For one week in January, the bustling galleries of the Met and the neon-lined streets of Broadway became the primary classrooms for 17 MICDS Upper Schoolers. More than a standard sightseeing tour, this Winter Term immersion challenged students to become curators and navigators of the Big Apple. Led by Upper School Arts Teacher Patrick Huber and Director of Upper School Student Leadership & Dean of Students Nicole Trueman-Shaw, the group went beyond the tourist traps of New York City to explore the craft and soul of the world’s most iconic art scene.
Huber noted two primary goals for this trip. One was to build the students’ experience in art, specifically visual art, theater, and music. Huber said, “In each of these areas, the students experienced the finished products and got a behind-the-scenes look at the circumstances of each creation and the roles of the artists who created them.”
The other main goal of the trip was to teach life skills. “Many of our students have traveled before with their families, but we made it clear from the beginning that they were a group of young adults. By the third day, a student was assigned to map each of our subway routes and lead the group. In the museums, students presented works they had researched, with some of those presentations joined by random museum-goers,” said Huber.
To prepare for the trip, students spent the first week of Winter Term here on campus, immersing themselves in the visual arts and theater, researching the artworks they would see in New York, with Huber providing context for those works.
In the visual arts, students worked with a partner to select works from the Metropolitan and Brooklyn Museums. The class then voted on which artworks they would present to the group in New York, alongside the original works. This method is often used in Huber’s AP® Art History course, where students study a work in depth from the St. Louis Art Museum. On Saturday mornings, they visit the museum to deliver their presentation to classmates and passersby. Huber said, “Students take the research and presentations seriously, studying the rich mythological arrangements of Teipolo’s Allegory of the Planets and Continents, and the context of their creation, like the fascinating economic history behind the 17th-century Dutch Tulip Vase.”
On the theater side, students discussed how we all, students and adults alike, deal with significant life issues of love, trust, and truth, the very issues that are in two of the three plays they would see in NYC, Maybe Happy Ending and The Great Gatsby. Students also researched and delivered presentations on the fascinating conspiracy theories behind the play Stranger Things: The First Shadow. “All of these made the experience of attending those shows richer and more rewarding,” said Huber.
Once in New York City, the days centered on long stretches of time dedicated to visual art across a wide range of museums, as well as behind-the-scenes experiences at artists’ studios, galleries, and a graffiti workshop.
Late afternoon and evenings were dedicated to theater. Performances featured top Broadway shows in historic theaters. Behind the scenes, students visited a prop shop and a scenic designer’s studio, and participated in an improv workshop with a dynamic young Broadway professional. “The venue for the workshop proved particularly interesting,” said Huber. “We had to navigate a series of hallways in the Manhattan offices where auditions are held for Broadway shows, road productions, and theme parks. Students saw a real slice of life as they shared elevators with actors, singers, and dancers going to and from their auditions.”
Huber added, “Music performances were integral to two of the shows, and the orchestra in Maybe Happy Ending is featured in a magical way (no spoilers!).” Behind the scenes, students sat in on rehearsals at the Manhattan School of Music, serving as a shining example of a community that values live music as part of everyday life, like in the subway tunnels and food markets.
Each day included a mix of exploring historical and iconic spaces in New York and engaging with the arts:
- On their first two days in Manhattan, they explored two elevated parks, Little Island and the High Line, before visiting the exquisite works at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Day two ended with an improv workshop, dinner, and shopping in Koreatown.
- Day three found the group at Grand Central Station, Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and viewing the play, Maybe Happy Ending.
- Day four started at the Oculus, a striking, white-ribbed main terminal of the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, built after 9/11. Students enjoyed a special tour of the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas, led by MICDS alum Austin Chod ’07. After lunch in SoHo, they visited the historic and iconic Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), attended a music rehearsal at the Manhattan School of Music, had dinner near Times Square, and saw the show The Great Gatsby.
- A graffiti tour kicked off on day five, followed by a street-art workshop in Bushwick, visiting a Broadway prop house, exploring the more cutting-edge art laboratory at MoMA PS1, enjoying a Greek Dinner in Astoria, and closing the day with Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
- On day six, the students enjoyed visiting the Brooklyn Museum and artists’ studios and galleries. After dinner in Gowanus, Brooklyn, a few students from the group made a midnight visit to Times Square.
Tess Thompson ’28 enjoyed the visceral experience of the theater. When asked to describe it, she said, “The emotion! It was so magical, and it felt so real. There were times I audibly cried, laughed, and even jumped out of shock and fear.” Tess also appreciated the opportunity to interact with real artists living and working. “As someone who wants to have a job in the art community, it was nice to see how it actually is rather than what we are told.”
“My favorite part about the New York travel experience was the Stranger Things play,” said Elle Faerber ’28. “I really enjoyed the sound effects and all the technology involved with the play. We also spent time understanding the work behind the scenes, which really showed us the effort it took to produce one play. We explored prop and set designing companies in Brooklyn. I am really happy I got to learn more about the city with my friends!”
Huber said, “Our experience in New York had a different rhythm than the trips I’ve taken with students to Europe – I think because it was part of Winter Term. When students started to drift, I would sometimes remind them, ‘You’re at school.’ They all respected this, which I appreciated, especially in a busy environment like New York. What I hope for them, and I think might happen, is that they think about it the other way around. The attention our students know how to apply when they’re ‘at school’ helps them experience art, theater, or even a meal in a more profound way. Now that we’re back, they can flip the script and realize that they can enrich the classroom by bringing the travel vibe, that open heart and sense of wonder, back to the rest of their classes.
“I am so grateful for the time I spent chaperoning these students. With every actor, designer, artist, musician, and museum-goer that I watched interact with them, I was proud to be that teacher from St. Louis who has helped educate this unique group of creative young adults.
“Special thanks also to Ms. Trueman-Shaw, who proved to be an excellent travelling companion, well-suited to take advantage of the teachable moments these trips offer.”
From breathtaking museum visits and engaging historical outings to endless culinary delights and interactive workshops, the vibrant city of New York offered a diverse array of activities that inspired our students as artists and art lovers.