“Creativity blooms from insanity” is a lesson that roughly 50 students learned on April 5. Students were taken to Philadelphia’s Art Museum, the Eastern State Penitentiary, and the Magic Garden to see what art is born from other’s minds. The trip was organized by art teachers Ms. Heather McClure and Mrs. Erin Welsh.
The trip started off with a visit to the Philadelphia Art Museum. Despite some of the wings of the museum being off limits to the public because of maintenance, the experience was one to die for. Featuring artworks such as Sunflowers by Van Gogh, Japanese Footbridge and the Water Lily Pool and Women In A Flower Garden by Claude Monet, the occurrence had a lovely promise of excellent and mesmerizing works. The students even had the chance to view and climb the famous stairs that were shown in the 1976 film Rocky.
The next stop for the students was the Eastern State Penitentiary, an abandoned prison now turned into a historical museum. The students were guided through an audio and visual tour of what used to echo through the ruined cell blocks. The penitentiary had a haunting presence on most of the students and staff members, featuring the eerie and solitude atmosphere that the prisoners once felt.
The last destination of the students was Philadelphia’s Magic Garden. Founded by Isiah Zagar, the Magic Garden is a giant mosaic that covers 3,000 square feet of Philadelphia. The artwork consists of broken bottles, hand-painted tiles, and even bicycle wheels to convey the life of Isiah and journey of self-acceptance. Originally created as a therapeutic means, the mosaic is a mesmerizing experience to walk through. Tourists can see thousands of thoughts all expressed through everyday objects in just a few minutes.
The art shown in Philadelphia is able to create the lesson that insanity and creativity work hand and hand to create appealing masterpieces of art.
