The annual field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the “Met”) stands as a main event for Kent School’s Visual Arts Department, offering students a rare, immersive experience in one of the world’s greatest art institutions. This is a trip funded by the school, as MET offers reduced admission for schools. Students leave the campus in the morning and return before dinner. The MET trip has existed more than twenty years, and it has been a consistent part of the year for students of the arts at Kent. 

Students are assigned to find and research three masterpieces, enhancing their engagement with what they are currently studying in art, along with information about the artist and the period in which the work was created. These assignments were due a week after the return, allowing students time to research and complete their work.

This year, two new classes outside the Art Department—Ancient Roman History and Art and Psychology—joined the trip, bringing the total to 64 students and adding several new faculty members serving as chaperones. The decision to include the ancient Roman History class was based on the Met’s new extensive Greco-Roman collection. 

The trip’s planning remains complex, due to financial reasoning, leading the school to limit it to one field trip per year. However, the experience is carefully structured for its educational value. “The trip serves as both an educational experience for students and a professional development day for staff,” Ms. Lynch said, noting that students and adults alike can benefit. The annual Met trip continues to be a highlight of Kent School’s fall term, merging art, history, and hands-on learning in an experience that resonates with both students and faculty.