HUDSON— The Russian Icon Museum: An intriguing term four independent field trip to the Russian Icon museum. After completing my previous three independent field trips I realized that I wanted to expand my knowledge and boundaries a little more for my last trip. Therefore choosing to go to the Russian Icon museum as a new place to expand my knowledge. My major takeaway from this experience was that old artwork is very unique and creative and people should value them more than they currently do.
The total experience of the field trip was unique and new because of the fascinating art museum. Overall I enjoyed my time at the Russian Icon Museum.
- First Impression
From the first step into the museum I realized that this was nothing I had ever seen before. Everywhere you looked was incredible vibrant artwork that looked to be centuries old. I had expected this museum to be just like every other museum with paintings and sculptures and a few old “masterpieces,” but what I saw was symbolic storytelling artwork.
Before going I expected the museum to be tiny because of the way the building is laid out from perspective on the outside. However I quickly realized that the museum was fairly large and was completely filled with tremendous artwork that still perplexes me with the complicity involved in creating the art.
- Outside of my comfort zone
This was not the typical museum that I would be going to. Usually it would consist of hands-on activities or typical American artwork and sculptures. Where this museum was filled with over 1000 different ancient Russian artifacts. A majority of the artwork was religious material typically showing a religious figure. This made me have to think more deeply about what the artwork was trying to convey because I don’t have a lot of religious material knowledge, which did make my experience interesting.
One encounter with a worker told me a unique fact that a lot of the artifacts date back to 1450. This still shocks me because the fact some of the paintings were able to be preserved for over 500 years and make it to Clinton, Massachusetts is incredible.
- My changing view on artwork
Originally I came into this field trip not expecting to gain anything out of it and was planning on going through the motions and getting it over with, but by the end of the trip this was certainly not the case. I was now thoroughly enjoying the trip and was curious about some of the artwork which led me to interact with a few people walking around. One worker was very pleasing to talk to and was able to answer a majority of my questions. Although I did not catch his name, I am very appreciative of his knowledge that helped me through my experience because that knowledge also helped me look more appreciative towards the artwork.
- Friendly Environment
Another major takeaway from this experience was the friendly environment that made me feel welcomed into an environment where I wouldn’t usually be. There were many museum workers inside that were highly professional and definitely had a good understanding of what they were talking about. The museum itself had a flourishing feeling while everything was laid out in a mannerly fashion with appropriately dimmed lights. The friendly atmosphere turned what could have been an overwhelming experience into an enjoyable time.
- Unfamiliar doesn’t mean unimportant
Overall this was a highly unique experience that crossed many boundaries that were set before the trip. I learned that just because something isn’t your specialty it doesn’t mean that it isn’t important. All the artwork that I saw displayed their own creative way of telling a story. To me this would have never been important, but now I am more comfortable expanding my learning boundaries so this trip was an overall success.
