It is so hard to believe that the second semester of my first year at Holy Cross is nearly over. Well, we have a little less than half to go, but it has gone by so fast! This semester, I really took risks with my classes, and I wanted to try some new things. Since I’m still in my first year, I’m still enrolled in the same Montserrat Class. However, instead of reading the comics of beloved Superheroes, this time, we are watching movies and other visual media about the reception of these comics and the themes they deal with. It might sound like a great class, and don’t get me wrong, it is, but it’s no easy task to change the way you watch movies completely! I’m also taking the intro course for Anthropology for the social science requirement and Latin 399 on Petronius’ Satyrica (who is a wild author, to say the least!).
The last class I’m in is Introduction to Visual Arts, one of the introductory courses for the Art History department. So far, we’ve looked at art with a particular focus on the body from one of the earliest periods, the Paleolithic era, to now. It’s been fascinating learning about so much art. And I can already see my museum skills getting so much better! (A plus in my book!)
But, learning about art does not stay in O’Kane hall. We actually get to go out and see it for ourselves. We have to pick about a dozen pieces of any medium and period for our final project and find a common theme to connect them all. But, in more exciting news, we had to go to the Worcester Art Museum to find our central piece. Imagine Art History speed dating: forty minutes, one person, thousands of art pieces for one striking image.
I found mine: an Ancient Assyrian relief sculpture of a Winged Genie from the Palace of Assurnasirpal II. It’s a niche topic, but I’m really into divine sculptures of the Ancient world, so I’ll be looking for some similar pieces. I’ll create a virtual exhibit and possibly present it to a Worcester Public School class before the semester ends.
I’m delighted I took a risk with this class: mainly because I refused to take any Art History classes in high school. Now, I just declared an Art History Minor! See, you never know what you’ll like, and Holy Cross is an excellent place to explore your interests, even if you don’t think you’ll like it!
