Patrick Wall

Style Editor

George Mason University prides itself on being a university that verses its students in culture.

From the Patriot Center – which has welcomed acts like The Cure and New Kids on the Block – to the Center for the Arts, Mason has been successful in bringing culture to its students.

But one of the most valuable programs offered is the Department of Art and Visual Technology’s annual Artsbus trips.

Founded in 1987 by Mason professor Jerry Clapsaddle, the Artsbus takes students and community members alike to New York City to visit some of the city’s most prestigious museums.

The program originally traveled to the city once a year. In the two decades since, it has expanded to offer 14 trips per year, bringing over 1,000 people to New York City per year.

The program has expanded and is now a large part of the department’s curriculum. For students, the event represents an opportunity to visit some of the most prestigious museums in the world.

“For non-art students, the trip is expensive,” said senior  Pujita Venkat, who is in the conservation studies program. “But it was a great experience.”

Each semester Artsbus makes three day trips to New York City. The visits are an intensive excursion into the lush art world of the Big Apple.

This year the department will visit, among other museums, the famed Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art and the Chelsea Art Museum.

If you missed the first trip this semester, don’t worry. There are still two trips this semester on Oct. 17 and Nov. 14.

While art and visual technology majors are required to attend, other students and the general public can pay $65 to travel as well.

For more information on the Artsbus, visit http://artsbus.gmu.edu. For scheduling, contact Peter Winant at pwinant@gmu.edu or call at (703) 993-8385.