21307-Chicago-Millennium-Park

Art & Architecture in the USA: Chicago, Boston & New York

2 - 15 May 2013

Tour Highlights

  • • Join Art Historian Kenneth Park and Architect Ann Keddie on an exploration of the best art and architecture to be found in Chicago, Boston and New York;
  • • Visit Robie House and other homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park, including his own house and studio;
  • • View some of Chicago's finest architectural landmarks on a tour by the Chicago Architecture Foundation;
  • • Explore some of the world's greatest art collections – the Chicago Art Institute, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York;
  • • Walk Boston's Freedom Trail as you learn of the city's important role in the nation's early year, particularly the American War of Independence;
  • • Compare the historic buildings of Harvard and Yale Universities with the innovative contemporary architecture at IIT (Chicago) and MIT (Boston);
  • • Wander through New York's beautiful Central Park, explore the downtown area and enjoy the magnificent views over the city from 30 Rockefeller Plaza – 'Top of the Rock'.

 

Overnight Chicago (4 nights) • Boston (3 nights) • New York (6 nights).

CHICAGO Frank Lloyd Wright Studio & Oak Park • Chicago Architecture Bus Tour • Michigan Avenue, • Chicago Cultural Center • Chicago Art Institute • Museum of Contemporary Art; BOSTON Freedom Trail • Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum • MIT & Harvard University campuses • Museum of Fine Arts • John F. Kennedy Library; NEW YORK Metropolitan Museum of Art • Frick Collection • Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum • Museum of Modern Art • Rochefeller Center • Walking Tour of lower and mid-town Manhatten.

About the Tour

Australians Studying Abroad is presenting a tour to the United States of America (USA) focusing on art, architecture and culture in three great cities. The itinerary uses coach and public transport in conjunction with carefully plotted walking tours of historic and landmark sites and many of America's, and arguably the world's, finest museums. While the themes of art and architecture are at the heart of the tour, the sites offer much more. The stimulating program will invite participants to consider many issues ranging from art collecting, patronage, historical and urban development and architecture, as well as the very nature of life in the USA. It will be a fascinating journey of discovery, full of surprises and many delightful experiences. The tour is designed so that most evenings are free for you to discover America's world renowned performing arts scene and cuisine.

The tour begins in Chicago, the 'Windy City', with a celebration of extraordinary nineteenth and twentieth century architecture. A highlight will be a visit to Frank Lloyd Wright's studio and home in leafy Oak Park. A cruise on the Chicago River and Lake Michigan provides a spectacular way to take in some of the city's architectural heritage. We will walk along Michigan Avenue, admiring public art and great architecture on our way to the Chicago Art Institute and will pay a visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Your group leader, Kenneth Park, will introduce Boston by following the Freedom Trail's many architectural and historical sites transporting you back to the days of the War of Independence. Highlights include a visit to the famous Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, styled as a Venetian city palace and filled with art from cultures spanning thirty centuries, and the magnificent Boston Museum of Fine Arts. We will also visit Harvard University, Bunker Hill and the John F. Kennedy Library.

The tour culminates with a six day visit to New York. Our New York sojourn includes landmarks such as Central Park and the Rochefeller Center, the New York Public Library and Times Square. We will explore Manhattan's distinctive local neighbourhoods and will visit some of the world's greatest museums, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the extraordinary Frick Collection, Frank Lloyd Wright's impressive Guggenheim Museum and the incomparable Museum of Modern Art.

Post-Tour Extension

This tour offers an optional extension after the main program.

• The Post-Tour Extension to Washington DC (15 - 19 May 2013).

At the conclusion of the main tour, participants on the Post-Tour Extension will travel by train from New York to the nation's capital. Here we will explore the early history of the USA with visits to the National Archives, where the Declaration of Independence is displayed, to the Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials and to the Museum of American History where the nation's first flag is housed. We will delight in some of the truely incredible art galleries and museums with which the city is endowed, and take a tour of the Capitol, one of the most important buildings in the United States of America.

This post-tour program will run with Kenneth Park's participation as group leader on a minimum of eight people. However, the program has been designed for visitors to enjoy this city independently if the number of participants falls below eight people.

Continuing Professional Development for Architects

Practising architects who travelled on this program in 2011 qualified for informal Continuing Professional Development points. The eligibility for participants on the 2013 tour to qualify for Continuing Professional Development points is to be confirmed. The tour program includes over 10 hours of on-site learning delivered by qualified architects. Please refer to the daily schedule for the description of the sites visited.

For details about the Continuing Professional Development point requirements please refer to the Australian Institute of Architects website: www.architecture.com.au.

An Australian practising architect, Ann Keddie, will travel with the group and provide further architectural commentary.

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