Cheese, Chocolate, Great Art and Design Bring Summer Study for USU Students

To paraphrase Utah State University art professor Robert Winward, he and a group of USU students were off for another summer adventure in the land of cheese, chocolate, great art and design.

Winward heads a very successful study abroad program, the USU Summer Art and Design Program in Switzerland. Now in its seventh year, Winward and 44 participants spent 30 days studying design, visual culture, drawing and photography on site in one of the most beautiful corners of the world. Fellow art department faculty member and photographer Craig Law joined Winward and the students, coordinating the photo sessions and assignments.

 

The group left Utah June 1, and while there was a fair share of cheese, chocolate and adventure, there was much more.

 

Matt Nelson, a senior earning a bachelor of fine arts with a dual emphasis in graphic design and printmaking, said participating in the program is something he will draw on for the rest of his life. Originally from Provo, he came to USU after a professional designer told him it had the best graphic design program in the state.

 

Participating in the 2008 study abroad session was an easy decision.

 

“First, it’s Switzerland, who doesn’t want to go there? Second, Bob is a phenomenal teacher and you know that any time you have with him will be well worth your while,” he said.

 

Every year Winward incorporates a special or unique element to the travel-study program, making each summer’s experience different. This year’s session included a memorable trek to a remote monastery and hospice high in the Swiss Alps near the Italian border. That’s right, in addition to the usual museum visits and on-site research, participants traveled by train and bus to the Great St. Bernard Pass to where the snow makes the road impassable. From there, the goal was to snowshoe three miles up the mountain to St. Bernard Monastery and hospice, following a trail rich in history that has seen the footsteps of the Romans to Hannibal to Napoleon. The group wanted to recreate the image seen in a famous Albert Muret poster “Le Grand Saint-Bernard,” while climbing the mountains with the monks.

 

“All 47 of us actually did snowshoe up Death Valley — yes, that’s the valley Napoleon rode up with his army and where everybody usually dies in avalanches — in a June blizzard, led by a monastery monk,” Winward said. “The weather was so bad, the blowing sleet and fog made it impossible to reenact the famous poster. However, I think the nasty weather really taught the students a lot about the purpose of the St. Bernard Monastery as a high mountain sanctuary. It was a very authentic experience.”

 

Aaron Gumucio, a junior graphic design major from Grantsville, Utah, said the snowshoeing trip was indeed memorable.

 

“I remember it raining all the way up until we reached the snow,” he said. “Our group was exhausted, wet and miserable. I will never forget the encouragement that our guide, Brother Joseph, gave to my group. I remember reaching the top and seeing the hospice in the fog and thinking about how much hope this place had given weary travelers for centuries. I felt that same joy as we entered the warm hospice and were welcomed just as much, if not more warmly, by the residents there.”

 

Canon Joseph Voutax was the primary host for the USU group during its stay.

 

As they have for 1,000 years, the monks and their dogs — the famous St. Bernards bred on site — conduct a circuit on foot of the mountains surrounding the monastery. The monastery sits just steps from the Italian border. Students donned snowshoes and followed the monks on their mountain treks, with stops along the way for drawing and photography. Students were allowed to draw and photograph inside the monastery to document the lifestyle of those who live and work there.

 

Gumucio came to USU thanks to a great scholarship, he said. He was also impressed with the design program. He said the study abroad session was a “mind-opening experience.”

 

“I learned a lot about respecting other cultures and realizing that so much history is out there to be learned,” he said. “I learned a lot from Swiss posters about using simple techniques to communicate a definite message. I got to experience things I’ve waited a lifetime to experience.”

 

Only those who make the pilgrimage by foot are allowed to stay in the St. Bernard Hospice. The USU students were housed in the hospice next to the monastery and spent three educational days living a monastic lifestyle — including no cell phones, no computers, no ipods.

 

A part of the USU study abroad experience is for the students to study European visual culture.

 

“Beyond their academic experience, I believe that it’s important for students to be immersed in the culture if we are truly providing a life-changing experience,” Winward said.

 

Student Kellyn Bailey, a senior graphic design major, was a member of the 2008 study group. From Idaho Falls, Idaho, she said she originally enrolled at USU because she liked the campus, the atmosphere and the location.

 

“But I’ve really come to appreciate Utah State for the opportunities it gives to students, such as the Switzerland program,” she said. “I think it is a very unique program and it would be difficult to find a comparable study abroad from another university.”

 

The USU students all agreed they gained much from the experience.

 

“Aside from the technical things, much of what I learned simply comes down to keeping my eyes open and being aware of what’s around me,” Nelson said. “There is so much happening at all times, and it’s so easy to be oblivious. I loved to see how much thought the Swiss people put into everything. They really take things beyond simply being functional and worry about the aesthetic of it.”

 

“The program was amazing,” Bailey said. “It was a completely different learning experience. I learned things that cannot be taught in a classroom. Being immersed in a totally different culture taught me to appreciate not only the European culture, but to really analyze and appreciate our own culture here in the States. It forced me out of my comfort zone and to experience things I would never have known about.”

 

Nelson said picking a favorite experience is difficult, almost impossible.

 

“There was listening to the oldest playable organ in the world, touring the KKL Concert Hall and seeing the Lion of Luzern, visiting the Olympic Museum, taking pedal boats out on Lake Geneva and the cow fights,” he said. “There were so many fantastic museums, and taking the trains everywhere was so quick, comfortable and efficient.”

 

But in the end, for Nelson and many of his fellow Aggies, the most unique experience was staying at the St. Bernard’s hospice.

 

“Watching these monks who have sacrificed so much for what they believe in and how happy they are was inspiring,” he said. “They were all so giving and went completely out of their way to help us and give us this experience.”

 

Nelson’s advice to students who might consider the Summer Design Program in Switzerland?

 

“Everyone should do what they can to take part in this program, you won’t regret it.”

 

Bailey concurs.

 

“I would recommend the Switzerland program to anyone,” she said. “Go. It will change your life.”

 

 

 

 

The students who participated in this year’s Utah State University Summer Art and Design Program in Switzerland will exhibit their photos in the Tippetts Gallery of The Chase Fine Arts Center on campus (approximately 1110 E. 610 North, Logan).

 

“Swiss Intersections: Inside Out, Outside In” can be seen at the gallery Aug. 25-Sept. 13. The exhibit is free and open to all.

 

A closing reception for the exhibit is Friday, Sept. 12, and begins at 7 p.m. Students who participated in the summer program will be on hand to discuss the exhibit and their work.

 

 

 

Contact: Robert Winward (435) 797-1394
Writer: Patrick Williams (435) 797-1354