On April 19th, our art history class at Holt took an adventure into downtown St. Louis, from The St. Louis Arch all the way to Union Station. Throughout this trip, there were many fascinating art pieces, sculptures, and architecture to be seen.

My personal favorite was the St. Louis Central Library. I really loved the intricate ceiling panelling in some parts of the interior, along with Roman-based architectural pillars.

Shea Lee (’25) agrees with this statement of ancient inspiration.

“It showed us how there’s examples of art history everywhere and how so many buildings were inspired by ancient architectural styles,” Lee said.

Its true, everywhere you look, there’s pieces of art history, especially in iconic cities like St. Louis. Many of us learned things about St. Louis we never knew before this trip.

“My favorite part of the trip was learning so much history that I had previously unknown about a city that I had grown up so close to, as well as seeing the uniqueness of that city through its large variety of art and architecture,” Landon Rosenhoffer (’25) said.

All year, we have learned about a bunch about art history all around the world. But, actually getting to see these pieces with your own two eyes is essential and truly incredible. Our art history teacher, Sarah Catalano, believes this was a very key experience.

“It’s one thing to study art from photos and architecture and spaces, but when you’re physically in them, you get a whole different appreciation and understanding of them,” Catalano said.

Overall, this experience was really awesome. I really appreciate Mrs. Catalano for allowing us the freedom to go on this trip, and we had a bunch of fun along the way!