T
he first-ever study abroad program for the College of Human Environmental Sciences was launched in 2011, and was such a success that faculty members Michelle Lee and Casey Faulkner returned to Italy with a new group of students in May of 2013. Fourteen Clothing, Textiles and Interior Design students spent 30 days in May and June studying in Florence, Italy, completing six hours of intensive study in three courses that met requirements for their degrees. The students were based in Florence for the month that they were abroad, living in apartments located for them by their host institution, the accredited Santa Reparata International School of Art. Classes met three days a week, allowing students to spend the remainder of the week absorbing all that Florence has to offer. They spent time in the Gucci, Ferragamo, and Uffizi museums, among others, and visited a variety of important landmarks. Florence is the center for men’s fashion design, and the students had the opportunity to spend time in the famed Italian fabric shops, experiencing the fine silks, cottons and leathers for which Italy is so deservedly famous. The weekends saw more extended trips to Rome, Milan and Venice, where the students’ experiences included the Sistine Chapel, the Coliseum, the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, the Maxxi Museum, the Science and Technology Museum inspired by Leonardo DaVinci, and more. The weekend trips also allowed the students to visit a vast
array of showrooms for interiors, furniture and fashion. In order to accomplish all of the goals that Lee and Faulkner set for the students, the schedule for the trip was carefully planned, and was significantly facilitated by the willingness of their host institution to allow them flexibility in the scheduling of their classes. Ms. Lee is enthusiastic about the experience that their host institution, Santa Reparata, offered. In addition to the field trips that the two American professors led, the institution offered cultural events as well. Students enjoyed a wine and cheese tasting on one evening, where locals taught our students how to appreciate the wide variety of wines that Florence has to offer, as well as distinctive local cheeses. Another evening was comprised of a cooking class offered by a faculty member in her home. Students made pasta from scratch, and learned first-hand how labor intensive that process is. A presentation on “Fashion and the Mafia” was a crowd favorite. Ms. Lee says, “My hope is that, as students engage in the creative process in the future and throughout their careers, their designs will be informed and influenced by the great works of art and design that they had the opportunity to experience while studying in the extraordinarily rich environment that is Italy.” Upon their return, the students wrapped up their travel experience with a photo exhibit that documented their trip, entitled “The UnShow: Season 2.” The exhibit opened with a reception in the newly renovated Clothing, Textiles and Interior Design space in Doster Hall.
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