Students will work on collaborative projects that will be on temporary exhibition in the park. Close contact with working artists and art students in these two countries as well as a visit to the National Art Academy in Tallinn Estonia will provide a wide range of exposure to contemporary issues in visual art in Europe. Visits to major art museums, cultural sites will be arranged in each country. For those students who choose to extend their stay in Europe, Helsinki is the ideal city from which to visit St. Petersburg Russia and the Hermitage Museums and other world-class collections and historic sites

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

the end.

Hello to all following our blog. The wonders and mysteries of Eastern Europe have kept me from posting. This is the end. I arrived home late last night from Finland, having traveled the entire way with Billingsley.

First and most importantly, I owe a deep gratitude to the students for maintaining the highest degree of professionalism and dedication throughout the excursion. You have all represented your school, instructors, and country as ambassadors. I am proud to say that you made my responsibilities a pleasure.

Secondly, I should note that our hosts on each leg of the expedition have formally invited us to return. I intend to. Additionally we made lasting professional contacts throughout the Baltics that will undoubtedly lead to great things for each of us professionally.

Concerning our travel to Russia. We took a luxury bus from Riga to Tallinn-the only way to go! Tallinn was time for R&R, everyone marched to their own beat for two nice days in the city. 4:00 am, the third morning, we boarded another Eurolines lux express bus bound for Russia.

Once in St. Petersburg we had a strict itinerary that we followed flawlessly. Everyone eagerly immersed themselves into their surroundings. The students made every attempt to understand the culture and history, while observing the obvious changes that are making the "new" Russia. Westernization is prevalent throughout the city, corner grocers replaced by designer shops, family restaurants now chains, and sleek European cars have replaced the Soviet Lada. Six years ago guard shacks darkened every street corner with machine gun soldiers. Those olive drab steel shelters have been removed or converted into news stands. The police state does still exist though. They rear their head randomly and without warning by barracading streets, wandering amidst the general populace in military fatigues, and harassing tourists at museums. The country is changing at a furious pace but the tumultuous history is so deeply imbued in the people and culture that no amount of paint or modernization can conceal the past. For me, that constant and unrelenting awareness of the past is what I love about traveling to Russia. The grit, the dirt, eyes on the horizon, and all of the beauty built on the shoulders of the working class make the place. The students this year seemed particularly aware of these things, and expressed an obvious thirst for information about what makes the place Russia. One thing is certain, when a person experiences Russia directly they are changed by it. I look forward to seeing how this trip affects each of those who participated.

In closing, thanks Carl.

No comments:

Post a Comment