To a young student with a fascination with art and architecture, a guided tour through the Baroque and Renaissance epicenters of Italy was a burst of illumination.
Community School senior-to-be Khrystyne Inman was selected by LeadAmerica to participate in the 2007 Art in Italy Study Abroad program. During her two-week adventure earlier this month, Inman had the opportunity to immerse herself in some of Western culture's finest artistic achievements.
LeadAmerica describes itself as the nation's premier youth leadership organization, whose mission is to transform the world's next generation of leaders by educating, inspiring and instilling ethical and principled leadership values.
Inman appeared to be nothing if not inspired by her recent travels.
"I have always been interested in architecture," Inman said. "It's something I plan on pursuing in college, and this opportunity, well, it was amazing."
Inman spent one week in Rome, one week in Florence and one day in Pisa, the location of one of history's most infamous architectural blunders, the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
"Rome and Florence were similar," Inman said, in that both featured traditional, ornate Baroque and Renaissance architecture. On the other hand, "Pisa offered a different spin."
Although architecture was Inman's focus, the various galleries and the sheer beauty of the cities she visited were not lost on her.
Inman and the other 80 or so students selected for the trip toured the Medici Chapels, Uffizi Gallery, St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican museums and Trevi Fountain, to name a few.
"I loved the David, it was amazing," she said. "And I threw a coin over my shoulder at Trevi Fountain, which means I am destined to return to Rome."
Although the large, crowded museums housed a wealth of humanity, it was the small villas and gardens that sparked Inman's interest.
"There was one small villa where the entire ceiling was covered in Baroque and paintings," she said. "Some of the paintings were done so well that it looked like it was jumping off the wall. There was only one place in the room to stand where you could see that it was just a painting on a flat surface."
Inman explained that many of the villas were once owned by society's most wealthy citizens, who would commission one of the famous, big-name artists of the day. Those artists would only start the project, however, and then subcontract the remainder of work to lesser-known and less expensive painters.
The trip to Italy was not only indicative of Inman's hunger for knowledge and thirst for adventure, it was also a reflection of the generosity of the Wood River Valley. Inman had to raise over $5,000 for her trip, a sum achievable thanks to the philanthropic nature of local organizations and individuals who have asked to remain nameless.
"I drew up proposals and asked people to sponsor me. It was probably the hardest thing I've ever done, asking 'Could you give me money? You are probably not going to get it back,'" she said with a laugh.
With only a year of high school remaining, Inman is already looking out of the Wood River Valley toward potential colleges. She says California is a strong possibility because she has family there, and a school with a respected architectural program is key. Inman's trip to Italy gave her a leg up, earning her two college credits.
Leaving the valley is never easy to do.
"I'm very happy to be back," said Inman, who has been hiking almost every day she's been home. "I was gone only two weeks and I'm not a very big traveler. But I didn't get as home sick as I expected."
That's good news for her impending four-year hiatus.
Photo courtesy of Khrystyne Inman
As The Community School senior Khrystyne Inman poses for a picture in Italy this summer, she has her entire life ahead of her and the entire skyline of Florence at her back.
