Paris 2013

I just returned from Paris, France, where I was teaching with three faculty colleagues in a new program entitled Experiencing Arts and Culture. We had a group of twenty-four students from across the university (from finance to strategic communication to social work to the arts) and they were all studying the integrated arts in one of the best cities in the world.

As participants, the students experienced an immersive thematic sequence focused on the global importance and impact of the integrated creative arts (e.g.: architecture, interior design, theatre, studio arts, graphic design, fashion, music, etc.). This intensive, experiential program helped each student develop a general knowledge of cultural history, and an understanding of the theories and application of various forms of the creative arts. This sequence assumed no prior knowledge and was intended to make the creative arts interesting, accessible, and valuable for all majors.

Instruction was provided by a multi-disciplinary team of faculty from the College of Creative Arts. For 2013, this team included myself (Art/Design), John Weigand (Architecture/Interior Design), Julia Guichard (Theatre), and Harvey Thurmer (Music).

We kept an extensive class blog with all the assignments and examples of the projects the students created. Please visit it at: experiencingartsculture.wordpress.com.