Lauren Iverson

Staff Writer

DeKalb | Even with their first visit canceled, Faculty and Art Museum members are still gearing up for this semester’s Get on the Bus trips.

Get on the Bus attendees visits famous art museums and locations throughout the Midwest.

The events usually correspond to what’s going on in the Chicagoland area. Trip prices range from $20 to $40.

“The amount of people who go on these trips varies tremendously,” said Art Museum Director Josephine Burke. “There have been trips where we take the big 49-seat bus and others where it’s very small.”

These trips have been held since about 1995 and usually include at least one overnight visit. This year’s overnight trip is to St. Louis.

One visit in May relates to an NIU art exhibit called “Hoarding, Amassing and Excess.” The exhibit illustrates impulses and why people collect, accumulate and act in excess.

“We wanted to show attendees the crazy collections and quirky house,” said Heather Green, Art Museum Marketing and Education coordinator. “We wanted it to go with the current exhibit.”

The majority of attendees are current or former faculty and Art Museum members, but students are encouraged to attend, too.

The Jan. 30 outing to Milwaukee is being rescheduled. The March 15 visit is to Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell Ave. in Chicago. Trips are often added throughout the semester.

The directors try to give a little taste of what most would not take the time to see.

“These trips open up a whole world of knowledge to me,” said previous attendee Jan Modloff. “We always go see something you would not normally go see on your own.”