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After spending two energizing weeks of creative preparation on campus,  we are now living a very different lifestyle in the Czech Republic. Every weekday morning, we take the tram or metro to our art studios, which are located in an old communist office building off the tourist-beaten path. We have been able to dig into large, mixed media drawings and poetry, hear incredible speakers discuss Czech art history and literature, visit accomplished Czech artists and writers at their studios, and have survival Czech lessons. The first week here, we were given an architectural tour, which helped us to appreciate the variety of architectural styles sprinkled throughout Prague and to learn our way around the labyrinth of the city. We were also very lucky to be here during the Prague Writer’s Festival, which included moving readings and discussion panels by well-known Greek, Turkish, Czech, and American writers on the topic of “Hot Spots” around the world. Along with all our classes and scheduled activities, we’ve enjoyed two “Prague Is Your Teacher” days to explore the city ourselves. We will have three more weeks in the city, in which our study will focus on Czech cubism (Prague is, for the most part, the only city in the world with cubist architecture) and Terezin, the World War II Nazi holding camp located near Prague. Additionally, we look forward to having church with the Prague Christian Science Society this coming week. After our time here, we will be off to the old capital, Olomouc, and then to Cesky Krumlov. We will return to Prague for the last few days before we part ways. In the meantime, we are focusing our attention on our daily creative work and wishing a great spring to everyone at home!

Photos courtesy of Lauren Powers