Overview
Carleton’s Art and Architectural History faculty believes that experiencing art and architecture in person is an integral part of our pedagogical mission. We often take students to the National Gallery of Canada, the Ottawa Art Gallery, the Parliament Buildings, and other important sites in the Ottawa region, but out-of-town trips require extra funds beyond our university budget. Last year, with money raised through FutureFunder, we organized a bus trip to Montreal for 40 students to visit the Canadian Centre for Architecture, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and the McCord Stewart Museum. It was a great experience: students visited collections, discussed works together with experienced guides, and had opportunities to socialize. Carleton’s Art and Architectural History faculty is seeking to raise funds to continue out-of-town field trips for our students to broaden their perspectives, to introduce them to a variety of art forms from around the world, and to encourage social interactions among our student body.
The Background
By championing your campaign, you are encouraging donors to support the same causes that are important to you. This narrative should inspire donors to be a part of the change that you want to see in our world.
The cause of this campaign is to get students out of the classroom and out of the city to experience art and architecture as it should be experienced, in person. When we talk to our alumni, one recurring theme is the opportunities that they had at Carleton to work with local collections and to engage with art and architecture in the region. Those who have had the opportunity to study abroad (through our ongoing partnership with the University of Warwick’s autumn course in Venice or summer courses in Rome and Istanbul, for example) rave about such experiences. We want to encourage such enthusiasm and curiosity about art and architecture in all our endeavours in Art and Architectural History at Carleton. The goal of this campaign is to raise funds for annual out-of-town field trips to give our students the opportunity to appreciate, with the guidance of experts in the field, architecture and artworks in collections outside our city limits.
The Rollout
The funds raised in this FutureFunder campaign will go directly to support out-of-town field trips for our students in the Art and Architectural History programs. The funds will be used to cover bus rentals, tour guides, food, accommodations (should the trip be more than a one-day excursion), and other expenses for these trips.
The Impact
By supporting our fundraising cause for annual out-of-town field trips, you will have a strong impact on our pedagogical mission and our students’ social experiences. On such trips, students visit sites with experienced guides, sometimes Carleton faculty and other times local experts. Students learn about the built environment through direct engagement with sites and, through close analysis and slow looking, how works of art make meaning. These trips also provide an opportunity for students to get to know one another, which is an important social aspect to learning experiences. In supporting Carleton’s Art and Architectural History excursions, you will have a lasting impact on our students’ university experience.