{"id":6931,"date":"2017-07-07T17:59:19","date_gmt":"2017-07-07T17:59:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/?p=6931"},"modified":"2017-07-07T17:59:19","modified_gmt":"2017-07-07T17:59:19","slug":"utrgv-study-abroad-art-students-experience-peru-as-a-living-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/?p=6931","title":{"rendered":"UTRGV Study Abroad: Art Students Experience Peru as a \u2018Living Classroom\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A<\/a>

A group of UTRGV art students spent time in Peru this summer, learning about the country\u2019s history, art and architecture during a study abroad trip. Students traveled and studied with seasoned Peru explorer, Dr. Robert Bradley, associate professor in the School of Art, and Dr. Katherine McAllen, assistant professor in the School of Art. The trip included strenuous treks that put students in the footsteps of Andean people, past and present, including a trek up the Salkantay Trail to arrive at Machu Picchu. Courtesy Photo<\/p><\/div>\n

by J. Edward Moreno<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0As Angelica Rodriguez, a UTRGV graduate student and mother of two, hiked up the Salkantay Trek on\u00a0her way to\u00a0Machu Picchu<\/a>, she began to question whether she would be able to make it through to the end.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, though, she not only finished the trek, but also had a newfound sense of confidence in herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the four-day, three-night hiking trip, I felt that I had truly accomplished the unthinkable,\u201d Rodriguez said. \u201cThe experience itself made me realize that by setting my mind to something, I can truly accomplish anything I set my mind to. I was challenged every day, both physically and mentally. That gave me a self-confidence I never knew I had.\u201d<\/p>\n

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is sending more than 20 art students to Peru this summer to learn about the country\u2019s rich colonial history through the multiple lenses of Mother Nature, art and architecture.<\/p>\n

One group, which was gone May 15 to May 29, was led by two College of Fine Arts professors \u2013 Dr. Robert Bradley, associate professor in the School of Art, and Dr. Katherine McAllen, assistant professor in the School of Art.<\/p>\n

This was the sixth visit to Peru as a study abroad professor for Bradley.<\/p>\n

The trip gives students an essential sense of context they would not be able to understand in a traditional classroom, with an important component of the learning experience involving serious hiking, Bradley said. One strenuous trek, up the Salkantay Trail, awarded the group with arrival at the iconic Inca \u201clost city\u201d of Machu Picchu.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trekking puts UTRGV students in the footsteps of Andean people, past and present. It also provides a difficult exercise component, which strengthens the overall health, outlook and resolve of our students,\u201d Bradley said. \u201cThis course could not be conducted without the living classroom that is Peru.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"2017-05-19_Study_Abroad_Peru_0006E\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Art student Jesus Trevi\u00f1o said he is still in awe of the experience, despite a luggage mishap.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing able to see art and history first hand, and to discuss it with like-minded individuals was worth losing my laptop, gaming device and various other things through the airlines,\u201d Trevi\u00f1o said. \u201cIt is a milestone in my life and an unbelievable learning experience that I will never forget.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each student has a distinctive part of the trip that they found particularly riveting, but they could all agree that seeing the art up close, with their own eyes, made the trip extraordinary.<\/p>\n

Art student Carol Lopez said the study abroad trip completely changed the way she thinks of art.<\/p>\n

\u201cReading about these locations in\u00a0Cuzco<\/a>, and learning about the art, is so different from actually seeing them in person,\u201d she said. \u201cThere is a sense of magic to it. The\u00a0Plaza de Armas<\/a>\u00a0was so different from the images I had seen \u2026 the plaza was so green and full of life, so unlike the images I had seen.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing everything in person gave what I have been studying a new purpose, more meaning,\u201d Lopez said, \u201clike putting a face to a name.\u201d<\/p>\n

A second group \u2013 with students from the Honors College under the guidance of Bradley and Honors College Dean Mark Anderson \u2013 has been in Peru since June 5 and returns June 27.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by J. Edward Moreno RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS \u2013\u00a0As Angelica Rodriguez, a UTRGV graduate student and mother of two, hiked up the Salkantay Trek on\u00a0her way to\u00a0Machu Picchu, she began to question whether she would be able to make it through to the end. Ultimately, though, she not only finished the trek, but also had […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":6932,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-valley"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6931"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6931\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6934,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6931\/revisions\/6934"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}