Joey Karczewski ’20 — As I reflect on my time abroad, I often think back to the numerous museums that I had visited. A couple of my favorite include the Mumok in Vienna and the Film Museum in Frankfurt. These Museums were memorable to me because I left each of them changed in some-way. In particular, the Film Museum in Frankfurt had an extremely well curated room on the growth of film as a means of conveying a story. The room began with wheels that when spun, appeared as a moving object. Next was the Camera Obscura, and lastly the first produced films. While the method of using film was interesting in and of itself, what the films chose to capture was even more fascinating. All the films in some way or another captured aspect of the Human condition: a couple kissing, a trains arrival, a silly man making jokes. Because of the steep Museum prices, I don’t that I would have been able, nor would have thought to, visit these museums if it weren’t for the Givens Family Fund.
Later on in my semester I had the chance to take a week-long visit to Berlin. It was here that I was able to visit the DDR Museum, Alte National Galerie, the Altes Museum, Jewish Berlin Museum, Topography of Terror, Berlin Wall Memorial, and the East Side Gallery. While this was a more informative trip, I still got to see my fair share of art pieces. There was an exhibit at the Jewish Berlin Museum that I remember vividly. In the basement of the Museum, several Jewish citizens killed in World War II were memorialized. The exhibit was set up in a way that forced one to stand directly in front of what was the main focus. Each part of the exhibit had a piece of artwork created by the individual who was killed. I think this exhibit was extremely moving for me because it made me change the way I look at art.
I can’t thank the Givens family, the selection committee, and Wabash enough for enabling me to have an incredible opportunity like this. There are so many other places and museums that I visited that I didn’t list in this blog post. I left my experience abroad with a much greater appreciation for art that will stick with me for a lifetime. I look forward to returning to Europe soon!
