"Inspired by Inquiry," M.F.A.s offer fresh takes on IU archives

Two hundred fifty collections are housed across the nine campuses of Indiana University, including artworks, cultural artifacts, rare books, and unique specimens in a subset of 94 natural science collections.At University Collections at McCalla, an exhibition of student work pulls a thread from these vast and diverse archives to the next generation of contemporary artists.

On view through April 26, "Inspired by Inquiry" features artworks by first-year M.F.A. students from the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Designdeveloped in response to objects or materials in IU'smany institutional collections. The result is a dynamic showcase of cross-disciplinary interpretation, where museum objects spark new narratives through fiber, installation, animation, graphic design, and digital media. 

A collaboration between University Collections and the Eskenazi School, with contributions from Grunwald Gallery Director Linda Tien and Associate Professor Malcolm Mobutu Smith, "Inspired by Inquiry" exemplifies the unique opportunities that arise when research meets studio practice. The M.F.A. students whose work is featured in the exhibition include exhibition Olivia Arnold, Holly Barrett, Alexa Bebon, Veronica Clapp, Ileana Haberman, Lisa Helland, Danyel'la Johnson, Savannah Jubic, Gracie Klingbeil, Boneger Kwarteng, Taej Laughery, Ellie Prisbrey, Con Ray, and Javier Viramontes. 

We spoke with several artists featured in "Inspired by Inquiry" to learn about their process and the ways IU's collections shaped their work. Their reflections highlight the deeply personal and exploratory nature of creating art in dialogue with historical objects and archival materials. 

Unearthing Forgotten Frames

For digital artist Con Ray, "Inspired by Inquiry" opened a portal into the university's hidden histories. His piece "Charms to Soothe the Beast" draws from the IU Moving Image Archive's 16mm film reels, specifically, the often-forgotten first and last frames that include scribbled notes, dust, and physical imperfections.

"You might see a fingerprint, a scratch, or a bit of text from someone labeling the reel," Raysays. "These fragments don't last more than a split second, but they're beautiful in their own right." 

Ray enlarged these ephemeral frames into foot-wide prints that honor their accidental poetry.

"It's about presence and absence," he explains. "Who handled these materials? What did they think they were preserving? These micro-moments say something about memory and labor, even if we never know the full story." 

A first-generation student and M.F.A. candidate in digital art, Ray approaches his practice from a highly interdisciplinary perspective, often using animation, 3D modeling, illustration, and found material.

"I'm interested in empathy, in materiality, in the personalities of objects," he says. "I like to imagine myself in the place of the material, asking: Where would I want to be? What story would I want to tell?" 

Ray's practice reflects his lived experience. Raised by a single mother in Michigan and briefly relocated to Texas to care for his injured brother, Ray brings a deep sensitivity to overlooked historical, familial, or imagined narratives.

"The archive is full of these invisible presences," he says. "This piece is a way of amplifying them." 

The Fabric of the World

Fiber artist Savannah Jubic approached the exhibition prompt by responding to an artist’s book from IU's collections, a piece originally created in response to violence in Afghanistan. Yet, Jubic found herself connecting the archival image to another crisis entirely: the ongoing violence in Palestine. "I connected with this piece and the idea of an artist responding to their own lived atrocity," she says. "I wanted to create something that reflected both a sense of helplessness and the deeper connections between these global events and our own personal lives."

Her artwork "Skyfall" features soft, cyanotype-dyed bricks made of fabric, each resembling fragments of sky. Assembled into a suspended textile installation, the piece poetically evokes the collapse of the sky itself.

"It's about the moment when the worst thing actually happens, when the sky really does fall," she explains. "It's a piece about empathy and overwhelm, about how global and personal tragedies overlap and blur." 

Jubic's practice often bridges the personal and political, pulling inspiration from contemporary poetry, literature, and global events, as well as her own lived experiences. "I'm always looking in two directions, outward at the world and inward at myself, and then trying to blend those perspectives together," she explains.

Before joining the Eskenazi School's M.F.A. program, Jubic spent a decade in Chicago working in large-scale art fabrication, including corporate installations, as well as serving as studio manager for artist Ebony G. Patterson. These experiences gave her a strong foundation in technical craft and artistic production, ultimately motivating her to pursue further education. 

Reflecting on her move from Chicago to Bloomington, she emphasizes the importance of finding the right community to support artistic growth.

"Coming to IU was a conscious choice to find a smaller, more intimate community that values interdisciplinary exploration," she says. Jubic particularly appreciates the flexibility of the Eskenazi School, where she's been encouraged to explore printmaking and other media alongside fibers. 

Jubic's fascination with fabric runs deep. "I love how weaving brings together different threads, like blending ideas, emotions, and histories into something tangible," she explains. "I'm interested in using the metaphor of cloth to explore our connectedness as humans." 

Art as Inquiry, Inquiry as Art

From pictures of a Christmas piñata party to fragments of Sylvia Plath's hair, Indiana University's archives proved fertile ground for the "Inspired by Inquiry" cohort. Yet the show's real success lies not just in its research component but in how each artist reshaped knowledge into a resonant, emotionally charged object. 

Whether through digital montage, fiber, or ceramics, each piece proposes a new way to learn by touching, questioning, and reimagining the past. In the process, these M.F.A. students remind us that academic collections are not just static records. They are living invitations. 

"Inspired by Inquiry" is on view at University Collections at McCalla, 525 N Indiana Ave., Bloomington, Ind. through April 26, 2025. Visit Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.