By: Dan Dankert

Every year at WIU-QC it has become tradition for student organizations to organize trips to visit different cultural landmarks in Chicago visiting the Shedd Aquarium, the National Museum of Mexican Art, the DuSable Museum of African American History, and the Field Museum in recent years. In 2017, the trip was for the Art Institute of Chicago. The trip was led by LASSO, but it was also co-sponsored by IDEAS, GEMS, and the Office of Student Activities. In all, 51 students here at WIU-QC were able to take part in the trip.

The Art Institute of Chicago is a world renowned art museum and even won Trip Advisor’s #1 Museum in the United States award in 2014. For only a $5 deposit students were able to see some of the premier art collections in the world including a newly reopened set of paintings on contemporary art that includes pieces from artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Jasper Johns.

If Warhol isn’t doesn’t exactly pique your interest the Institute has a plethora of different exhibits for students to check out. Becky Graham, a senior English major here at WIU-QC, thought that the Art Institute’s Monet collection was great, saying she spent nearly 20 minutes in the room that housed the collection enjoying each piece.

One of the best aspects of these Chicago trips is the educational value they provide to the students attending them. Priscilla Porter, a first year student here at WIU-QC, said that going on the trip allowed her to “study and appreciate art on another level.” These types of trips help give students experiences they often wouldn’t receive if it weren’t for these yearly trips. Visiting art museums, aquariums and other museums round out a student’s education and gives them experiences of fields that sometimes aren’t directly what they are studying but deepen their educational experience here at WIU-QC.

If you are interested in going on the trip next year, keep your eye out for announcements and remember that Lincoln’s birthday is your opportunity to explore Illinois here at WIU-QC.