AP Art History students tour San Francisco Asian Art Museum

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Katerina Matta

Phoebe Castle (11) takes in a work from the “Color Trip: Yoshida Hodaka’s Modern Prints” exhibit at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco during a field trip on Mar. 27. “I was immediately drawn to the different themes of color in each one of the [prints],” she said.

by Felix Chen and Katerina Matta

Advanced Placement (AP) Art History students visited the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco during a field trip on Mar. 27.  

After attending their fifth period classes, students left school from the front loading zone at 9:30 a.m., driving just over an hour to San Francisco. They then split into groups and explored the museum until noon. AP Art History student Phoebe Castle (11) remarked on the exclusive exhibition “Color Trip: Yoshida Hodaka’s Modern Prints,” which will remain on view through May 1, 2023. 

“I really liked the Zodiac [Landscape collection by Hodaka],” Phoebe said. “I was immediately drawn to the different themes of color in each one of the [prints]. For example, Gemini is obviously blues and greens, and that’s stereotypically associated with the Gemini. Leo has bold, red colors, [since] the personality of a Leo is bold and loud. It’s interesting that the artist incorporated that.”

The museum featured art from various Asian cultures, including East Asia, India and Southeast Asia, boasting a collection of over 18,000 items in total. Jeffrey Zhang (10) was particularly interested in art from Thailand, as he had recently visited the country. 

“It was really interesting seeing all the Buddhist sculptures,” Jeffrey said. “There was one, a reclining bodhi. It was cool because it was really intricate, and I liked the bronze gilding and all the techniques they used to cast it.” 

AP Art History students Sally Zhu (12) and Sabrina Zhu (12) observe pieces from the China exhibit. The museum featured art from various Asian cultures, boasting a collection of over 18,000 items in total. (Katerina Matta)

At noon, attendees left the museum to explore the nearby area. After eating lunch at nearby restaurants, they returned to the museum at 1 p.m. to admire more exhibits before departing for campus at 1:30 p.m. The students will continue their exploration of Asian art in a multi-week project comparing the AP Art History curriculum and works from the museum’s collections. 

AP Art History teacher Donna Gilbert has journeyed with students to the museum for over ten years, at first visiting the Legion of Honor before transitioning to the Asian Art Museum. She especially values the museum trip for offering a personal, interactive experience with the art, as students typically study works digitally throughout the school year. 

“When you go to the museum, I find that’s the part that really makes students sort of wake up and come alive,” Gilbert said. “[The art] comes alive. [The museum] gives it texture, and it’s real. It’s no longer just in a video or in the classroom.”