In Duino our students have the rare opportunity to choose World Arts & Cultures (WAC) as part of their academic curriculum. This course, as the name suggests, focuses on cultures and artwork from all around the world and what makes it particularly fascinating is its peculiar methodology and approach — a continuous process of reflection and inquiry that allows for a deeper understanding of the cultural identity of the works being examined.
In November, the College’s WAC class spent five days in Rome, to observe many of the works previously discussed in class. Pegi (Albania), a second-year WAC student, shared her experience:
The was chosen as part of the visit because Balla’s house demonstrates how the futurists truly lived as described in their manifesto.
Pegi described observing the works in person as an undoubtedly memorable experience, although the method used to approach them was not much different from what happens in the classroom at the College. The WAC course involves significant student engagement: each topic is introduced by observing an artwork, formulating questions, and potentially passing judgments on the work. The process then continues by seeking answers to those questions, and analysing the historical, political, and cultural context in which the work was created. WAC, in essence, explores the idea that art and culture coexist and influence one another.
Pegi explained. This means analysing everything that may initially escape one’s notice, even though it is right there. An effective example is illustrated by Pegi:
This level of analysis extends to various topics covered during the course, which always begins with the study of the Benin bronzes: a group of thousands of plaques and metal sculptures that adorned the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin, corresponding to the present-day Edo State in Nigeria. Those works are now in European museums, as they were seized during the colonial period. Nowadays, discussions about the restitution of artwork is common but this has been happening at the College since 1995 when WAC was first introduced.
An effective example of the type of perspective that WAC stimulates and cultivates in its students can be found in the fact that the course focuses on the study of works of art and cultures that are often overlooked, demonstrating the many levels of analysis that are available to an attentive observer.
