Posters in Bethe House reflect a world of art and opportunity

Cornell Abroad and the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art teamed up recently to help beautify the Hans Bethe House on West Campus and make students aware of study opportunities abroad.

House Dean Porus Olpadwala said he was inspired by a series of images from the museum's collection hanging in nearby Becker House, and he wanted to use artwork to promote international study to students in Bethe House.

"I'm a strong proponent of students from any country going to other countries," he said. "There are surprisingly many of them who don't know of the opportunities available at this university, and this brings the opportunities to them."

The 12 framed posters displayed in Bethe House show paintings, sculpture, textiles and ceramics chosen from museum collections by Cathy Klimaszewski, associate director of the museum and a Becker House fellow.

The poster gallery includes artworks from Brazil, Costa Rica, China, Ethiopia, Egypt, Korea and France. They are accompanied by two informational posters on the museum and Cornell Abroad, the latter illustrated by a photograph by Wing Kay Fok '08, showing Cornell students under a painted ceiling fresco in Versailles, France.

"We have a significant number of students who become interested in art after obligatory museum trips, and they have a powerful reaction to it," said Dick Gaulton, director of Cornell Abroad.

Undergraduates living on West Campus "are all potential Cornell Abroad students," he said. "Sophomores start planning and go when they're juniors. We've also been working with second-semester freshmen to get them to consider it."

Cornell Abroad involves more than 500 students each year in programs around the world, including premed courses, field study and business internships. It hosts several information sessions and country and regional meetings on campus throughout the academic year. For more information, visit http://www.cuabroad.cornell.edu.

Media Contact

Media Relations Office