Fulbright Scholar Travels to India
Art graduate student Aren Skalman received a Fulbright Scholarship to work on a collaborative project in India.
San Diego State School of Art, Design and Art History graduate student Aren Skalman was recently awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarship.
He will travel to Bangalore, India for six months starting in December to complete a collaborative sculpture project.
He will partner with Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath College of Art, and Jaaga, a grass-roots community art group.
The sculpture will be abstract in form and site-specific, Skalman said. While his approach is contemporary, he plans to incorporate traditional Indian craft technique and locally available materials to reflect the landscape where the sculpture will reside.
Skalman credits his resources at SDSU for helping him prepare for the scholarship and application process.
“I can't thank my art professors enough for their feedback during the application process” Skalman said. “SDSU is lucky to have Patricia Huckle as the Campus Fulbright Adviser. She has been invaluable in educating me about how Fulbright works.”
Fulbright application
Prior to receiving the scholarship, Skalman had to complete a rigorous application that included two essays, a multi-page online form, a PowerPoint of his work and a campus interview. He also needed to get a letter of affiliation from an institution in the host county.
“The application was a beast, especially getting it done while doing normal coursework,” Skalman said. “I didn't know a lot about it going in, so it was a learning process that involved many rewrites and a lot of fine tuning as it progressed.”
More about Skalman
According to Skalman, his experience at SDSU has pushed him to improve his art, but also his ability to think and write critically about art.
Skalman’s work was recently featured at the SDSU Downtown Gallery, alongside his father’s art.
Jim Skalman is also an alumnus of the School of Art, Design, and Art History.
Jim is an important artist working in San Diego; his exhibition transformed the Downtown Gallery space into an artist's laboratory. His work was created and installed as part of an exhibition, viewers were able to enter the space and ask questions of the artist at work. The resulting work in on view through Feb. 18, 2013.
Skalman is one of over 1,700 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad for the 2012-2013 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Skalman’s wife and baby will be traveling to India with him.
