By Koa Davidson
Over President’s Day Weekend, students at Ponte Vedra High School visited New York City to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Although previous trips of this nature were restricted to current AP Art students only, people who had previously taken the class were permitted to join due to the trip being cancelled for the past two years with Coronavirus being cited as the reason for the postponement. The trip is coordinated every year by the AP Art History teachers for sophomore, junior, and senior students.
Over 30 students arrived at Jacksonville International Airport on Friday at 5 A.M. then flew to LaGuardia Airport in New York. Upon the flight’s arrival, around 8:30 A.M., students got on to a bus which transported them along with their luggage to the Park Central, the hotel where they were staying. The travelers made a pastime of pointing out notable landmarks, such as the Financial District, Time Square, and the Empire State Building, across the multitude of boroughs which were crossed to reach its destination.
When the students arrived, they dropped off their bags and headed out into groups to explore the city and grab lunch. At 11 A.M. the groups reunited and trekked a mile and a half through Central Park to arrive at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The museum has multiple floors and featured works from Ancient Greeks and Egyptians all the way to Monet and Van Gogh. Some stayed in for the night, while others elected to spend an evening in Time Square. The journey back was not met with enthusiasm due to the weather of Manhattan being below freezing and it beginning to hail. The students nevertheless, made the uncomfortable return to the hotel.
On Saturday, students were ordered to meet in the hotel’s lobby to grab breakfast before walking to the subway station to go to the Brooklyn Museum of Art. The museum was notably less crowded than the Metropolitan Museum and had a unique focus on Indigenous-American art and interior design. After the exploration the group headed to the Museum of Modern Art. One student remarked, “My favorite exhibit was the power nap one, honestly, because it was just a place you could rest.” This is in reference to the one of MOMA’s many unique exhibits, this one in particular being a piece entitled “Black Power Naps” which featured numerous beds, multiple students used this exhibit as resting place from their long walk around the complex.
On Sunday, the final day of the trip, students headed down with their luggage around 10A.M. and departed to see St. Patrick’s Cathedral, however, an entire journey through the cathedral was not feasible due to there being a Mass ceremony at the church. The group quickly departed to view several office buildings before returning after the Mass had ended. The cathedral was unique in that it had a pilgrimage plan in its architecture. This means that it was possible for visitors of the church to conduct a full revolution around the church without directly entering the aisles. In the center of the cathedral, there was a small chapel dedicated to Mary, many took this time to pray. The group of students were then split in to three, with some electing to go shopping, others wanting to go to the National September 11th Memorial & Museum, and some going to see the Museum of Natural History. At 5 P.M. all the students were to return to the lobby of the hotel to collect their bags. The bus arrived soon after and transported them back to LaGuardia Airport. The plane arrived around 8:30 P.M. and made its landing back in Jacksonville at 11 P.M. The visit to New York was an enriching and eye-opening experience for the students of Ponte Vedra High School. The city contains so many renowned institutions that everyone can be satisfied, be it in history, art, or science. It is safe to say that this visit served as an experience which will not be forgotten by these students.
