2025 Q3 Newsletter
HEY, ART TRIPPERS!
I hope you enjoyed your summer! Mine was super hectic but so much fun. I spent June and July traveling through Europe, which means there is a lot of travel content coming your way! My travels took me from the Netherlands to Italy to Poland to France. I met up with friends and family, saw beautiful sites and cities, and (of course) went art trippin’ to plenty of museums.
TRAVEL SCRAPBOOK
Did you know that Amsterdam has more bikes than people?!
“The Jolly Drinker” by Judith Leyster, housed by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, was attributed to Frans Hals until 1893. Now, she gets her due. Like so many other women, she is being written back into the histories in her rightful place of honor!
Legend has it that the Scaliger Castle in Sirmione, Italy is haunted by the ghost of Ebengardo, whose wife, Arice, was killed by a man they’d offered shelter to. It is said that he still wanders the halls of the castle in search of her. Who doesn’t love a ghost story?!
The Wilanów Palace in Warsaw, Poland is often referred to as the “Polish Versailles.”
Made it to the historical pilgrimage site of Mount Saint Michel in northwest France!
Nothing beats having a drink with friends and a view of the Seine river! Here we are in Rolleboise, France dining at Hotel Domaine de la Corniche. The hotel was originally commissioned by King Leopold II of Belgium and is known for its stunning views and local sourcing of ingredients used by its Michelin-starred restaurant.
The best part about all this traveling is that I brought you with me—well, I brought a camera and microphone with me! Be on the lookout for new TikTok content as well as a Europe travel vlog series on YouTube.
TRAVEL CONSULTING
Do you ever look at my trips and think, “wow, I want to travel like her”? Well I am so excited to announce that you can now book a 30-minute one-on-one travel consultation with me, and I will help you curate the trip of your dreams! All you have to do is fill out a form with all of your travel goals and needs, and I’ll do the research and prep work ahead of time so we can dive right in. I have loved getting to share my travel knowledge through Art Trippin’, and I’ve been wanting to find a way to personalize my recommendations to each individual. One-on-one travel consultations allow me to do just that. Whether you love art, food, adventuring, or anything in between, let’s get you art trippin’! BOOK NOW!
ART TRIPPIN’ IN ITALY
The first episode of Art Trippin’ in Italy is with the editor! As you may already know, Art Trippin’ in Italy is an edutainment art, history, and travel series that takes you to off the beaten track destinations and celebrates women and other marginalized artists, revealing the untold histories of art. The first episode will explore ways that the old meets the new in Rome. I truly cannot wait to finally share the episode with you all. The wait is almost over!
Please consider making a donation toward production costs here.
ART TRIPPIN’ TALK
Last year, a banana. This year, a condom. One of Art Trippin’s favorite art news stories of 2024 regarded a banana taped to a wall that sold for $6.2 million. In 2025, our favorite news story so far has been a condom sold to the Rijksmuseum for only €1,000. That might seem like a lot for a condom, but it’s almost 200 years old! (Don’t worry, they inspected it. It’s unused.) The reusable condom, most likely made from a sheep’s appendix, is from 1830 and has an etching of a nun and three clergymen in exactly the kind of scene you’d expect to be depicted on a reusable condom. But what might seem like a silly little scene is actually a “parody of both celibacy and the Judgement of Paris from Greek mythology,” according to the Rijksmuseum. Voilà mon choix, the inscription reads: “This is my choice.”
The Rijksmuseum’s displayment of this 200-year-old condom serves as a reminder that sexuality has always informed art. We are often sold the lie that “promiscuous” art is a new development of the contemporary moment, indicative of moral decline in today’s society. But the truth is, attitudes surrounding sexuality have always shifted from one time period or culture to another. What remains the same is that, no matter the zeitgeist of a particular time and place, the human desire for sexual freedom and expression shows up in art. It is nothing new, and it isn’t going anywhere. Even as it becomes increasingly taboo to broach topics of sexuality, art will continue to serve as an expressive outlet for every aspect of the human experience.
