Drew happily witnessed the revamping of the art history club earlier this year. Under the direction of the new club president Madeline Koory (‘27), the art history club hosted several events this year–from a Victorian valentines event to visiting the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City for the museum’s 82nd edition of their famous Biennial.
On April 11, 25 lucky people joined the art history board members flocking to Madison Station with free round-trip train tickets to and from New York, traversed the High Line and got to spend two hours exploring the museum.
The Biennial itself is free to enter for visitors aged 25 or younger (though a donation is greatly appreciated) and, this year, features work from 56 different artists and groups. Like past Biennials, the works inside are made in conversation surrounding the flux of what it means to create art in and about America, and “what it means to name something ‘American’ at all” as stated in the official 2026 Whitney Biennial press release.
Art history club members got to see featured works from across the country, as well as works from international artists from countries marked by U.S. power struggles and general outreach, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Palestine, Afghanistan and many more.
Intergenerational, cross-cultural and undoubtedly prevalent, the works in this year’s Biennial explore themes of family, ecology, shared mythology, technology, geopolitics and more. As it stands, the trip itself was quite a treat for any student with their finger on the pulse of America and of the world, in our current shifting times.
Art history club is not only for those in the major – one student, Jaden Finn (‘28) who was on the trip remarked, “As someone not majoring in art or art history, I really appreciated the opportunity to go to the Whitney Museum. It was a really fun experience and I loved the exhibition. I hope I can go back to see the rest of it!”
Art is one of the most important and easily accessible ways for people to connect with one another to share their thoughts and ideas. It is important today, as always, to interrogate the world around us, through our own artistic creations, or by observing others.
For those interested in future museum trips and general art history fun, future art history club events are visible on the path, and the art history club itself is reachable at arthistclub@drew.edu. For those who would like to see the 2026 Whitney Biennial, it is open to viewing until Aug. 23, 2026.
Elliot Yap is a sophomore double majoring in studio art and media and communications and minoring in photography.