Nine AP Art History students visited the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco today to view contemporary and ancient works and to select two pieces of art to compare for a course project.

The museum, which originally opened in 1966, is often said to be home to the most extensive collection of Asian art in the world.

The Asian perspective was new to many students, as the AP curriculum tends to focus on western dominated art.

“It was a great idea to go there because our entire course is pretty Euro-centric and focuses a lot on the Western canon, so going to the Asian art museum reminded us of the rich, layered global nature of art,” Apoorva Rangan (12) said.

Allison Kiang (12) shared a similar sentiment and commented on her favorite exhibit.

“The trip really gave me a greater appreciation for art beyond the western tradition and allowed me to see the cross-cultural influences derived from Asian art in European works,” she said. “I really enjoyed the installations by Jung Ran Bae, a contemporary Korean American artist. His work TEAter-Totter was incredibly interesting as he uses stacked tea pots to express the uncertainty that comes with change amidst tradition.”

History and Social Science Department Chair Donna Gilbert’s students used the field trip as an opportunity to learn outside the classroom. They were assigned a project in which they are asked to compare two pieces of art. Samyukta Yagati (12) chose to write about two works that feature the same subject from different geographical viewpoints.

“The trip was helpful because it allowed us to look at art in real life and make our own analyses instead of being limited to the textbook,” she said. “I’m comparing statues of Vishnu from Cambodia and Karnataka.”

For more information about the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, visit http://www.asianart.org.