Natalie Bloniarz

Overview

The paragraph should give a three to five sentence abstract about your entire London HUA experience including 1) a summary of the aims of your project, 2) your prior experience with humanities and arts courses and disciplines, and 3) your major takeaways from the experience.

My goal for my London HUA experience is to explore art through history. Specifically, I will be exploring the history of architecture through art, the characteristics of religious art throughout history, and the history, purpose, style, and creation of stained glass windows. Previous courses I have taken in the humanities and arts are: AR1101 Digital Imaging and Computer Art, MU 2637 String Ensemble, and I have experience from high school courses such as AP U.S. History, AP European History, AP Literature and Composition, and AP Language and Composition. MAJOR TAKEAWAYS HERE.

Milestone 1

London Architecture
Objective: A descriptive timeline of the change in architecture throughout the city over time through photographs including comparing different churches, buildings, bridges, museums and even unsung architectures accomplishments such as parking garages (or car parks).

Below the objective statement, Insert a one or two paragraph summary of your findings from having reached this milestone. Edit the link below to link to your milestone page.
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Milestone 2

Characteristics of Religious Art Throughout History
Objective: A comparison of religious art in London and how it has evolved over time.

Below the objective statement, Insert a one or two paragraph summary of your findings from having reached this milestone. Edit the link below to link to your milestone page.
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Milestone 3, Capstone

Capstone: The History, Purpose, Style, and Creation of Stained Glass Windows
Objective: To develop a timeline of the history of stained glass windows, including their style and purpose, and to create a stained glass window.

Below the objective statement, Insert a one or two paragraph summary of your findings from having reached this milestone. If this milestone, for you, represents a humanities and arts capstone, please indicate so. Edit the link below to link to your milestone page.
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Activity Journal

The activity journal represents an ongoing log of reflections gained through each and every project activity on the calendar.

Week 1

Activity #1 Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London

Today's visit to Westminster Abbey helped me to refine my first milestone from a broad history of architecture to a more focused analysis of Gothic architecture. It also provided a starting point for my research into Gothic architecture and some basic history of the Abbey. Though I really wanted to take photos inside to use for my milestone, I understand that that is not possible. I also started my quest to find the ugliest picture of Jesus as a baby, to keep with the tradition started by my brother on our vacation to Italy. During the visit to the Tower of London, I had discovered that medieval history is a period that I do not find that appealing to study. The queue leading up to catch a glimpse of the crown jewels felt like waiting for a roller coaster. The silliest part was that the exhibit was incredibly short, and to keep people moving they had a moving sidewalk along the row of crowns. I would have loved to spend more time looking at the ostentatious jewels, but it was incredibly crowded and my height made it hard to see around others in the exhibit.

Activity #2 The British Museum

I really enjoyed today's visit to the British Museum. After deciding last night to join the other two girls in the architecture group for their first milestone, this provided a great opportunity to start working with them. The museum courtyard provided some great photos for the milestone, and it was incredibly designed. The thought that people had built that intricate glass ceiling, creating the largest covered square in England, was fascinating. I especially enjoyed looking at all of the Egyptian artifacts, as that is my favorite time period throughout all of history. The sheer number of artifacts in the museum was incredible and it would take at least a week to be able to see and appreciate their extensive collection. I would love to go back at a later date to further explore the other wings of the museum. I also got the chance to do some more exploring in London on a quest to complete the scavenger hunt.