Herron's global learning programming opens doors to a network of vibrant art communities for students, faculty, and staff. From diverse study abroad programs that offer immersive experiences around the world to international education partnerships dedicated to providing students with new perspectives and skills, Herron has a wide range of opportunities for our community to connect with the world.
Herron's study abroad programs allow students to earn class credits while enjoying the trip of a lifetime. Discover the historical impact of art and design worldwide and over time, all while making lasting friendships.
Herron faculty members are regularly honored as Virtual Global Learning Fellows. Their work in and out of the classroom forges connections to universities and institutions across the world, and facilitates a creative, semester-long exchange of ideas.
Karen Baldner, Visiting Lecturer in Printmaking, will partner with the Academy of Fine Arts in Leipzig, Germany for a virtual learning program as a part of her bookbinding course. The project, "Making Books Across the Big Pond," will consist of students collaboratively conceptualizing, designing, and building an actual book with two identical copies. Participants will focus on narrative building through shared experiences that bridge cultural differences, fostering cross-cultural sensitivity through problem-solving via virtual learning collaboration.
Coordinator of Foundation Studies Sydney Craig's 2023 virtual learning program allowed students to explore connections through memory as they collaborated with students from the Technical University of Applied Sciences, Würzburg-Schweinfurt in Germany. Together with her German collaborator Judith Glaser, Sydney won a prestigious grant from the Bavarian State Ministry of Research and the Arts for a project in which participants critically examined storytelling through a digital exchange of communication and information as they worked together to fabricate memories. The culmination of this exchange was shared through a virtual exhibition of the artifacts.
Amrita Datta is an Assistant Professor in Visual Communication Design interested in how diversity, equity, and inclusion impact design education in America. Her research examines strategies to help art and design faculty integrate the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion into their courses. All of this is done to increase classroom diversity through international learning for undergraduate students. As a 2022 Virtual Global Learning Fellow, she partnered with faculty from Yonsei University in Incheon, South Korea. Datta updated the sophomore-level typography course to accommodate this collaboration.
Meganne Masko is the director of the Music Therapy Program whose teaching focuses on liberatory approaches to clinical practice with an emphasis on anti-carceral approaches to healthcare. She has a special interest in decolonizing STEAM education, interprofessional education, and applications of music technology in therapy. For her 2022 virtual learning program, she worked with colleagues from Newcastle University, United Kingdom to explore how the common histories of both countries impact the role of anti-Black racism in healthcare planning and delivery.
Herron's international exhibition and artist-in-residence series features work from globally-recognized artists and is funded by the Edgar and Dorothy Fehnel Chair in International Studies endowment. Established in 2017 to support international studies and exchanges for the benefit of Herron students, this endowment has funded visits from Judith Glaser, a German designer in 2024; Hyun-Kyung Lee, South-Korean designer in 2024; Æsa Sigurjónsdottir, an Icelandic art historian in 2022; and Gonkar Gyatso, a Tibetan-British artist in 2023. Learn more about the work of two other artists featured in this series, Tsherin Sherpa and Tuguldur Yondonjamts.
During his time as a visiting artist at Herron in early 2020, Tsherin Sherpa worked with faculty, staff, and students while overseeing the installation of his exhibition Metamorphosis. Trained in the traditions of Tibetan thangka painting, Sherpa's work borrows imagery from classical Tibetan Buddhist iconography to investigate the dichotomy found where sacred and secular traditions and world cultures collide.
View the virtual exhibitionSeparated Geography from a Poem was organized within a Herron's international artist-in-residence series. Inspired by the Mongolian historical epic "Khan Kharangui [King Darkness]," Tuguldur Yondonjamts explores boundless travel, imaginations of space and distance, and various types of communication through interdisciplinary research in archeology, material studies, and art.
View the virtual exhibitionSince 2009, Herron School of Art and Design has been an official educational partner for the Venice Biennale Sessions. Students on the "Exploring Art in Italy" trip in the summer of 2024 will attend La Biennalie di Venezia's prestigious 60th Annual International Art Exhibition.
Whether it's in the form of art historians conducting research on worldwide art movements, or practicing artists exhibiting in all of the corners of the planet, Herron faculty members maintain strong connections to the global art world, creating an impact for students in their classrooms and on their international audiences.
2023: Organized Museum of Broken Relationships programming, which included a participatory exhibition at Herron curated by Croatian artists
2024: Research in Türkiye, funded by the Frank Springer Award
2023: Research in Türkiye funded by IU Presidential Arts and Humanities Research Travel Grant
2023: The Garden of Galactic Delight exhibited at Monoco.io, Bilsart, Istanbul, Türkiye, and Táchira, Venezuela.
2024: Research project in Iceland funded by an Albert and Robert Schloss Faculty Award
2023: Solo exhibition at the National Gallery of Mongolia and research project in Mongolia funded by the Indiana University Presidential Arts and Humanities Program
2022: Human/Nature, curated by Laura Moya, Photolucida. Photography Museum of Lishui, Lishui, CHINA
2024: Self Contained: Takt Collection #2 group show in Berlin, Germany
2023: Magnetic Observatory group performance art piece in Dublin, Ireland
2024: Curated Mongol Zurag : The Art of Resistance exhibition in Venice, Italy, co-funded by IU Presidential Arts and Humanities Program
2023: Keynote lecture at international workshop, University of Bern, Switzerland
2023: Research and exhibition project in Mongolia, funded by IU Presidential Arts and Humanities Program
Herron works with numerous institutions and universities all over the world to facilitate international collaboration and learning. Partnerships include: The National Gallery of Mongolia, University of Iceland, Yonsei University in South Korea, and the Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt.
