On January 10th, 2020, approximately fifty art kids from Newfield High School kicked off the New Year with a field trip to the Brooklyn Museum on Long Island. The group from Newfield’s National Art Honor Society and AP Art History Class joined on the trip by art teachers Mr. Barretta, Ms. Lalima, Mr. Chicarelli, and Ms. McIntyre. 

Upon arriving at the Brooklyn Museum the group was greeted by a sign illuminating “LOVE RULES” flickering on and off at certain intervals. It can be seen as two words, two sentences, “Love Overrules” or “Love Rules”. Our art gallery guide explained how this was put at the main entrance to give visitors a warm welcome, preparing us for the artwork we’ll see that day which would be impactful and meaningful to history and society itself.  The piece was made by Willis Thomas in dedication to his cousin who was murdered. His wish was to send the message to accept and love everyone no matter their race, sexuality or gender. 

The second expo we viewed was the Queen of Nefertiti of Egypt (aka Ocean of Beauty) statues.  The artwork, made by Fred Wilson, was a statue headshot of the Egyptian Queen in her of varying shades from white to dark brown. Shortly afterward we visited our final art piece, “Webs of Life” by John Biggers a representation of balance in life itself. The right side of the painting had life, waterfalls, nature, and mankind while the left side was ruins of dead trees, dull, and women on the other side. At the center in a was a tree hollow containing Mother Nature holding a baby, therefore, representing life itself, therefore the artwork showed a balance between life and death and how Mother Nature stood in the middle. 

Afterward, we were allowed to wander the museum. From the Asian art exhibit to the Egyptian art exhibit, many students claim that the trip taught them about the beauty, love, and cultural relevance of art.