By Lauren Peller

This past November, the AP Art History class took an enriching and inspiring trip to the Modern Museum of Art in New York City where the students were able to appreciate, first hand, hundreds of pieces that are part of the new curriculum. As of 2015-2016, the new AP Art History curriculum encompasses the BIG “250,” indicating the pieces of art that the students must evaluate and recognize for the AP exam in May. Since much of the curriculum is at the MoMA, the trip was very worthwhile.

The AP Art History course explores topics such as the nature of art, its uses, its meaning, art making, and responses through art. Through investigation of diverse artistic traditions of culture from prehistoric to the present, the course promotes an understanding of the global and historical perspective. While there, my class was encouraged to explore contemporary and modern works of art in MoMA’s collection. Seeing these works of art provided us with opportunities to relate concepts and ideas of the artwork to our individual knowledge and perspectives.

MoMA’s evolving collection comprises almost 200,000 works of modern and contemporary art by over 10,000 artists. It was established in 1929, housing a broad worldwide collection from photography to painting to the world’s most famous collection of modern and contemporary art. If you want to be mesmerized by Picasso’s Starry Night or Jackson Pollock’s enormous masterpiece take a trip to the MoMA!

AP Art History teacher Mrs. Uttendorfer said, “ We are lucky to have so many modern masterpieces right here in New York City. Seeing artwork in person as opposed to seeing them in class brings them to life. The surface texture, scale, and color always seem different in person, often better. Since the new AP Art History curriculum requires the class to know 250 selected works, it’s important to be as familiar with them as possible. Taking the time to view them at museums makes the experience more memorable for my students.”  As a member of this class, I couldn’t agree more with Mrs. Uttendorfer. The trip to the MoMA was inspirational and educational; it was the perfect complement to our already intriguing curriculum.

Slideshow Courtesy of Lauren Peller