Read what some of the students had to say about their trip below.
Natalia Kochurova
I would like to recommended my friends to visit the National Portrait Gallery.In Washington, you can find a lot of wonderful places. If you are in Washington, you have a great opportunity to visit many famous districts. I would like to recommend my friends to visit the National Portrait Gallery because it is very fascinating place and could be educational for everyone.
First, visiting the National Portrait Gallery is very interesting because you can find a lot of new information. This Gallery is a source where people can learn something new. For example, I did not know how all of the American presidents looked. Also, I was surprised to find pictures of Russian people. These people were just ordinary persons.
Second, the National Portrait Gallery could be very educational for you. This place has many portraits of famous people in America. You have to improve your knowledge about the country where you are living. One picture, “The Women in Court” describes to me some changes in present tense. This picture shows to us how women can increase and how her career and status can improve.
Indeed, I am sure you will enjoy visiting museums, galleries, or any other interesting places in Washington for that matter. It is a wonderful way to improve your culture level. Also, you can introduce you’re your children an easy and quick way to show them one aspect of culture celebrated persons in this great country. In conclusion, I would really have recommended my friends to visit the National Portrait Gallery because it really can give you very valuable information and can help you to receive something new.
Reem Almedwah
Visiting museums and learning about many cultures and history is one of the biggest and most enjoyable ways to get information. Washington, DC has many museums that highlight the history and culture of the American people, as well as many other countries. One of the most beautiful museums I have visited is the National Portrait Gallery. The museum’s collection includes a wide range of paintings, sculpture, photographs, drawings and media art which carry important messages to society.One of the most beautiful things that impacted on me after visiting this museum is to show art as the basis for change in the society. Art is one of the important parts in people's lives between modern and traditional art. The arts were and still a lofty message for artists to communicate their messages through their art to society, to change the law, or to give an opinion. What attracted me most was the number of messages that art could give to all peoples in all languages through pictures. The arts always play an important role in the human society.
Art is of great importance to society. It has a profound impact on the psychological life of the members of society, in social life and in social cohesion, so it is the instrument of global understanding. Man's expression of his need to see the world can be achieved through art and science as well. Art as a vision of the world is an aesthetic expression of the ideas and perceptions of peoples, reached by virtue of its search for proof of immortality and survival. The arts carry many great messages that artists seek to convey through their art and creativity.
Tagreed Al- Mishal
The National Portrait Gallery is an amazing art museum which is located in Washington, D.C., in United States. The museum has collections of arts which document American history and culture. In the National Portrait Gallery, you can get many lessons of history by watching various magnificent portraits.It is wonderful to see many portraits which have been painted ore made by the most genius artists in one place to tell unspoken stories. For instance, one look at the Lansdowne Portrait of George Washington, which was painted by Gilbert Stuart, can captivate you by its significant symbols. It combined the past sufferance with its hope and plans. Moreover, there are some stunning portraits which were painted with a unique technique that makes you mistake them for real photographs. Furthermore, the museum has scarce photographs for people who has individual effects during American history like Sojourner Truth, who was born into slavery, but mad her battle by traveling across the country and speaking against injustice.
As you can see, visiting the National Portrait Gallery will enhance your knowledge about history in artistic visual way. It will affect you deeply by its fascination and glamor. Therefore, I recommend to visit it and enjoy both history and art.
Bazar Myagmar
Yesterday, my schoolmates and I visited National Portrait Gallery museum. It was amazing for us. There were many portraits of famous people. We watched pictures while someone was explaining about museum. For example, she told us an old man’s picture. He was slave. Then forty-four years later, he was able to free, and he could collect money. When he was slave for the first time gave to bank for his money. Eventually my classmates and I spent interesting trip.Bodoor Bawazir
National Portrait Gallery is very beautiful museum. The trip was there. It was very big museum and it was included the old and modern things. I saw big panel for the Four Justices in the second floor. Then we saw two pictures for Arabian girls they had hard times. We walked in big room there were all of lader in America from the first one to last one. And I saw pictures for Asian-American experience. I hope to go there again i like it.Maryam AlMashikhi
On Wednesday Dec 6 we had a nice trip to National Portrait Gallery, a historic art museum. It was a wonderful visiting. We enjoyed and had fun. At the beginning I was surprised when I saw the building because it is very big and specious. The museum has a lot of variety pictures.I'm glad to see part of American's history and I knew part of America's past. Also I knew some information about how people lived in the past in America through the picture. I was interested and I took some pictures by my phone for memories to share it with my family.
Thank you, VTTLC.
Ahmed Alotaibi
On December 6, 2017, students and faculty of Virginia Tech Language and Culture Institute went to the National Portrait Gallery. Our tour started even before the gallery opened! We were divided into two groups, and each group was led by a tour guide. The theme of the tour was Social Justice, which is about civil rights in American history. Our tour guide had an enjoyable method of delivering the information by engaging everyone. The first portrait was a picture of a woman during The Great Depression. The piece showed the suffering the woman went through during that time surrounded by her children; she had a desperate look on her face. Then, we went to see a Rosa parks’ portrait. Our tour guide told us to analyze different elements in the portrait, such as objects, clothes, scale, color, and body posture. After that, we went over the presidents of the United States throughout history. The gallery started with Barak Obama, and ended with George Washington.Hassan Alabbas
On Wednesday December 6, 2017 our school, the Virginia Tech Language and Culture Institute, took us on a mandatory field-trip to the National Portrait Gallery. We gathered in the institute at 9:15 in the morning, and then went along with our professors to the metro station. We arrived there at about 10:50 am. However, the working hours for museum start in 11:30am. Professor Jaffie talked with the museum employees, and she treated us as VIP visitors! She allowed us to enter immediately. Moreover, when we entered, we were divided into two groups. Professor Jaffie and Professor Mulholland were in our group while other professors went with the other group. Our tour guide was an amazing young girl, who was enthusiastic and full of energy. Despite the fact that I am not a big fan of the Arts, I enjoyed the trip a lot. The tour guide involved all the students by asking questions. The first floor was the start of our tour with a powerful picture on The Great Depression. Furthermore, the exhibition of Rosa Parks was our second stop. The story tells how Rosa Parks struggled for justice, and how she made an action to change the rules that were in place at that time. Our trip finished around 12.30 pm, and the students were free to continue in the exhibit or do whatever they wanted. It was such a nice trip!
Mashari J. Alharbi
On December 6, 2017, we visited the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. It is an art museum that has many portraits of famous people. When we arrived, we were welcomed by the Gallery employees they are very friendly and helpful. Then, we separated into two groups, and I was a member of Professors Jaffie and Mulholland’s group. The first gallery that we visited is called "Social Justice" and the first portrait we saw was called "The Sweat of their Face". This portrait is really meaningful and cannot be described even in a thousand words. It represents the value of workers in America's past, present and future, and it shows that their work is tough and requires lots of effort even though their salaries were so low. Also, it shows that before worker's rights there inequality towards workers.Then, we went to see a great piece of art which represents that people are the same and their rights should be equal. This meticulous piece of art shows the story of Rosa Parks. In the past, some buses' seats were only for white people; other people did not have the right to sit on these seats. One day, Rosa Parks was really tired and ignored the rule and sat on a "Whites'" seat, and she refused to leave it due to her belief that all people are equal. She was an activist in her community and helped the United States develop in terms of social justice.
The trip was extremely exciting. I got to see many beautiful masterpieces. Moreover, I learned a lot about the history of the United States of America and the hardships its people faced in the past.
