College of Arts and Sciences Newsroom

By Lauren McCarty ’26

Each fall, University of Dayton students travel to New York City to see masterworks in museums and visit artist studios, drawing inspiration for their craft at the center of the art world.

The four-day experiential learning trip brings a dozen art and design majors to the Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Whitney Museum of American Art and the Chelsea Gallery District, as well as a tour of an artist’s studio and a walk through Central Park. 

“I have always loved art and getting to see famous pieces in person is a different experience than just seeing it online or on a presentation slide,” said Katie Lawlor, a senior graphic design major from Cleveland, who has gone on this trip the past two years. 

Jeffrey Cortland Jones, a professor of art and design and seasoned painter, has coordinated and chaperoned the trip for nearly 20 years. Jones has a passion for experiential learning inspired by his participation in a similar trip as an undergrad. 

“When I was a student at their age, I got to go on the same trip, and I was unsure of what I wanted to do,” Jones said. “I had just switched to being an art major and New York was a life-changing experience for me. I called my mom on a pay phone from New York and said, ‘Mom, thank you for letting me be an artist.’”

Sarah Ryan, a senior fine arts major from Arlington Heights, Illinois, said the 2024 fall semester trip opened her mind to the possibilities of what art could look like.

“Going to museums and seeing a traditional format versus the boundaries that can be pushed in a gallery space.” Ryan said. “It helped me feel more assured that my major is important and these goals I have can be attainable.”

Students visit artists within Jones' network of connections in the art world. This year they stopped by the studio of painter and photographer Matthew Langley, whose art is displayed worldwide. 

“The studio visit was the highlight of my trip,” Lawlor said. “It’s really impactful, because you're seeing firsthand that this can be your reality. If you work incredibly hard you can make it happen.”

These interactions provide students with insight into what it's like to be a successful artist and potentially make connections with working artists.

UD alumnus Max Feldmann ’15 went on the trip as a junior fine arts major and formed a connection with Langley, whom they also visited in 2013. Feldmann impressed Langley with his observations about the artist’s work and his passion for creating art. Jones helped keep the two in contact and the following summer, Feldmann interned as Langley’s studio assistant. 

“Experiential learning helped me have an understanding of the discipline at large, not just in an academic setting,” Feldmann said. “From my internship, I took a lot of those skill sets with me like self-directed research, creative problem solving and the ability to convey ideas and educate individuals.”

Spending the summer in New York helped Feldmann form other connections and dive deeper into galleries, museums and artistic spirit of the city. He went on to pursue a master of fine arts degree in painting.

“Max and Matthew spent just as much time walking around the galleries and museums talking about art and other nuanced vocational issues as they did working in the studio,” Jones said. “This was true experiential learning.”

During the fall 2024 trip, students visited the Mana Contemporary, an institution in Jersey City, New Jersey, where artists can use studio space or exhibit their work. There, the students were shown a series of previously unseen Andy Warhol prints during their private tour. 

Ryan, who regards Warhol as one of her favorite artists, said she shed a tear when seeing the rare prints displayed at Mana.

“It was so unexpected and surreal,” Ryan said. She shared this shock and excitement with her peers and professor. 

Jones said he was “gobsmacked” to see the prints and paintings that he never knew existed.

“That was a really memorable thing," he said. "Getting to share that with the students, because they got to see something that most people will never get to see.”