On Oct. 27, Harford Community College’s art and design department took a trip to New York City to enhance their students’ knowledge of art and its culture.

The art and design trip to New York has been happening for 40 years as a biannual trip, occurring in both the fall and the spring. This year, the trip cost $43 for students, and $48 for non-students who wished to attend.

Harford Community College’s art and design classes are part of its Visual, Performing, and Applied Arts section (VPAA) of education which consist of art and design classes, music classes, theater classes, and mass communication classes. Students who attend the art and design classes can choose from four different tracks:  Fine Art, Digital Arts, Graphic Design, and Photography. The VPAA campus includes a digital arts studio, a drawing and painting studio, a photography studio, and a ceramics and sculpting studio which students to are allowed use during the week.

Jim McFarland, an organizer of the event and professor at the college, stated, “The trip enhances our students’ education for a number of reasons. It allows students to see new, upcoming artists, and invigorates their experience as an artist.”

The 42 participants of the trip met at Harford Community College at 7:00 a.m. to board the bus. Once in New York, the bus stopped in the Chelsea district, Midtown district, and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which allowed students to explore the area of their choosing. Once attendees left the bus, they could choose from variety of different museums, galleries, and book stores, such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Design, Pace Gallery, and Mercer Street Books to visit before re-boarding the bus at 8:45 p.m.

Jeff Ball, an organizer of the trip and professor at the college, stated, “The trip allows our art students to get out of the small world they live in, and see a larger world. It also allows students who have never been in a city to get used to the city.”

Harford Community College was founded in 1957, with the main goal of creating not only a quality education, but also accessible education to people both within and out of the community. Today, it has nearly 11,000 students per year, including full-time and part-time students.  There are 21 on-campus buildings and two off-campus buildings, with a lot that occupies more than 350 acres of land, offering both in-class and on-line courses for students.

Heni Misciagna, an attendee of the trip, stated, “My favorite part of the trip was getting to visit my favorite museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and seeing their new exhibit on Middle Kingdom Egypt.”