MAMS at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA)
Junior Staff Writer Mary O'Brien '26
Junior Staff Writer Mary O'Brien '26
On Wednesday, March 26th, a group of 50 high school students could be seen walking into the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. You might say that this is a perfectly normal high school field trip, until you consider that it was the entire junior class at MAMS and that the majority of the students at MAMS are completely STEM-focused. Then you might wonder, “why would a group of STEM-loving highschoolers take a day to go to Boston and admire art?” If you knew about MAMS and our curriculum, then you would make the logical conclusion that this was planned by Mrs. Small in connection with the beginnings of our unit on Arcadia.
To set the stage for Arcadia by Tom Stoppard, we had been studying the neoclassical and romantic eras, including their art. The colors were considerably more vibrant in person, allowing the students to better grasp the finer differences—for example, the distinction between the two styles’ color schemes was much clearer at the museum. One student even remarked that they “never realized The Slave Ship was that bright and vibrant in person, and its message was a lot clearer as a result.”
The Slave Ship - Romantic artwork
After exploring the Neoclassical and Romantic art pieces, we were given the freedom to explore whatever sections of the museum appealed to us with groups of our choosing. The three most popular exhibits were Impressionist, Jewelry, and Musical Instruments. As far as favorite pieces, The Slave Ship was the most common, with honorable mentions consisting of the Stradivarius violino piccolo, Modern Rome, and two jade bracelets made of a one that broke in half.
One of the most commented on elements of the trip was lunch, as the juniors were allowed to go to a restaurant of their choosing, so long as they returned to the bus by the meet-up time. Many of the comments about this trip mentioned how enjoyable it was to be trusted to go get lunch with their friends where they wanted. The consensus appears to be that one of the best elements of this trip was the freedom we were allowed and how every person could personalize their experience both at the museum and at lunch.
Neoclassical artwork
Harpsichord with Romantic designs