ein Sommer in Deutschland

Abstract

Sara Loy Centre College

Where I Studied

IntroductionProject goals:• To learn beginner-level German.• To understand museums, particularly German art

museums, in new ways. How did museums evolve over the centuries? What is it like to be an American student in German museums? How have museums influenced society, and how has society influenced museums?• To practice independent leadership, to step out of my

comfort zone, and to gain experience with international travel.

A Look at German Culture

Postcard picture perfect in Bavaria: the view from my apartment.

In 1990, 105 artists painted murals on what was the Berlin Wall. Today, the East Side Gallery is a 1.3 km long international memorial to freedom

The German Parliament, the Reichstag, sculpted out of traditional German milk chocolate..

“Work makes you free,” says the sign on the entry gate to Sachsenhausen concentration camp.

At the Brandenburg Gate, cheering on the German Fußball team during the Euro Cup.

History, Theory, and Politics of the Museum

Within my class “Museum Exhibition and Display,” I wrote museum analyses, along with a final: “Museums as Reflectors and Directors [of Society].” On my own, I wrote a travel editorial. I have submitted my editorial to Arts Across Kentucky Magazine and the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Museums visited in Berlin

East Side Gallery (on the Berlin Wall)Reichstag: the German Parliament

German Historical MuseumKunsthaus Tacheles

Sachsenhausen MuseumJewish Museum

Hamburger BahnhofPergamon

Altes National GalleryNeues MuseumNicholaikirchedOCUMENTA

Excerpt from Report on Jewish Museum: Berlin

…Bennett says, “The museum, as ‘backteller,’ was characterized by its capacity to bring together, within the same space, a number of different times and to arrange them in the form of a path,” and the Jewish Museum has done this…The zigzag of Libeskind’s section emphasizes the different times and hardships undergone by the Jews in Germany... Here, “the past is made to connect with contemporary social, cultural, and political preoccupations,” as the viewer cannot disentangle himself from the effects of Jewish culture on German culture and society today….

…While they are still (and always will be) in motion, museums today as public institutions play the dual role of both reflecting and directing social trends. They are both able to reflect the ruling power of the time and direct transfers of that power; they act as instructors on etiquette and social behavior; and they respond to and influence movements of community values, especially the value of education. With such power, museums are clearly an integral part of society yet a mirror thereof….

Excerpt from Final Class Paper

Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers”A German royal coat

Photographs from my travels

Personal insights: The train system in Germany—both for intercity trains and the subway—was extremely confusing. I have never liked airports or train stations because I like knowing exactly where I’m going and how to get there. And yet I was able to become an adept navigator of trains. This is a strong example of how confident I became in myself. I thought I knew who I was and that I could handle obstacles in life without much trouble, but nothing showed me what I was capable of like organizing my trip to, traveling to and around, and living in Germany.

= main places of study

= Senefelderplatz, the stop for my hostel

Berlin Subway Map

Images from:http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/europe/european-union/germany/map/index.htm; http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1144763.The_Birth_of_the_Museum; http://www.betterworldbooks.com/langenscheidt-pocket-dictionary-id-346898135X.aspx; http://www.flickr.com/photos/31727570@N07/6900709663/sizes/l/in/photostream/; http://www.mhrd.k12.nj.us/mhhs/world_languages/german/links.htm

There were two main goals for my 2012 summer enrichment project. First, I wanted to delve into the history and theory of the art museum. Second, I wanted to begin the process of learning the language and culture of Germany. I began the summer project by spending two weeks alone in southern Germany, visiting and analyzing Munich museums. I next spent a month in Berlin with the Kentucky Institute for International Studies (KIIS) Program where I completed two classes – one in Introductory German and another that focused on museum exhibition and display. Over the summer I gained insight into my project topics, as well as insights into my personal development, academic and career interests, and perspectives of the world. Ich hatte einen großartig Sommer!

Alte Pinakothek: the frames are very traditional. Renaissance for Renaissance paintings, ornate for Baroque, etc.Neue Pinakothek: there are no large signs on the outside of the buildings; you have to know where you’re going. Museum Branhorst: My guidebook says that “there is no particular route to follow,” which is the opposite of the precise chronological/academic arrangement of the Alte and Neue. Very contemporary.

Journal Notes: Munich

Results, Impacts, and Conclusions

Next year I hope to go to the United Kingdom and the Edinburgh Book Festival. Because I had such an enriching experience exploring continental Europe, I intend to travel there again while doing my project next summer to do research on international writers. Further down the road, I am thinking about getting a work visa to study or work in Germany. I fell in love with German culture, and while I may not be studying the language right now, I hope to—nowhere would be better than Deutschland itself for that.

Museum Exhibition and Display

German 100

In this class, I analyzed the museum from various viewpoints: as an American, as a student, as an artist, etc. I used Tony Bennett’s “The Birth of the Museum” as my text. In the theoretical aspect of the course, I learned the history of the evolution of museums, as well as the evolution of thought: that real pieces are better than copies, the debate on how much written information curators should put beside each artwork, and so on. For practical use, I learned how to approach museums with a critical eye because I was forced to analyze museums as collective institutions that meant to present a message. Museums are an interaction between gallery, artwork, and patron,. What one’s experience is defines the influence of the museum.

Introductory German familiarized me with the basics of German, such as die Zeit, die Zahlen, und das Wetter (time, numbers, and weather) and Essen und Getränke (food and drink). I studied grammatical structure, such as how the German verb goes at the end of the sentence, the three genders of words, and the cases—which allow word order to be rearranged, since the conjunction of the demonstratives shows what word is what part of the sentence.Most commonly used sentence: Ich möchte eine Kugel Schokolade

Academic Interests: At the start of my summer, I was a French/German double minor. However, living and studying in Germany made me realize how much work it takes to be fluent in a foreign language, and I can’t handle two at once. I dropped German with the aim of studying it after Centre and after I’m proficient in French.

Career interests: My desire to be an international traveler as part of my career as an author have only been encouraged. Not only did I get comfortable spending time alone, I understood traveling and practiced interacting with professionals in a business way.