A native to India, professor emerita of mathematical sciences Padmini Joshi came to the United States in the 1950s, but her knowledge of Indian art is something she still wants to develop. For her, Indian miniature art is something new and interesting.
"I bought a book on Indian art," she said with a smile, "But I haven't had the time to read it."
Joshi and others had the opportunity to expand their knowledge of South Asian art Thursday at the Ball State University Museum of Art at its opening preview reception of the Indian miniature paintings from the David T. Owsley collection. Today the exhibition officially opens for Ball State and the Muncie community. The exhibition will stay open until Jan. 4, 2009.
The reception, held from 5 to 7 p.m., allowed faculty members and student assistants to not only view and learn about the collection but also witness the traditional dancing of twin sisters Nisha and Nitika Jacob.
Peter Blume, director of the Museum of Art also gave a brief history on the origin of the paintings.
He said the paintings were first made in Persia, now Iran, and were imported to India by emperors. The Indian emperors quickly caught on that these paintings were a "courtly" art and continued making them into the middle of the 19th century.
After the performance curious spectators moved upstairs to the exhibition area to view the collection.
Blume said an exposition like the one now displayed is a unusual event in central Indiana.
"We have very few Indian miniature painters in our own collection," he said. "These new paintings will give a context for this material, which is rare in our collection and will let us explore the topic much more broadly."
Finance professor Srinivasan Sundaram said he believes art exhibitions from around the world are great for students to learn about different cultures.
"These are what I call mind-expanding events for students," he said.
Though few students came to the preview reception, those who did showed curiosity and interest for the paintings.
Senior English major Kimberly Bortnem has worked for the Museum of Art for two years. She took her day off to attend the event as a guest with her friends.
"[This exhibition] draws attention to an artwork from a culture that is not usually in the media or display," she said. "So I look forward to learning more about what these paintings mean and their cultural context."
If you goWhat: Indian Miniature PaintingsWhen: Today-Jan. 4, 2009, during the museum's regular hours: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mon-Fri, 1:30-4:30 p.m. Sat-Sun.Where: Museum of Art, AR 216Admission: Free and open to the public year-round.
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