The Essence Theme Community traveled to Chicago this fall on a daylong field trip designed to offer students an artful and educational experience, coinciding with the Department of African American Studies’ ongoing work to transition Essence into a Learning Community.
The visit also allowed students an opportunity to meet Dr. Jessica Lee Stovall, who will serve as the program’s inaugural faculty director and will teach AFROAMER101 “Introduction to African American Studies” in spring 2026.
The group began the trip at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. Students toured galleries that highlight Mexican, Chicano, and Mexican American art, with exhibitions that document migration histories, cultural traditions, and memoriams.
Afterward, the group visited Millennium Park, where students spent time at Cloud Gate (Anish Kapoor’s sculpture, affectionately known as “The Bean”) before continuing to the Art Institute of Chicago. There, they attended a private lecture by African American Studies lecturer Dr. Melanie Herzog, an expert on artist Elizabeth Catlett. Herzog discussed Catlett’s background, her engagement with Black feminist and international political movements, and her contributions to modern sculpture and printmaking.
Students then viewed the exhibition “Elizabeth Catlett: A Black Revolutionary Artist and All That It Implies,” which surveys decades of Catlett’s work. Herzog joined students in the gallery space, making herself available to questions that arose naturally when students viewed the artworks. The exhibition includes sculptures, prints, and other pieces that highlight her focus on Black women’s labor, community life, and social justice.
The field trip served as both an educational enrichment experience and a step in building the community that will shape Essence’s new structure. For students, it offered direct engagement with work that will inform their studies in the coming semester.
