Houston is home to dozens of great museums, ranging from the educational (Museum of Natural Science) to the eclectic (Art Car Museum!). This week, our Intensive English Program students had the opportunity to visit the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, one of the largest and most widely recognized museums in the United States. On Thursday, students spent the day wandering through galleries featuring art from all over the globe, including several stunning pieces from their own countries: large prayer rugs from Turkey, intricate pencil drawings from Korea, and countless pieces of gold jewelry from the ancient Americas. The women of our group were impressed (and a little alarmed) at the size and weight of some of the earrings on display, while the men spent a lot of time studying the crowns and headpieces made of hammered metals from a broad range of cultures. One of the best parts about the MFAH is that Rice students, including our ESL students, can visit for free! Several students are already making plans to come back to visit their favorite pieces, and to view some of the exhibits we didn’t have time to see this time. With so much to see, they can come back dozens of times and still have new areas to explore.
Author: Savannah Burch, Enrollment Coordinator