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International Art Exhibit Shows the World through Student Eyes
A student photography exhibit “Global Perspectives through Student Eyes” is on view in the Science and Engineering Library through fall 2018. Hosted by the International Programs Office (IPO) and the Libraries, the exhibit, which is free and open to the public, features photos taken by students while studying abroad during the 2016-17 academic year.
“These incredible photos showcase the richness of less popular study abroad destinations,” says Kalpen Trivedi, associate provost of international programs. “I hope that they will inspire other students to seek out academic and personal enrichment by following the less travelled road.”
Images featured in the art exhibit were taken in countries such as Costa Rica, Spain, India, Japan, Nicaragua, Scotland, Greece and Oma and show everything from rainforests and cities to mosques and castles. All photos were submitted to IPO’s annual photo contest, which received more than 100 submissions.
“These students have captured so many unique images—they're colorful and inspiring,” says Kimberly Stender, executive assistant to the associate provost of IPO and curator of the exhibit. “I wish I could have featured all 100 photos.”
To make the exhibit happen, Stender worked with science and engineering librarians Ellen Lutz and Paulina Borrego; marketing and outreach assistant for the Libraries Lauren Weiss; and communication program coordinator for the Libraries Leslie Schaler. Together, Stender says, they were able to create an exhibit that pays homage to the students and their work, as well as to the overall study abroad experience.
“The campus community has been enjoying the exhibit,” says Lutz. “I know that one of our student employees, who is an international student, was excited to see a photo from his home country on display. I heard from another one of our student employees that a tour of prospective computer science students and their families took time to look at the photos when they came through the Science and Engineering Library.”
Included in the exhibit is a photo by Rebekah Arsenault, a senior majoring in operations and information management. Arsenault studied abroad in Paris in spring 2017 and visited Muscat, Oman, where her father is temporarily working and where she snapped her photo.
“I took that photo at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, which is a beautiful structure surrounded by bright and carefully maintained gardens. I was inspired to take this photo because the mosque, and the Omani culture overall, was unlike anything I’d seen in Europe or the United States,” Arsenalt says. “It is always exciting to be immersed in a new culture, especially when it is so different from my own.”
The exhibit will be on view in the Science and Engineering Library through the fall. The photos will then be displayed in the IPO building on Butterfield Terrace.
To learn more about studying abroad, visit www.ipo.umass.edu.