The morning after Arts Fest, eight students in AP® Art History and AP® Design caught an early flight with their faculty chaperones, Upper School Arts Teachers Patrick Huber and Asia Johnson-Brimmage ’19, to visit the vibrant city of Chicago and its array of artistic jewels.
For Johnson-Brimmage, this field trip was a bit of a full-circle moment. “I attended the AP Chicago Trip in 2019 when I was a senior taking AP® Studio,” she said. “Patrick Huber was a chaperone on the trip then as well, so I was excited to experience a different dynamic between us now, as colleagues, rather than as teacher and student. Huber has been going on this trip for as long as I’ve been alive, so I went into it looking forward to learning from him so that I can help plan it in the years to come.”
She continued, “We have a pretty decent overlap of students taking AP Art History and AP Studio, so I also teach half of the students who attended the trip, and it was a great opportunity to talk more candidly about their AP projects, college plans, and general life experiences that we don’t always get to talk about in the classroom.”
After a nourishing and welcome breakfast in the River North neighborhood, students headed straight for the Art Institute of Chicago. There, they viewed and discussed the many masterpieces, including works listed in the AP® Art History “250” list, the specific 250 required works of art and architecture that students must study as part of the curriculum and final AP exam. For many students, like Dalton Costick ’26, this is where textbooks come to life, expanding their knowledge of each piece. “I was able to create more distinct connections to specific artists as well as better understand the small, yet important differences between some pieces,” Costick shared.
After lunch in the Loop, they ventured to the Robie House, a modern marvel and Prairie-style gem crafted by the visionary Frank Lloyd Wright in 1909. Students examined its open floor plan, dramatic cantilevered roof, and extreme horizontal brick lines up close. Then it was off to the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures at the University of Chicago. Students connected to the foundational aspects of artistic expression by way of ancient artifacts from past civilizations. The day concluded with students gathering at the famous Portillo’s restaurant, where they enjoyed their signature Chicago burgers and hot dogs.
On day two, the group took a walking tour of Chicago’s architecture and public sculpture. They studied the innovation and design of skyscrapers and were wowed by the unique public sculptures that punctuate this bustling city’s urban landscape. Lunchtime found students along the Lake Michigan shoreline in the Gold Coast neighborhood, before they headed off to the Museum of Contemporary Art. Strolling through the thought-provoking works, students expanded their understanding of the subjective nature of all art. For dinner, everyone enjoyed classic deep-dish pizza at the renowned Lou Malnati’s before heading to the CIBC Theatre to see the musical Hamilton.
The final morning was dedicated to visiting the Field Museum, a natural history institution famous for its massive collection of nearly 40 million artifacts. Viewing these wonders of the natural world, students connected to nature’s influence on artistic inspiration across millennia.
The group enjoyed lunch in the iconic Millennium Park to study the silver curves of Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate, affectionately known as “The Bean,” and the architectural wonder of Frank Gehry’s Pritzker Pavilion. One more stop at the Art Institute of Chicago wrapped up the trip before heading to catch their flight home.
The students and teachers really enjoyed seeing the art brought to life that they’ve studied, spending time together, and they had a number of impactful and fun experiences:
“My top experiences of the trip were definitely getting to see some neat art by Andy Warhol, getting to see the largest dinosaur skeleton, Sue, and the architecture walking tour,” Costick shared. “There was one artwork that was a stack of papers people could take, but they were all gone, presumably without being replaced ever in the future. That work was really impactful to me.”
With the sights of Chicago still fresh in their minds, our young MICDS artists returned to St. Louis ready to tackle their AP exams with firsthand knowledge of the world’s most famous works.