Bonjour,
My name is Gloria, and I am a soon to be a second-year MFA student at the University of South Florida. Currently, I am participating in the USF Art and Art History programs in Paris and London thanks to the Genshaft/Greenbaum passport scholarship! As a painter, I specifically choose this program because France has a long standing history of painting, dating back to the Lascaux cave paintings all the way to Matisse, and my personal favorite, Pascal Marlin.
In addition, the London excursion will also expose me to a booming art hub known for its extravagant galleries such as the National Gallery, Saachi, and Tate. Some of my personal goals for the trips include collecting a vast array of textures via photography as well as tasting something new each day. This is my first time studying abroad, and already, I have bumped into a plethora of friendly faces at the local boulangeries in Paris as well as networked with other USF students within the program.
Right now I am taking In Search of French Identity, which allows students, such as myself, to study the material culture that is so deeply roothed in French and Parisian culture. I look forward to the days ahead, as I have already experienced the towering stain glass panels of Sainte-Chapelle, the gruesome gargoyles of Notre Dame, and the magnificent Museé de Cluny.