2027 New York City Trip
March 13-18, 2026
Over the course of five days, undergraduate students visit artist studios and sites such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Morgan Library and Museum, and the Whitney Museum to experience, discuss, and interact with works in the museums and collections of New York. This is meant to be an invigorating, engaging, and entertaining trip for art history majors or any student with a demonstrable interest in the history of art and the world of its making, curation, and exchange.
Students are asked to cover only their meals and subway fares. Airfare, transportation to and from airports, hotel, and museum admission are all covered by the department.
The New York trip is open to current Rice University undergraduate art history majors and any undergraduate student with a demonstrable interest in the history of art. Students will be asked to fill out an application to be considered for the trip.
Led by Professors Gordon Hughes and Joseph Manca.
Gordon Hughes specializes in early 20th-Century European modernism, with a particular concentration on French painting. His engagement with continental theory continues to inform his writing and thinking about art, although it is always in the service of the primary act of viewing. This concern with close looking orients his approach to teaching, which takes uncovering and describing the vast complexities of artistic form-and the ways in which these complexities intersect with history and theory-as the central problem of art historical investigation.
Joseph Manca’s areas of research and teaching extend from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance to the art of the twentieth century. This also includes European art and culture, from the Renaissance to the early twentieth century, especially Italian Renaissance and seventeenth-century Dutch painting; American art and architecture. He welcomes applications to the department’s doctoral program from those who wish to work with him and other faculty members on European and American art and architecture from 1300 to 1950.
How to apply:
While preference is given to art-history majors and minors, this opportunity is open to all students in good academic standing, with a demonstrated interest in art history, art, or similar fields, and a compelling reason to go. Fill out the Adobe Sign application, which should include an unofficial copy of your transcript and a 500-word statement of interest explaining your reasons for wanting to participate in the New York Spring Break 2027 trip. Include information about courses you have taken or anticipate taking at Rice that would support or be supported by the trip, the relevance to your major(s) or minor(s), and/or other relevant experiences or motivating factors. (Please note that one can go only once, so those who have taken the trip cannot re-apply).
Instructions for new Adobe Sign form: Fill out the application form below and upload the required documents within the form. Then, sign and click submit at bottom of page. Fill out the pop-up window with your name and Rice email. Check your email and approve it from Adobe Sign, or the application may not be submitted.
For students interested in applying, we strongly urge you to attend the Information Session, which will be on November 3rd, 2026 in Herring Hall, room 124. Lunch will be provided while supplies last.
****APPLICATIONS OPEN NOVEMBER 3RD, 2026****
Questions? Email arthist@rice.edu.