{"id":5026,"date":"2015-07-28T08:59:00","date_gmt":"2015-07-28T08:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/?p=5026"},"modified":"2018-07-27T21:13:07","modified_gmt":"2018-07-27T21:13:07","slug":"research-on-the-road","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/2015\/07\/28\/research-on-the-road\/","title":{"rendered":"Taking research on the road"},"content":{"rendered":"

The last thing studio arts major Indra Ramassamy \u201917<\/strong> thought she\u2019d get out of her course, Women and Art, was a life-changing trip and lasting friendship with an established artist. But it just so happened that Augsburg\u2019s commitment to experiential education fostered a memorable experience for Ramassamy and cultivated skills that will prove useful throughout her life.<\/p>\n

Ramassamy, an international student from Paris, was assigned to choose an object from Augsburg\u2019s permanent collection of art and complete a research project resulting in a final paper, a speech, an installation, and a curatorial file.<\/p>\n

\u201cAugsburg expects us to discover things. We are encouraged to make deep connections with people, to find new ways to problem-solve, to make a difference.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u2014Indra Ramassamy \u201917<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ramassamy was drawn to a print by Nilda Getty called \u201cPsychic,\u201d one work in a five-piece series titled, \u201cLife Series.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat drew me to this print was a sort of \u2018motion\u2019 around a white circular shape\u2014to me, it represented the moon,\u201d Ramassamy said. \u201cWe can see six female figures around the shape, but there is a possibility that these female figures might actually be one person at different moments.\u201d<\/p>\n

A little persistence goes a long way<\/h3>\n

In researching the piece, Ramassamy found that biographical information about the artist was limited. She was, however, able to locate and contact an art gallery where Getty had once exhibited. The art gallery contacted Getty about Ramassamy\u2019s inquiry, and within a week, they were speaking regularly on the phone for Ramassamy\u2019s project. A few weeks later, Getty and her son, Leslie, contacted Ramassamy and invited her to Colorado, offering to fly her out so she could complete her assignment.<\/p>\n

Ramassamy gladly accepted. \u201cIt was about a lot more than the paper,\u201d she said. \u201cThrough phone conversations and an exchange of emails, I had already made a connection with Nilda and was beyond excited to meet her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"indra-2\"<\/b>Leaving a lasting legacy<\/h3>\n

A few weeks later, Ramassamy was on a flight from Minneapolis to Fort Collins, Colorado, for a 48-hour stay. While there, Ramassamy toured Getty\u2019s studio, met Getty\u2019s family, learned how to use metalsmithing tools, and studied Getty\u2019s artwork\u2014from silk prints to photographs, metalwork to jewelry. She also visited Colorado State University where Getty taught metalsmithing in the Art Department.<\/p>\n

When Ramassamy asked Getty about \u201cPsychic,\u201d Getty said the white circle represented both the world and the universe. But the artist also explained that it doesn\u2019t matter what she thinks of the piece. What is important to Getty is the viewer\u2019s experience with the art and the relationship formed with it.<\/p>\n

Ramassamy was inspired by Getty\u2019s work, by her outlook on art and life, and by her warmth and spirit. \u201cOne of the sweetest things was when Nilda told me her \u2018greatest works of art are her children\u2019\u2014and she also asked me a lot about my own mom,\u201d Ramassamy said. \u201cI believe Nilda\u2019s legacy will be what her children go out into the world and achieve.\u201d<\/p>\n

An Augsburg education is shaped by its global settings <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Ramassamy is grateful to Augsburg for the whole experience. \u201cThere\u2019s a culture at Augsburg to go the full extent\u2014do as much as you can,\u201d she said. \u201cAugsburg expects us to discover things. We are encouraged to make deep connections with people, to find new ways to problem-solve, to make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s exactly what Ramassamy did.<\/p>\n

\n

Fun facts about Augsburg’s permanent collection of art<\/h3>\n

MOST FAMOUS?<\/strong>
\nAndy Warhol\u2019s \u201cLiz\u201d<\/p>\n

LARGEST?<\/strong>
\nHenry Lande\u2019s minimalist sculpture, 24 Elements, stands outside between Urness Tower and Christensen Center at 33 feet tall.<\/p>\n

BEST-TRAVELED?<\/strong>
\nA photograph of Gerda Mortensen vanished from Mortensen Hall (more than once) and reappeared at St. Olaf College.<\/p>\n

MOST GENEROUS DONORS? <\/strong>
\nDon and Dagny Padilla, avid art collectors, who gave dozens of pieces to Augsburg\u2019s permanent collection of art, including Nilda Getty\u2019s \u201cPsychic.\u201d<\/p>\n

AVAILABLE IN TWO SIZES? <\/strong>
\nJakob Fjelde\u2019s life-size marble bust of Augsburg\u2019s third president, Sven Oftedal, and Fjelde\u2019s small-scale plaster copy, a recent gift from Melinda and Jim Kohrt.<\/p>\n

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The last thing studio arts major Indra Ramassamy \u201917 thought she\u2019d get out of her course, Women and Art, was a life-changing trip and lasting friendship with an established artist. But it just so happened that Augsburg\u2019s commitment to experiential education fostered a memorable experience for Ramassamy and cultivated skills that will prove useful throughout <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":171,"featured_media":5033,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[65,30],"class_list":["post-5026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-stories","tag-my-auggie-experience","tag-summer-2015"],"wps_subtitle":"Augsburg student travels 900 miles in search of answers","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/171"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5026"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8893,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5026\/revisions\/8893"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}