Art is all around us and has constructed the world since the beginning of time. This past week, art students at Wayne State College took their yearly Art Department trip to see what a bigger city has to offer.

In the wee hours of the morning on Oct. 26, two buses were filled with art students and faculty to venture to Omaha to check out the art scene. The students from all three different art programs got to observe art by taking trips to different locations in the city. Students visited the Joslyn Art Museum, Hot Shops, the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Phillip Schrager’s Art Collection and Bailey Lauerman creative agency.

Professor Marlene Mueller, one of the art faculty members, thinks that this trip is influential for all the art students.

“Many of our students have never been to either Omaha or Lincoln, and those who have, have rarely been to the Joslyn Art Museum or Sheldon Art Gallery,” Mueller said. “It’s important for a student’s education to see that visual art is important to a lot of people, and they generally don’t get that in Northeast Nebraska.”

It seems that this trip is also beneficial to the art faculty. Mueller gets inspiration any time she sees a historical or contemporary artwork. She never tires of looking at good art and believes that the venues that they take students to have the most significant artwork in Nebraska.

“I’m an art collector and I find that being around works that intrigue, inspire or embellish the world I live in enhances my life,” said Mueller.

Students also get a lot out of this trip as well.

“It gives students an opportunity to experience art in person, by both famous and local artists,” said Lexi Culver, a junior in the Art Department. “The space and atmosphere of a gallery, studio, firm or mural is important as Wayne doesn’t have much of that to offer. It showed me what my options are after undergrad. Also, art majors get a bad rep, so it’s motivating to see other artists thrive.”

“I think it’s important because, being a graphic design student about to graduate, it shows me what life out in the job field will look like and prepare me for the ‘next step,’” said Julia Buskirk, a senior in the Art Department.

Mueller thinks that this field trip gives students a day away from classes to explore public venues where art is seen on a daily basis by people from Omaha. She thinks it’s vital for the students to see that art is important and that it’s an essential part of their education.

“We do it once a year in the fall in the hopes that it will confirm to the students that the major that they’re selected does have significance. And hopefully inspire them to work hard in their classes so that they can graduate with an impressive body of work in hopes of being an art educator, graphic designer, or visual artist,” Mueller said.