Walker Art Center Field Trip

November 9, 2023

On Wednesday, November 8th, students from Museum Studies and Drawing went on a field trip to the Walker Art Center with instructors Craig Farmer (Art History Instructor) and Lindsey Schmitt (Visual Arts Instructor). The group went to see an art exhibition titled, “Allan Sekula: Fish Story”. Students prepped for the field trip with readings, watching a documentary, and drawings. The students had a great time; here are some of their reflections of the show:

“It was very enjoyable. I enjoyed the photography, specifically the lighting and reading the stories along with it.” – Quinn Brager (Visual Arts 2024) and Jay Taylor (Visual Arts 2024)

“I expected fish – but no fish! Interesting to see the workers of the shipping industries of different countries and how that system works.” – Jude Browne (Visual Arts 2024)

“Seeing ships in different perspectives was neat and the compositions of the photos shows a wide range of technical skills – very talented artist and show!” – Pin Lampi (Visual Arts 2024)

“I liked the room with the projector. It felt like a different way to experience photography – like a moving story.” – Sylvia Dieken (Music 2025)

“I had fun getting to look at art with friends and taking gallery photos!” – Astrid Peterson (Media Arts 2025)

From the Walker website: Photographer, theorist, and critic Allan Sekula (US, 1951–2013) is known for photographs and essays that blend researched, descriptive realism with emotionally impactful narrative. His photography actively engages ideas around labor, capitalism, and Marxist theory, providing complex and poignant critiques about social reality.

This exhibition features Sekula’s tour-de-force project Fish Story (1988–1995), the result of seven years of documenting harbors and port cities around the world. Beginning his journey in Los Angeles at the port in San Pedro where he grew up, the artist traveled as far as Korea, Scotland, and Poland, photographing the prosperity, poverty, and political powers that continue to play out in these sites.