.

So.... onward to Canterbury Cathedral. There really aren't words that would do it justice, so I'll stick with pictures.




After that we all broke off to do our own thing around town. There were plenty of little shops and restaurants around. Most everyone bought souvenirs. The square around the cathedral was quite entertaining, and there were plenty of street performers.... and the justice league.....


After that, I went off to the park to snap some photos of the gardens and the medieval wall.




After a long day, we hopped the evening train back to Central London. After a quick nap, some of us went back out exploring. Then collapsed.

PS: Rob bought new pants

Monday, March 24, 2008

The Tate Modern

Today we visted the Tate Modern. This museum was once a power plant and is now a seven story art mecca. It's simply massive, and with so much to see, we spent a good chunk of our day here. Rothko, Rauschenburg, Richter, Lichtenstein, Warhol, Monet, Matisse, Picasso, Man Ray, Duchamp, we saw it all!



This is the view from the 5th floor down into the Turbine hall. The featured installation is Doris Salcedo’s Shibboleth, a chasm that stretches the entire length of the Tate's bottom floor (nearly 600 feet).

After that, we wondered about for awhile, enjoyed the city, ate fish and chips, and went back to the hotel to rest our weary legs.



Public art at the Gloucester tube station, an 8 ft panda head.



Adam teaching and stuff. He'll do that from time to time.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Trafalgar Square




Today we went to Trafalgar square, infront of the National Gallery on a walking tour of London. This is Janet infront of the National Gallery, feeding/being attacked by pidgeons! We also visited speakers corner, the Princess Diana memorial in Kensingon Park, and had lunch in Lester Square, walked through SoHo, visited St. Pauls, Parliment, and Big Ben!

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Arrived

Hey we have arrived safe and sound. Most everyone is wiped out and sleeping. We're having some internet issues, but we'll try to get it sorted-at least we can type words-images may come later. The flights were good except we all got a little stir crazy as our flight into London got extended a bit as we had to circle the airport for about half an hour-and after an 8 1/2 hour flight enough is enough. Strong winds today in London and we also saw a spot of snow for about 15 minutes! Very Strange indeed. Hope no one has gotten flooded out and we'll post more later!

Thursday, March 13, 2008

ITINERARY


DAY 1
Fly overnight to London, England

DAY 2
Arrive in London
Check into hotel
Take a walking tour to familiarize ourselves with the city, sights to include:
Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, The Strand

DAY 3
Morning-
Guided tour of London:
Big Ben, Parliament, Piccadilly Circus, St. Paul’s Cathedral
The Changing of The Guard

Afternoon-
Tate Britain

Evening-
Free time to sightsee, shop and explore

DAY 4
Day Trip!
Canterbury and Dover:
Canterbury City Centre
Tour: KIAD, The University College For The Creative Arts
Canterbury Cathedral, White Cliffs of Dover, Dover Castle
The Port

DAY 5
Morning + Afternoon-
Visit the South Bank:
Tate Modern, Hayward Gallery, London Eye

Evening-
Optional Theatre Performance
TBD

DAY 6
Morning-
The British Museum
Afternoon-
The National Gallery
Evening-
Free time to sightsee, shop and explore

DAY 7
Morning-
ICA (Institute of Contemporary Art, Whitechapel Gallery
Afternoon-
Saatchi Gallery
Evening-
Free time to sightsee, shop and explore

DAY 8
Return flight to USA

Other suggested activities:
The National Portrait Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Natural History museum, the Science Museum, Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Hyde Park

ECC Art Club: Mission/Vision



Art Club is a student led organization at East Central College and is sponsored by the ECC Art Department. Art Club seeks to enrich the campus and the community through artistic minded endeavors. Last year Art Club forged a bond with ALIVE of Franklin County. ALIVE (Alternatives to Living in Violent Environments), provides support services and short-term emergency sanctuary to adults and children victimized by domestic violence. This type of community service/outreach has always been and will continue to be close to the heart and at the forefront of Art Club’s ethos, ideas and ideals.

We live in a truly global society. The world is getting smaller and smaller and more accessible all of the time. We must endeavor to make the globe our classroom. This is especially vital in the art classroom/studio. As art students, we spend years looking at images in books, slides projected on the wall and on the internet and the truth is none of these are accurate! Seeing art in the flesh is paramount and as the old adage goes, seeing is believing!

The opportunity to travel abroad is one that should not be taken lightly, but at the same time should be held close to someone’s heart. It is a lifelong learning experience. London, England is just the place to have such an experience. As an art student the experience is that much more impactful as one is surrounded by the works of DaVinci and Monet through Damien Hirst and Gillian Wearing all in the same city and often in the same museum alongside the opportunity to see the spoils of Greece, Rome and Egypt. Students will also get a taste of the gallery scene in one of the most important art cities of the world. This is a cultural experience that one will never forget and will continue to inform oneself for years to come.

I was lucky enough to attend Graduate School in the UK at The Kent Institute of Art and Design now The University College For The Creative Arts. It was a life changing experience and I would like to help foster similar experiences with my students. I will be accompanying the students on this trip and rest assured this is an educational endeavor.

Adam Watkins
ECC Art Club Sponsor
Art Instructor East Central College

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

ECC Art Club: Countdown To London!


Ladies and Gentlemen...
We are closing in on departure!
Friday the 21st of March is fast approaching! This site will be used to "HOPEFULLY" update our friends and loved ones while we are in London! We can upload photographs and type messages. Again "HOPEFULLY" we'll be on top of our game and update folks as we see new and exciting things. More later!